Yahtzee strategy

Yahtzee gives you thirteen turns to fill thirteen boxes, and every box must be filled even when the dice refuse to cooperate. Strong players think less about the roll in front of them and more about the card as a whole: which boxes are still easy to fill, which are worth chasing, and which can soak up a bad turn.

The big point sources are the 35-point upper bonus, the fixed-value boxes (Full House 25, Small Straight 30, Large Straight 40, Yahtzee 50) and the boxes that add up all five dice, which reward high numbers. If you need a refresher on any box, see the Yahtzee rules.

The 35-point bonus is worth almost as much as a large straight, and you earn it with boxes you have to fill anyway. The simplest way to track it is to treat three of each number as par (3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18, which add up to the 63 you need) and keep a running count of how far above or below par you are.

Put high counts up top

Three or four 4s, 5s or 6s usually belong in the upper section, especially early. Four 6s in Sixes put you 6 over par, enough to cover a weak box somewhere else.

Low boxes are cheap to miss

Two 1s in Ones cost you only 1 point against par, while two 6s in Sixes cost 6. That makes Ones and Twos good places to park a weak roll.

Count before you place

If you are already 5 over par, you can accept two 5s in Fives and still be on track. Our scorecard shows your upper total against 63 after every turn.

Know when to let it go

Once the bonus is out of reach, stop forcing dice into the upper section and treat the remaining upper boxes as plain points or scratch spots.

Work down this list and stop at the first line that matches your dice. Always check which boxes are still open first: there is no point keeping a straight draw if both straight boxes are filled.

1. 1
   A finished hand. A large straight, a full house or a Yahtzee with its box still open: score it. Rerolling a made 40 or 50 is almost never worth it.
2. 2
   Four of a kind. Keep all four and roll the fifth die. You hit a Yahtzee 30.6% of the time over two rolls, and a miss still leaves a solid Four of a Kind or upper score.
3. 3
   Three of a kind. Keep the three. That gives a 9.3% shot at a Yahtzee over two rolls, and you already have a Three of a Kind or a decent upper-section score in hand if it misses.
4. 4
   Four in a row. 2-3-4-5 can be finished by a 1 or a 6, so it completes a large straight 55.6% of the time over two rolls. 1-2-3-4 and 3-4-5-6 have only one finishing number, but are already a small straight.
5. 5
   A pair, or two pairs. Keep a pair, usually the higher one or the one whose upper box is still open. With two pairs and Full House open, keep both pairs and roll one die.
6. 6
   Nothing much. If a straight box is open, keep three in a row such as 3-4-5. Otherwise keep the dice that help an open upper box, preferring 5s and 6s.

These are exact probabilities for finishing a hand from the dice you are holding, with one or two rolls left in the turn:

And if you commit to one combination from the very first roll of a turn, keeping the best dice each time, your chances over all three rolls are:

Every game has a turn or two where nothing works. Rather than wasting a valuable box on a few points, pick the box that costs you the least:

Our Yahtzee uses the standard 100-point Yahtzee bonus and the forced joker rule. That shapes a few decisions:

• Once your Yahtzee box holds 50, every further five of a kind is worth 100 on top of its box, so a three or four of a kind is worth chasing when the other boxes can absorb a miss.
• An extra Yahtzee must go in its matching upper box while that is open. If it is filled, the Yahtzee can fill Full House or a straight at full value, a handy way to fill a hard box late in the game.
• Scratching the Yahtzee box gives up the 50 and every future 100-point bonus, so hold on to it as long as another box can take your bad rolls.

Turns 1 to 5

Keep your options open. Take strong results when they come: big upper counts, straights, full houses. Avoid using Chance or scratching anything this early.

Turns 6 to 9

Check the bonus count every turn. Decide which hard boxes (Yahtzee, Large Straight, Four of a Kind) you can still realistically fill, and plan where a bad roll would go.

Turns 10 to 13

Match the open boxes to the turns left. Roll toward the box that is hardest to fill, and know your scratch box before you start rolling.

Using Chance on an average roll early

You will want it later for a roll that fits nowhere.

Losing track of the bonus

Finishing on 61 or 62 throws away 35 points.

Chasing a Yahtzee from a pair late in the game

Under 3% with two rolls left. Fill a box you can actually make.

Rolling two dice for a full house

Keep a kicker with your three of a kind and roll one die instead.

Forgetting that a large straight is also a small straight

If Large Straight is filled, 1-2-3-4-5 still scores 30.