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How to Play Yahtzee: Rules for Beginners
Roll five dice up to three times per turn, holding any dice you want to keep between rolls. After your final roll, score the dice in one of 13 boxes on the scorecard. The game ends when all 13 boxes are filled, and the highest total wins.
What you need
The classic five-dice game needs five dice, a score sheet, and something to write with, or just a phone. Each player fills a 13-box scorecard over 13 turns, and the highest grand total wins. Playing solo works exactly the same way: you're chasing your own best score.
How a turn works
- Roll all five dice. This is your first of up to three rolls.
- Hold the dice you want to keep. Set aside any dice that help the combination you're chasing, then re-roll the rest.
- Roll up to two more times. You can change which dice you hold between rolls, and even pick up dice you held earlier.
- Score the result in one open box. You must fill a box every turn, even if the best option is a zero.
The 13 scoring boxes
The scorecard has an upper section and a lower section.
Upper section
Aces, Twos, Threes, Fours, Fives, and Sixes. Each box scores the total of the matching dice only; three Fours in the Fours box scores 12. Score 63 or more across all six boxes and you earn a 35-point bonus.
Lower section
- 3 of a Kind: three matching dice; scores the total of all five dice.
- 4 of a Kind: four matching dice; scores the total of all five dice.
- Full House: three of one number, two of another; 25 points.
- Small Straight: any run of four numbers; 30 points.
- Large Straight: a run of all five dice; 40 points.
- 5 of a Kind: all five dice matching; 50 points, with 100-point bonuses for each one after the first.
- Chance: anything goes; scores the total of all five dice.
Playing this in Feltzee
Feltzee puts these exact rules on one portrait screen: the full scorecard on top, five dice below, and the next action at the bottom. Tap a die to hold it (held dice get a gold ring) and every open box shows its potential score before you commit, so beginners never have to do the math. The upper bonus, extra five-of-a-kind bonuses, and joker placement are all handled automatically. Leave mid-game and it picks up exactly where you stopped.
Download Feltzee free on the App Store.
Quick answers
How many rolls do you get per turn?
Up to three: an opening roll plus two re-rolls. You may hold or release any dice between rolls, and you can stop early if the first or second roll is already what you want.
Do you have to score every turn?
Yes. You must fill exactly one open box each turn, even if every option scores zero. Choosing where to take a zero is part of the strategy.
How many turns are in a game?
Thirteen, one for each box on the scorecard.
Play it free in Feltzee
The classic five-dice game on green felt: free, offline, no ads, no account. 5.0★ on the App Store.
