Yacht Dice Strategy: How to Score Higher

Nobody controls the dice, but two people with the same luck can finish forty or fifty points apart. The difference is in two decisions you make every turn: which dice to keep, and which box to use. This guide covers both, in plain terms. If you are new to the game, read the rules first.

Think of Each Box as Worth Something

The most useful idea in the whole game is this: every empty box has a value before you fill it. Over a game, a good player averages roughly 30 in Small Straight, 22 or so in Chance and Full House, and about 15 in Fives. When you put a score in a box, ask whether you got more or less than that box is usually worth.

Putting 21 in Chance on the second turn feels fine, but Chance is usually worth about 22 and you have just spent your safety net. Putting 20 in Fives (four 5s) is excellent: Fives usually gives about 15. That is why our Hint and the computer players often choose a box that is not the biggest number on the sheet.

Earning the 35-Point Bonus

The bonus for 63 in Ones to Sixes is worth more than a Full House. You earn it with three of each number, but you don't need exactly three every time: extra 5s and 6s make up for a short box lower down.

• Count against par. Three of a number is "par". Four 6s is six over par; two 4s is four under. Keep a rough running tally, or just read the progress line above the score sheet.
• Big numbers matter most. Missing par in Ones costs 1 point; missing it in Sixes costs 6. Fill Sixes and Fives with three or more whenever you can.
• Use Ones and Twos as cushions. A poor score in Ones barely hurts the bonus, so Ones is a fine place to dump a bad turn early.
• Know when the bonus is gone. Once 63 can no longer be reached, stop sacrificing for it and play for the combination boxes.

What to Keep After the First Roll

The first roll sets the plan for the turn. A simple order of preference works well:

1. A finished combination you need. A large straight or a full house you still need: take it.
2. Three or four of a kind. Keep them. They lead to Four of a Kind, a Full House, a Yacht or a strong number box.
3. Four in a row. Keep them if a straight box is still open. An open-ended run like 2-3-4-5 is twice as good as 1-2-3-4, because a 1 or a 6 finishes it.
4. A pair of high numbers. Keep a pair of 5s or 6s, especially if that number box is open.
5. Nothing much? Keep a single 5 or 6 if you need Fives or Sixes, or simply roll all five again.

A common mistake is keeping too many "nice" dice that don't go together, like a pair of 4s plus a 6. Each extra die you keep is one fewer chance to roll what you actually need.

Chasing Five of a Kind

From scratch, the chance of rolling a Yacht in one turn is only about one in twenty-two. With three of a kind after the first roll, it rises to roughly one in eleven, and with four of a kind and two rolls left it is nearly one in three. So:

• Go for it when you have three or four of a kind and the Yacht box is open. Even if you miss, you usually end with a good number box or Four of a Kind.
• Late in the game, the Yacht box is often the best place for a zero. Its value shrinks as the turns run out, because there are fewer chances left to fill it.
• If you already have 50 in Yacht, every extra five of a kind is worth 100 more. Keep chasing them.

Straights

The middle numbers, 3 and 4, appear in every straight. If you are building one, keep 3s and 4s over 1s and 6s. With one roll left and an open-ended run of four (2-3-4-5 or 3-4-5-6), you have a one-in-three chance at the Large Straight, and the Small Straight is still there if you miss. With 1-2-3-4, the chance is one in six.

Don't break up three of a kind to start a straight unless the straights are your last open boxes. Straights are easier to come by than you think: you will often roll one by accident while doing something else.

Which Box to Give Up

Every game has a turn or two where nothing works. Choose your zero carefully:

A low score is often better than a zero in a valuable box. Two 1s in Ones (2 points) is a perfectly good way to end a bad turn.

Using Chance Well

Chance takes anything, so it is your insurance. Try to keep it until the second half of the game and fill it with a high total, 22 or more. If you use it early, do it with a big roll, not a rescue.

Against Another Player

Your score sheet is the main thing, but near the end it pays to look at the other sheet. If you are well behind with two turns left, take risks: chase the Yacht or the Large Straight. If you are comfortably ahead, take the safe points. Our computer player on Hard plans for the bonus and the hard-to-fill boxes in just this way; tap Why? beside its moves to see its thinking.

Practice with the Hint Button

The Hint button works out the odds of every choice of dice exactly, for the rolls you have left, and tells you what it would keep and why. Try your own choice first, then compare. After a few games you will find yourself agreeing with it more often. When you are ready for something harder, switch on the one roll fewer challenge, or try the push-your-luck dice game Farkle.