Yardzee is one of the most popular dice games in the world. You can use this game to break the ice on a game night or entertain your friends and family. Even though Yardzee has been around for a while, many people are unfamiliar with the game’s rules. This article covers the Yardzee rules, ensuring that you are fully prepared before playing the game.
Yardzee, like all dice games, requires at least two players. If you have your Yardzee game and all players are present, continue reading as we explain the rules and teach you how to play this fun game.
Table of Contents
Yardzee Rules
We’ll explain Yardzee’s rules to help beginners understand the game.
Objective Of The Game
The objective of a Yardzee game is to get the highest score from the five yard dice. The game consists of 13 rounds, with each round requiring you to roll the dice and score the roll in one of 13 categories. The rules for the categories determine your score for each round. The game ends when players have scored in all categories.
How To Play
Every Yardzee game begins with a roll of the dice. After rolling the dice, you can score the roll or roll again. You can only roll the dice thrice per turn and once you’re done, you must score one of the 13 categories. You may score the yard dice at any point during your turn. It doesn’t have to be after your third roll.
Although you can buy Yardzee sets, many people make theirs at home. To make a Yardzee set, you need the following:
- 4×4 cedar post
- Paint
- Miter saw
- Hand sanding block and sandpaper (orbital sander or belt sander)
- Drill press
- Craft paint
Using the miter saw, you have to cut out the five yard dice from the cedar post. Use the sander to smoothen the dice surface and drill the numbering holes using the drill press.
Find the best Yardzee game set in our review article.
Scoring
You must write your five dice combination on the scorecard to score it. Scorecards are divided into upper and lower sections with several boxes in each. You can score any section you want before moving on to the next.
Note: Once you have scored a box once, you cannot score that box again for the rest of the game.
Upper Section Scoring
The upper section of the scorecard is divided into six boxes labeled 1 through 6. When scoring in this section, your score is the total of the specified die face. For example, if you roll 4 – 2 – 4 – 6 – 4 and score in the Fours category, you would have a total score of 12. You get this total by adding your three 4s together. If you had selected category One, Three or Five for that round, you would have scored zero because you didn’t roll any of those numbers.
Bonus
If your score in the upper section is 63 or more, you get additional 35 bonus points.
Lower Section Scoring
When scoring the lower section, you can either score a fixed amount or zero if you do not meet the category’s requirements.
3 Of A Kind
To fill a three-of-a-kind box, you must have at least three of the same die faces, which means that the die must show the same number three times.
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4 Of A Kind
You can only fill a 4 of a kind box if you have at least four of the same die faces.
Small Straight
When you roll a sequence of consecutive die faces, it is regarded as “straight”. A small straight is a sequence of four consecutive die faces, for example, 2 – 3 – 2 – 5 – 4. You score 30 points each time you roll small straights.
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Large Straight
A large straight is a sequence of five consecutive die faces. Each large straight earns you 40 points.
Full House
A full house occurs when you have three of a kind and two of a kind in the same round, for example, 3 – 3 – 2 – 3 – 2. A full house earns you 25 points.
First Yardzee
Your first Yardzee is worth 50 points. A Yardzee is a 5 of a kind roll.
Note: You can choose not to record your 5 of a Kind as a Yardzee and instead take it as a top row score to earn a bonus.
Additional Yardzees
If you roll another Yardzee after already filling the Yardzee box, you get another 100 bonus points. You must also assign this Yardzee roll to another category. For example, if you roll 5 – 5 – 5 – 5 – 5 and you haven’t already filled the Fives category, you must do so. If you have already completed the corresponding upper category, enter zero anywhere in the upper section.
Chance
You can put any of your rolls in the chance category and you score the total of the die faces. For example, if you score 2 – 3 – 2 – 3 – 4, input 14 in the chance category.
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Scratch/Dump Scores
You can score any roll in any category during any turn, even if the resulting score is zero. In the Fives category, for example, rolling 2 – 3 – 3 – 4 – 6 will result in a score of zero.
Tip: Use Scratch Score near the end of the game to skip a bad roll in a category you didn’t fill.
Yardzee Score Card
Winning
After you have filled up all the score cards, add up each player’s score from their boxes and record the total outcome. The player with the highest score wins the game.
Check out the game rules for Pig Dice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Play Yardzee?
You play Yardzee by rolling dice. You and the other players take turns rolling dice while recording the score after each round. Each player chooses which category to score after rolling the dice. The outcome of your dice and the category you choose to score determine your score in each round. The player with the highest score at the end of the game wins.
How Many Dice Are In A Yard Yahtzee?
There are five dice in a Yard Yahtzee game. Players take turns rolling all the dice while recording the outcomes on the scorecards. You can also play Yard Yahtzee with six dice. When using six yard dice, you still record only the results of five dice and each player eliminates a die of their choice.
How Big Are The Dice In Yardzee?
The dice in Yardzee are about 150 times the size of regular dice. The die measures 3.5 x 3.5 x 3.5 in (8.8 x 8.8 x 8.8 cm) and each one must be exactly the same size. Since the dice are large, you also need a very big bucket to hold them. Yardzee buckets are about 10 inches (25.4 cm) tall.
Conclusion
If you’ve read this far, you should be familiar with the Yardzee rules and be prepared to play the game. The rules of Yardzee are quite straightforward and easy for beginners to understand. If you run into any problems while playing, you can refer back to this guide for help.
