How to Play Yacht Dice

Yacht Dice is a game for one player or a whole table, played with five ordinary dice and a score sheet. Games of this kind go back about a hundred years, and many families have their own name for one. The idea is always the same: roll the dice, keep the ones that help, roll the rest, and then decide where on your score sheet the result does the most good. Luck decides what you roll; you decide what to do with it. This page explains the rules exactly as our free online Yacht Dice game plays them.

What You Need

• Five six-sided dice.
• A score sheet for each player with the thirteen boxes listed below, and a pencil.
• About fifteen to twenty minutes for one player, a little longer for each extra player.

Online, the game rolls the dice and keeps the score sheets for you.

The Aim of the Game

The game lasts thirteen rounds. In each round every player has one turn, and at the end of each turn they fill exactly one of the thirteen boxes on their score sheet. After thirteen rounds every box is full. The player with the highest total wins. Playing alone, you simply try to beat your own best score.

Your Turn: Up to Three Rolls

1. Roll all five dice.
2. Keep any dice you like and set them aside. Roll the others again. You may keep none, some, or all but one.
3. Do it once more if you wish. On the third roll you may also pick up dice you kept earlier and roll them again. That makes three rolls at most.
4. Score. Choose one empty box and write in what your five dice are worth there. You may score after the first or second roll if you are happy; you don't have to use all three.

In our game, tap a die to keep it. It moves up into the Kept row with a Kept label. Tap it again to put it back. The Roll button shows how many rolls you have left.

The Score Sheet

The score sheet has two parts: six number boxes on top, and seven combination boxes below.

Ones to Sixes and the 35-point bonus

In each number box you count only the dice showing that number. Roll 4-4-4-2-6 and put it in Fours, and you score 12; the 2 and the 6 don't count. Put the same dice in Sixes and you score just 6.

When your six number boxes add up to 63 or more, you earn a 35-point bonus. Sixty-three is no accident: it is exactly three of each number (3 + 6 + 9 + 12 + 15 + 18). So a good rule of thumb is "at least three of each". Four 6s in Sixes (24) can make up for only two 2s in Twos (4). Our game shows a line such as "Ones–Sixes: 41 of 63 for the 35 bonus" so you always know where you stand.

The combination boxes

Three of a Kind and Four of a Kind score the total of all five dice, not just the matching ones. 5-5-5-2-1 in Three of a Kind scores 18. Four or five matching dice also count as three of a kind.

A Full House is three of one number and two of another, such as 3-3-3-6-6. It always scores 25, whatever the numbers.

A Small Straight is four numbers in a row; the fifth die can be anything. 2-3-4-5-5 counts, and so does 6-1-3-4-5 in any order (3-4-5-6). A Large Straight needs all five in a row. A large straight may also be written in the Small Straight box, for 30.

The Yacht box is for five of a kind and scores 50. Chance takes any dice and scores their total. It is your safety net for a turn that went wrong.

Writing in a zero

Every turn ends with a box being filled, even when the dice fit nowhere. Then you must choose an empty box and score zero in it. This is called "scratching" or "crossing out" a box. Choosing the right box to give up is a big part of playing well: see the strategy guide.

Extra Five of a Kind and the Joker Rule

Rolling five of a kind a second time is rare, and it gets special treatment. It only applies once your Yacht box has been filled.

• The 100-point bonus. If your Yacht box holds 50, every further five of a kind earns 100 bonus points. If you had to put a zero in Yacht earlier, there is no bonus.
• Where the dice go (the joker rule). First choice is forced: the matching number box, if it is still empty. Five 4s must go in Fours (for 20).
• If that number box is already full, you may put the dice in any empty combination box, and it scores full points: 25 in Full House, 30 in Small Straight, 40 in Large Straight, or the total of the dice in Three of a Kind, Four of a Kind or Chance.
• If the combination boxes are all full too, you write a zero in an empty number box.

The game works this out for you: boxes you may not use are marked Not allowed now, and the status box explains why. Both the bonus and the joker rule can be switched off in Settings; see extra five of a kind on the variations page.

Worked Examples

Example 1: a typical turn

Your first roll is 5-5-2-6-5. Three 5s is a good start, so you keep them and roll the 2 and the 6. The second roll gives 5 and 3: now 5-5-5-5-3. You keep the four 5s and roll the 3 once more, hoping for a fifth 5. It comes up 1, leaving 5-5-5-5-1.

The sheet now shows what these dice would score: Fives 20, Four of a Kind 21, Three of a Kind 21, Chance 21, Ones 1. Fives at 20 is well above "three of each" (15), which helps the bonus, so most players would take it and keep Four of a Kind for later.

Example 2: chasing a straight

You roll 1-3-4-4-6. For a straight, the 3 and the 4 are the useful middle dice, and a single 1 or 6 at the end is less flexible. You keep 3 and 4 and roll the other three dice. They come up 2, 5 and 5: now you have 2-3-4-5-5, a small straight already. With one roll left you can take 30 in Small Straight now, or keep 2-3-4-5 and roll one die hoping for a 1 or a 6 to make a large straight (a one-in-three chance). If you miss, the small straight is still there, because the 2-3-4-5 stays on the table.

Example 3: a second five of a kind

Earlier you scored 50 in Yacht. Now you roll 6-6-6-6-6 again. You earn 100 bonus points. Your Sixes box is empty, so the dice must go there for 30. Had Sixes been full, you could have put them in Large Straight for 40 instead.

Ending the Game

After thirteen rounds every box is filled. Add up the number boxes, add 35 if they reach 63, add the combination boxes and any 100-point bonuses. The highest total wins. A tie is shared. Our game adds everything up as you go and shows the totals at the bottom of each sheet.

A score around 200 is a good game; 250 is excellent; over 300 usually needs a Yacht and a bit of luck.

Rules People Often Ask About

Do I have to use all three rolls?

No. You may score after the first or second roll.

Can I re-roll a die I kept on the first roll?

Yes. Kept dice can be picked up again before any later roll.

Must I score something greater than zero if I can?

No. You may always choose to put a zero in any empty box, even when another box would score.

Does a Yacht count as a full house?

Not on its own. Only under the joker rule, when your Yacht box is already filled, does five of a kind score full points in Full House or the straights.

Do the other players see my dice?

Yes. Nothing is hidden in this game, which is why it is so good for playing together on one tablet.

Playing Online

You can play alone, against a computer player at Easy, Normal or Hard, or with two to four people on one tablet or computer. The computer gets the same kind of random dice you do; it cannot choose them. If you enjoy the mix of luck and judgment, try Farkle, where you decide when to stop rolling, or the classic Backgammon next. And when you know the rules, read the strategy guide.