Learn Five Dice: Tutorial

On your first roll, all 5 dice are rolled. After seeing the result, you can hold (keep) any dice you like and re-roll the rest.

Here the player rolled and got 3, 3, 5, 2, 3. They are holding the three 3s (shown as kept) and will re-roll the 5 and the 2, hoping for more 3s or a useful combination.

You get up to 2 more rolls after the first. You can also choose to score immediately after any roll.

The upper section has six categories: Ones, Twos, Threes, Fours, Fives, and Sixes. For each, you score the sum of dice showing that number.

Example: with dice 4, 4, 2, 4, 6, scoring Fours gives you 4+4+4 = 12 points. Scoring Twos would give just 2. Scoring Sixes would give 6.

Tip: aim for at least three of each number to reach the upper bonus threshold.

The lower section has seven categories with special combinations:

- 3 of a Kind — 3+ matching dice; score = sum of all dice

- 4 of a Kind — 4+ matching dice; score = sum of all dice

- Full House — 3 of one kind + 2 of another; score = 25 points

- Small Straight — 4 consecutive dice (e.g. 1-2-3-4); score = 30 points

- Large Straight — 5 consecutive dice (e.g. 2-3-4-5-6); score = 40 points

- Chance — any dice; score = sum of all dice (useful as a fallback)

Here the dice show a Full House: three 5s and two 2s, worth 25 points.

The highest-scoring combination is a Five of a Kind -- all 5 dice showing the same value. This scores 50 points!

If you roll another Five of a Kind later and your first one scored 50, you earn a 100-point bonus each additional time. These bonuses are added to your total.

Here all five dice show 6 -- a Five of a Kind worth 50 points.

If your upper section total (Ones through Sixes) reaches 63 or more, you earn a 35-point bonus!

The target of 63 equals scoring exactly three of each number (1+1+1 + 2+2+2 + 3+3+3 + 4+4+4 + 5+5+5 + 6+6+6 = 63). Scoring higher on some categories can compensate for lower scores on others.

Here Player 1 has filled all upper categories, totaling 71 -- well above the 63 threshold, earning the 35-point bonus.

Key strategies for winning:

Chase the upper bonus. Scoring 63+ in the upper section is worth 35 free points. Prioritize getting at least three of each number.

Know when to cut losses. If a roll is poor, use a weak category (like Ones) as a sacrifice rather than wasting a valuable one. Scoring zero in a category is sometimes the best choice.

Save Chance for emergencies. The Chance category takes any dice, so keep it available for turns when nothing else fits.

Go for big combinations early. Large Straights (40 pts) and Five of a Kind (50 pts) are hard to get. Attempt them when the dice are favorable rather than waiting.

Here mid-game, Player 1 has scored wisely -- note the strong upper section and a Full House already banked.

The game ends when both players have filled all 13 categories on their scorecards (13 rounds total).

Final scores are calculated by adding:

- All upper section scores + 35-point bonus (if upper total >= 63)

- All lower section scores

- Any Five of a Kind bonuses (100 points each)

The player with the highest grand total wins. In case of a tie, the game is a draw.

Here Player 1 wins with a grand total of 278 (including the upper bonus), beating Player 2's 245.

Yatzy has 15 categories instead of 13, including One Pair and Two Pairs. Three of a Kind and Four of a Kind sum only the matching dice (not all dice).

The upper section bonus is 50 points (instead of 35) when you reach 63 or more in the upper section.

Additional Yatzy categories:

- One Pair: Two matching dice, score = sum of the pair

- Two Pairs: Two different pairs, score = sum of both pairs

In Yatzy, the game lasts 15 rounds (one per category). The strategic challenge is deeper with more categories to manage.

Here a game is in progress using Yatzy scoring. Note the extra categories on the scorecard.