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Yacht & Yatzy Dice

BoardMultiplayerEasy~10 min

Ready to play · free

The classic five-dice game: roll three times, hold what you like and fill the score sheet. Yacht and Yatzy rules, a daily challenge, a solver-backed computer and online rooms.

Play now1–4 players · vs computer or friends

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Game info

Developer
PlayNest Studio
Released
Last updated
Platforms
Browser, Android, iPhone, PC
Players
1–4 players, vs computer or friends
Average play time
~10 min per round
Languages
English, Urdu
Controls
Keyboard or mouse on computers, touch on phones and tablets
01

How to play

  1. Choose Yacht or Yatzy rules and a mode, then press Play.
  2. Press Roll. Tap dice to hold them and roll the rest, up to three rolls per turn.
  3. Tap a box on the score sheet to select it, tap again to score.
  4. Reach 63 or more in the upper section for the bonus.
  5. When every box is full, the highest total wins.
02

Controls

Keyboard & mouse

Click
Hold a die or pick a box
Space
Roll the dice
12345
Hold dice one to five
Enter
Score in the selected box
H
Hint

Touch

Roll button
Throw the dice
Tap a die
Hold or release it
Tap a box twice
Score it
Bulb button
Hint from the optimal solver
03

About

The classic five-dice game, known as Yacht, Yatzy and Generala. Roll five dice up to three times, hold the ones you like and fill your score sheet. Play Yacht (13 boxes) or Scandinavian Yatzy (15 boxes), solo for a high score, the daily challenge, against Easy, Normal or Hard computers, on one screen or online with friends.Also known as Yacht dice game, Yacht dice online, Yatzy, Yatzy online, Yatzy spielen, Yatzy gratis, Jeu de dés Yacht, Generala, Five dice game, Dice game online free, How to play Yatzy, Yatzy rules, Yacht dice strategy, Yatzy score sheet, Yacht and Yatzy, Scandinavian Yatzy, Dice poker game, 5 dice game, Dice game with friends, Dice game vs computer, Daily dice challenge.

04

Tips & tricks

  • Keep any pair or better, and aim for three of each number to earn the bonus.
  • Sacrifice a low box such as Ones or Yacht early and keep Chance for emergencies.
  • Use the hint to learn how the optimal solver thinks.

Yacht & Yatzy Dice: complete guide

Yacht & Yatzy Dice is the classic five-dice game, known in different countries as Yacht, Yatzy and Generala. Roll five dice up to three times a turn, hold the ones you like, and write the result in one box of your score sheet. Play Yacht dice online free here: solo for a high score, a daily challenge, against Easy, Normal or Hard computers, on one screen with up to four people, or online with friends. Choose the 13-category Yacht rules or the Scandinavian 15-category Yatzy rules.

How to play Yacht dice online

On your turn you roll all five dice. You may then pick any dice to hold and roll the others again, and do it a second time, so you get up to three rolls in total. When you are happy, or after the third roll, you must write the result in one open box of your score sheet. If the dice fit nothing useful you still have to score somewhere, usually a 0 in the box you are least likely to fill. After every box has been filled, the highest total wins.

Tap the Roll button to throw the dice into the tray. Tap a die to hold it: it lifts and gets a gold mark. Roll again to re-throw only the others. Boxes you can still fill show the points they would score right now as dashed numbers. Tap a box once to select it, and tap it again to write the score. The Hint button asks the optimal-strategy solver what to hold, or which box is best.

  • Choose Yacht (13 boxes) or Yatzy (15 boxes).
  • Roll the five dice, hold some, roll again, up to three rolls.
  • Write the result in one open box.
  • Fill the upper section to 63 points or more for the bonus.
  • After the last box the highest total wins.

Yacht scoring: the 13 boxes

The upper section has six boxes, Ones to Sixes. Each scores the sum of the dice showing that number: three fours score 12. If your upper section totals 63 or more, which is exactly three of each number, you get a bonus of 35 points.

The lower section has seven boxes. Three of a kind and Four of a kind score the total of all five dice when you have at least three or four the same. A Full house (three of one number and two of another) scores 25. A Small straight (four numbers in a row, such as 2-3-4-5) scores 30. A Large straight (five in a row, 1-2-3-4-5 or 2-3-4-5-6) scores 40. Chance scores the total of the dice with no condition, and a Yacht (all five dice the same) scores 50.

Yatzy rules: the Scandinavian 15 boxes

Yatzy is the version played in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. The upper section is the same, but the bonus is 50 points for 63 or more. The lower section has nine boxes. One pair scores the two highest matching dice. Two pairs scores the sum of two different pairs. Three of a kind and Four of a kind score only the matching dice, so four 5s score 20. Small straight is 1-2-3-4-5 for 15, Large straight is 2-3-4-5-6 for 20, Full house scores the total of all five dice, Chance is the total, and Yatzy (all five the same) is 50.

Because the straights and pairs are different, the best plan changes. In Yatzy you chase pairs and pip counts in the upper section more, and big sixes matter. Both rulesets are selected in the setup and each keeps separate stats.

Game modes: solo, daily, computer, same screen, online

Solo is a single score sheet and a high score. The Daily challenge uses the same dice stream for everyone today, so your result can be compared with friends: the dice are the same, only your decisions differ. You get one scored result per day for each ruleset.

Against the computer you can face 1 to 3 opponents on Easy, Normal or Hard. On the same screen, 2 to 4 people share the device. Online with friends, one player opens a room, sends the link or room code, and the host's device rolls the dice for everyone so nobody can cheat. Computers fill empty seats and play for anyone whose connection drops.

Yacht dice strategy: how to score more

Think in terms of average value, not the biggest number. A 0 in Yacht is fine on turn 12 and a disaster on turn 3. Keep the Chance box for emergencies, and use your first rolls to aim at the box that matches what you already have. Go for the upper bonus: aim for three of every number, and treat four of a number as a spare that lets you miss on another.

Hold sets, not singles. Keep any pair or better. Keep four dice to a straight when you have them. With two pairs, hold both and aim for a full house. Do not chase a Yacht when you already hold a strong straight draw, unless the Yacht box is the only one left. The optimal solver for Yacht expects about 246 points a game with our scoring; strong human players average around 220 to 230, and a first-time player usually scores 120 to 160.

  • Fill Ones and Twos early with small scores, since they are the easiest to sacrifice.
  • Hold the highest number you have two or three of.
  • Do not take a Small straight if the dice can still make a Large one with a re-roll.
  • Save Chance for a turn where nothing else works.
  • Count toward 63 as you go: you can afford to be 3 short in one box if you are over in another.

How the Hard computer plays: an optimal solver

Hard does not guess. We pre-computed, with dynamic programming, the expected final score for every position in the solo game: every combination of filled boxes and upper score, and for every set of dice and number of rolls left, the best hold and the best box. At 13 boxes this is about 400,000 positions. Hard reads those tables, so it always picks the hold or box that maximises the expected total.

The same solver powers the Hint button. When you ask for a hint it tells you which dice to hold or which box to write in, and you can learn the patterns: it often sacrifices a box early (for example scoring 0 in Yacht on turn 4) to keep the better boxes open. Normal tries every hold by sampling re-rolls and rates boxes against their par score, and Easy simply keeps the most common number.

Yatzy spielen, Yatzy online och Generala

Yatzy online spelar du gratis här: fem tärningar, tre kast per omgång, ett protokoll med 15 rutor och bonus 50 poäng vid 63 poäng eller mer i den övre delen. Spela själv, mot datorn, med vänner på samma skärm eller online med en rumskod. Yatzy er et terningspill for to eller flere spillere, og du kan spille det gratis i nettleseren.

Yatzy spielen online gratis: Würfle fünf Würfel bis zu dreimal pro Zug, halte die besten fest und trage das Ergebnis in den Block ein. Du kannst allein, gegen den Computer, zu viert an einem Bildschirm oder online mit Freunden spielen. In Argentinien heißt das Spiel Generala, im Englischen Yacht.

Yacht and Yatzy: what is the difference?

The two games share the same five dice and the same three-roll turn. Yacht has 13 boxes, fixed scores for Full house (25), Small straight (30) and Large straight (40), and a 35-point bonus. Yatzy has 15 boxes, adds One pair and Two pairs, scores straights as 15 and 20 and Full house as the dice total, and has a 50-point bonus. Generala, played in Argentina and Uruguay, is closely related, with a bonus for rolling combinations on the first throw.

If you are new, start with Yacht. If you grew up with a Yatzy score pad, choose Yatzy and the boxes will look familiar. The stats screen keeps your best, average and number of Yachts for each.

05

Yacht & Yatzy Dice FAQ

Is Yacht & Yatzy Dice free to play?
Yes. Yacht & Yatzy Dice is completely free on PlayNest. There is nothing to buy and no account to create.
Do I need to download Yacht & Yatzy Dice?
No. Yacht & Yatzy Dice runs in your web browser, so you can start playing straight away on Chrome, Safari, Edge or Firefox.
Can I play Yacht & Yatzy Dice on my phone?
Yes. Yacht & Yatzy Dice works on Android phones, iPhones, tablets and computers, with touch and keyboard controls.
How many players can play Yacht & Yatzy Dice?
You can play against the computer, or create a room and share the link to play Yacht & Yatzy Dice online with friends.
How long does a game of Yacht & Yatzy Dice take?
A round takes about 10 minutes. It is rated easy and sits in our Board Games collection.
How do you play Yacht dice?
Roll five dice up to three times per turn, holding any dice you want between rolls. After the last roll you must write the result in one of 13 boxes: Ones to Sixes, Three of a kind, Four of a kind, Full house, Small straight, Large straight, Chance or Yacht. When all boxes are full the highest total wins.
Can I play Yacht dice online free here?
Yes. Yacht & Yatzy Dice on PlayNest is free in your browser on phone or computer. No download and no sign-up are needed to play solo, against the computer or on one screen. You can also open an online room and send friends the link.
What is the difference between Yacht and Yatzy?
Yacht has 13 boxes and fixed scores of 25, 30 and 40 for Full house, Small straight and Large straight, with a 35 bonus. Yatzy has 15 boxes, adds One pair and Two pairs, scores straights as 15 and 20, and pays a 50-point bonus for 63 or more in the upper section.
How does the upper section bonus work?
Add up Ones to Sixes. If the total reaches 63 or more, which is three of every number, you get a bonus: 35 points in Yacht and 50 points in Yatzy. It is a big prize, so many players protect it by taking three of a number whenever they can.
How do I score a Full house?
A Full house needs three dice of one number and two of another, like 4-4-4-2-2. In Yacht it scores a fixed 25 points. In Yatzy it scores the total of all five dice. Five of a kind is not a Full house here, so write it in Yacht or Yatzy instead.
What counts as a Small straight and a Large straight?
In Yacht a Small straight is four dice in a row such as 3-4-5-6 and scores 30, and a Large straight is five in a row (1-2-3-4-5 or 2-3-4-5-6) and scores 40. In Yatzy the Small straight is exactly 1-2-3-4-5 for 15 and the Large straight is 2-3-4-5-6 for 20.
What is the best strategy in Yacht dice?
Keep pairs or better, go for three of each number to earn the upper bonus, and hold four cards to a straight. Use Chance as a safety box and sacrifice a low-value box such as Ones or Yacht early rather than wasting a good roll. The Hint button shows the optimal choice.
How does the Hard computer play?
Hard uses a pre-computed optimal-strategy table. For every position in the solo game (boxes filled, upper score, dice and rolls left) the table holds the expected final score, so the computer always picks the hold or box with the highest expected total. It does not cheat: it only sees the same dice you would.
Can I play Yatzy with friends online?
Yes. Choose Online, pick Yacht or Yatzy and press Play. Send the link on WhatsApp or give the room code. The host's device rolls the dice for everyone, computers fill empty seats, and a computer plays for anyone who drops. Up to four players can share a table.
What is the daily challenge?
The daily challenge deals the same stream of dice to everyone for that calendar day. You play one solo game, and your total is saved as today's score for the ruleset you chose. Since the dice are fixed, a better score is the result of better holds and better box choices.
What is Generala?
Generala is the Latin American cousin of Yacht, popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It also uses five dice, three rolls and a score sheet, but it adds extra points for making a combination on the first throw. This game follows Yacht and Yatzy rules rather than Generala bonuses.
Is Yacht dice luck or skill?
Both. Each roll is random, but over a full game the player who holds the right dice and chooses the right box wins far more often. The optimal solver averages about 246 points, a careless player closer to 120, and the gap is the skill. Playing the Hard computer shows how much.
Can I play on one screen with friends?
Yes. Choose Same screen, pick 2 to 4 players, and pass the device when the turn changes. Each player has their own column on the score sheet and the current column is highlighted. There is no hidden information in the dice, so no screen is needed between turns.
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