How to Score Yahtzee: Upper Bonus, Joker Rules, and Bonuses
Yahtzee scoring causes arguments about the upper bonus, straights, and second Yahtzees. Hasbro's printed instructions answer all of it, and everything below comes from the 1996 Milton Bradley sheet on Hasbro's site, checked against the current C2406 sheet.
1. What is in the box
The old sheet lists 5 dice, a dice cup, 10 bonus chips, and a score pad, for 1 or more players. Hasbro's current edition (C2406) has a shaker and 100 score cards, for 2 or more players, ages 8 and up. The goal is the same: roll for combinations over 13 turns and finish with the highest total.
2. How a turn works
On your turn you may roll the dice up to 3 times.
- First roll: roll all 5 dice. Set any dice you want to keep aside. You may stop and score now.
- Second roll: reroll any or all of the dice, including ones you set aside earlier. The instructions say you do not need to declare which combination you are going for, and you can change your mind.
- Third roll: reroll any or all dice again. After this roll you must score.
To pick the first player, the older 1996 sheet has everyone roll all 5 dice, highest total first; Hasbro's current sheet has each player roll one die, highest first. Play passes to the left.
3. The one rule that shapes every game
The score card has 13 boxes. After rolling, you must fill in one box, either with a score or with a zero. Each box can be used only once, in any order. The game ends when every player has filled all 13.
So a bad roll still has to go somewhere.
4. The upper section
| Box | What to score |
|---|---|
| Aces (Ones) | Total of the 1s only |
| Twos | Total of the 2s only |
| Threes | Total of the 3s only |
| Fours | Total of the 4s only |
| Fives | Total of the 5s only |
| Sixes | Total of the 6s only |
Add only the dice showing that number. The rules' example: with three 3s, a 2, and a 4, you could score 9 in Threes, 2 in Twos, or 4 in Fours.
4.1. The 35-point upper bonus
If your upper section totals 63 or more, you get a 35-point bonus. The instructions explain where 63 comes from: three of each number. Three 1s, three 2s, and so on up to three 6s add up to 3 times 21, which is 63. But any mix that reaches 63 works. Four 6s can make up for a weak Aces box.
5. The lower section
| Box | Requirement | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 3 of a Kind | At least three dice the same | Total of all 5 dice |
| 4 of a Kind | At least four dice the same | Total of all 5 dice |
| Full House | Three of one number and two of another | 25 |
| Small Straight | Any sequence of four numbers | 30 |
| Large Straight | Any sequence of five numbers | 40 |
| YAHTZEE | Five of the same number | 50 |
| Chance | Any 5 dice | Total of all 5 dice |
Two details people miss:
- 3 of a Kind and 4 of a Kind score all five dice, not just the matching ones. The rules' example of three 5s plus a 2 and a 1 scores 18 in 3 of a Kind, not 15.
- Chance is a catch-all total of all 5 dice, so a poor roll does not need a zero.
6. Rolling more than one Yahtzee
The first Yahtzee you enter in the YAHTZEE box is worth 50. After that:
- If your YAHTZEE box already holds 50, every extra Yahtzee earns a 100-point bonus. Take a bonus chip and put a check mark in the YAHTZEE BONUS box.
- If you already entered a zero in the YAHTZEE box, an extra Yahtzee earns no bonus.
Either way, you still have to fill in one of the 13 boxes using the Joker rules.
As of this review, Hasbro's current sheet (C2406, 2016) words the Joker order a little differently: matching upper box first, then 3 of a Kind or 4 of a Kind with the dice total, then Chance or any other box at its normal score. The 1996 sheet below is the fuller one, and the two agree on the first step.
7. The Joker rules
When you roll an extra Yahtzee:
- Score the total of all 5 dice in the matching upper box if it is still open. Five 4s go in Fours for 20.
- If that upper box is filled, score in any open lower box. Here the Yahtzee acts as a joker: Full House still scores 25, Small Straight 30, and Large Straight 40, even though the dice do not form those patterns. 3 of a Kind, 4 of a Kind, and Chance score the dice total.
- If the matching upper box and every lower box are full, you must enter a zero in any open upper box.
The instructions give this example: you roll five 4s after entering zero in the YAHTZEE box, and Fours is already filled. You may score 40 in Large Straight.
8. A worked score card
Here is a full game, added up the official way.
Upper section: Aces 2, Twos 8, Threes 9, Fours 12, Fives 20, Sixes 18. That totals 69, which clears 63, so add the 35 bonus for an upper total of 104.
Lower section: 3 of a Kind 24, 4 of a Kind 0, Full House 25, Small Straight 30, Large Straight 40, YAHTZEE 50, Chance 22. That totals 191.
Yahtzee bonus: one extra Yahtzee, so one check mark worth 100.
Grand total: 104 + 191 + 100 = 395.
9. Key takeaways
- You get up to 3 rolls per turn, and after the last one you must fill exactly one of the 13 boxes.
- An upper section total of 63 or more earns a 35-point bonus; 63 is three of each number.
- 3 of a Kind, 4 of a Kind, and Chance score all five dice; Full House is 25, straights are 30 and 40.
- Extra Yahtzees earn 100 points each only if the YAHTZEE box already holds 50.
- Joker rules send an extra Yahtzee to its matching upper box first, then to any open lower box at full value.