What is Six dice?
The six-dice game is the big Nordic version of Yatzy. You roll six dice instead of five and score on a sheet of 20 boxes: Ones to Sixes, One Pair, Two Pairs, Three Pairs, Three, Four and Five of a Kind, Small Straight, Large Straight, Full Straight, Full House, Castle, Tower, Chance and Six of a Kind. The game lasts 20 rounds.
As on the Yatzy sheet, most boxes count only the dice that make them. Three Pairs, Castle (two sets of three) and Tower (four of one number and two of another) score all six dice, and six of a kind is worth 100. You still have three rolls a turn, but rolls you don't use are not lost: they are saved, and you may use them on any of your later turns. Reaching 84 in the upper section, four of each number, pays a 100-point bonus.
Rule changes
| Rule | Standard Five Dice | Six dice |
|---|---|---|
| Dice | Standard Five DiceFive dice. | Six diceSix dice. |
| Rolls | Standard Five DiceUp to three rolls a turn; rolls you don't use are lost. | Six diceUp to three rolls a turn, plus every roll you left unused on your earlier turns. Stop early and the rolls you save are yours to use later. |
| Score sheet | Standard Five Dice13 boxes, so 13 rounds. | Six dice20 boxes, so 20 rounds: Ones to Sixes, One Pair, Two Pairs, Three Pairs, Three, Four and Five of a Kind, Small, Large and Full Straight, Full House, Castle, Tower, Chance and Six of a Kind. |
| Pairs and sets | Standard Five DiceThree and Four of a Kind score all five dice; Full House scores 25. There are no pair boxes. | Six diceOne Pair, Two Pairs, Three, Four and Five of a Kind score only their matching dice, and pairs must be of different numbers. Full House is three of one number and two of another and scores those five dice. Three Pairs, Castle and Tower score all six dice. |
| Straights | Standard Five DiceSmall Straight is any four in a row, 30 points; Large Straight is any five in a row, 40 points. | Six diceSmall Straight is 1-2-3-4-5, 15 points; Large Straight is 2-3-4-5-6, 20 points; Full Straight is 1 to 6, 21 points. |
| All dice alike | Standard Five DiceFive of a kind scores 50, and each extra one earns a 100-point bonus while that box holds 50. | Six diceSix of a kind scores 100, with no bonus for a second one. |
| Upper bonus | Standard Five Dice35 points for 63 or more in Ones to Sixes (three of each number). | Six dice100 points for 84 or more (four of each number). |
| Other options | Standard Five DiceTriple, forced order and the joker options. | Six diceTriple and forced order work with six dice. The joker options belong to the classic sheet and do not apply. |
History
The six-dice game is played in the Nordic countries next to Yatzy and is known there as Maxi Yatzy. Its sheet has 20 combinations: the Yatzy box gives way to Three Pairs, Five of a Kind, Full Straight, Castle, Tower and the six of a kind worth 100, the upper bonus needs 84 points and pays 100, and rolls left over when a combination comes early in a turn may be saved for later turns.
Published tables differ on a few values. The Full Straight is usually worth 21, the total of the dice, and 30 in some versions; this site scores it 21.