The upper section contains six boxes labeled aces (ones), twos, threes, fours, fives, and sixes. You roll 5 dice in Yahtzee. To fill in the upper box, you combine the values on the dice with the same number. Then, you add the number to the appropriate box. You can only choose one box to fill in with each turn. [1] X Research source This can be confusing when discussed in the abstract. Let’s look at an example. Say you roll the dice and you score two fives and three twos. As you have two fives, you could enter a score of 10 in the fives box. You have three twos, so you could also enter a total of six in the twos box. You have to choose which number you want to enter.
With a three of a kind, you add all the values of your dice together. This gives you your total score for the three of a kind box. This can be confusing. Let’s look at an example to clarify. Say you rolled three fives, a two, and a four. This could be scored as a three of a kind. You would multiply five by three to get the value 15. Then, you would add two and four. This would give you a total score of 21, which you would write in the Three of a Kind Box. [3] X Research source
A small straight includes four dice in a numerical sequence. For example, say you score a one, a three, a four, a five, and a six. You could score this as a small straight. A small straight is automatically worth 30 points. [6] X Research source A large straight includes five dice that move in a numerical sequence. For example, if you score a two, a three, a four, a five, and a six, this would be a large straight. A large straight is worth 40 points. [7] X Research source
If you roll a Yahtzee after having already filled in the Yahtzee space, you get a 100 point bonus. [8] X Research source
For example, say you roll two threes and three sixes. Two times three is 6. Three times six is 18. You would add 18 and 6 to get 24. You could then write 24 in the chance box. [9] X Research source
Add the upper section scores together and write the total in the “total score” section. If you score 63 or over, add a bonus of 35 points. Total the scores in the lower section as well, adding 100 points if you scored any additional Yahtzees in the game. Then, add the upper and lower score together to figure out your grand total for the game. [10] X Research source
To help understand the process, let’s look at an example. Say you roll a one, a three, a four, a five, and a six. You have a small straight with the three, four, five, and six. This would come to 30 points. However, if you re-roll the one and get a two, you would have a large straight. This means 40 points. [13] X Research source
In our above example, it would make the most sense to re-roll the one. This way, you have a chance at a large straight. Say you roll the one and get a three. You still do not have a large straight. However, you can roll the dice for a third time to try again.
In our above example, say you re-roll the three you rolled in your second turn. If you get a 2, you can score it as a large straight. However, if you get another number you can still score it as a small straight. You can also fill in one box in the upper level.
Early in the game, anytime you have a chance for a Yahtzee, take it over settling for a lower score. The earlier you score a Yahtzee, the better. This maximizes your chance at the 100 point bonus. If you already have a Yahtzee, never settle for lower scores over the chance at getting a second Yahtzee. For example, don’t score three 4’s and two 2’s as a full house. Instead, re-roll the 2’s to try for a second Yahtzee. [14] X Research source
Higher scores with lower numbers, like the one and two boxes, are rare. It’s to your advantage to score in the upper section if you roll a high number of twos or ones. For example, say you roll four twos, a five, and a six. You can score a 6 in either the two or six box. However, you should aim to score in the 2 box. The highest you can score in the two box would be an 8 or 10. The highest you can score in the six box, conversely, is a 30 or a 36. You don’t want to fill up the six box with a low score.
However, keep in mind if you score another Yahtzee you risk getting 50 points as opposed to the 100 point bonus.
