🎲 Yatzy
🎲 Board · 0 playsYatzy
Five dice, three rolls, thirteen categories and a scorecard to plan around.
About Yatzy
Yatzy is a game of probability management dressed up as a family pastime. Each turn gives three rolls, you keep whichever dice you like between them, and the result must then be written into one of thirteen categories that can be used only once apiece. The scorecard is the real puzzle: a mediocre roll has to go somewhere, and knowing which category to sacrifice early is what separates a strong card from a wrecked one. The upper section bonus for reaching sixty-three points, effectively three of each number, is worth planning towards from the first turn rather than hoping for at the end.
How to Play
Roll, hold any dice you want to keep, and roll again up to three times in total. Assign the result to one of the thirteen categories; each is used exactly once. Reaching 63 across the upper half adds a bonus of 35, and every Yatzy after the first is worth 100.
💡 Tips & Strategy
The upper section bonus decides close games. You need three of a kind on average across the six upper categories to reach it, so a roll of three fours is usually worth keeping even when a tempting lower category is one die away.
Keep the categories with narrow requirements open as long as possible. A yatzy or a large straight can only be filled by one specific outcome, whereas chance and three of a kind accept almost anything, so spend the flexible ones when a roll disappoints.
Understand what a reroll is actually worth. Holding four to a straight gives you roughly a one in three chance across two rolls, while holding two pair and hoping for a full house is better than it looks. Where two holds are close, prefer the one that also serves the upper section.
Take the zero deliberately rather than wrecking a good category. Sacrificing a low-value box early costs far less than dumping a poor roll into yatzy or a straight you might still make.