Yahtzee
Encyclopedia
Yahtzee is a dice game
made by Milton Bradley
(now owned by Hasbro
), which was first marketed by game entrepreneur Edwin S. Lowe
in 1956. The game is a development of earlier dice games, such as Yacht
and Generala
. The object of the game is to score the most points by rolling five dice
to make certain combinations. The dice can be rolled up to three times in a turn to try to make one of the thirteen possible scoring combinations. A game consists of thirteen rounds during which the player chooses which scoring combination is to be used in that round. Once a combination has been used in the game, it cannot be used again.
The scoring combinations have varying point values, some of which are fixed values and others of which have the cumulative value of the dice. A Yahtzee is five-of-a-kind and holds the game's highest point value of 50 (not counting multiple "Yahtzees" in the same game).
Yahtzee was marketed by the E.S. Lowe company from 1956 to 1973. In 1973, the Milton Bradley Company
purchased the E.S. Lowe
Company and assumed the rights to produce and sell Yahtzee. During Lowe's ownership over 40 million Yahtzee games were sold in
America and around the globe. The game has maintained its popularity. According to current owner Hasbro
, 50 million Yahtzee games are sold each year.
The overall concept of Yahtzee traces its roots to a number of traditional dice games. Among these are the Puerto Rican game
Generala
, and the English games of Poker Dice
and Cheerio
. Another game, Yap, shows close similarities to Yahtzee; this game was copyrighted by Robert Cissne in 1952.
The most notable is the dice game named "Yacht", which is an English
cousin of Generala. This predecessor is extremely similar to Yahtzee in both name and content. The game's rules differ from those of Yahtzee in the following ways:
Wood classifies Yacht, and a similar three-dice game called Crag, as sequence dice games.
The present-day commercial Yahtzee began when toy and game entrepreneur Edwin S. Lowe filed Yahtzee as a trademark with the U.S.
Patent Office on April 19, 1956. The first commercial usage of the name Yahtzee was a few weeks earlier on April 3. Lowe classified his product as a "Poker Dice Game."
According to Hasbro
, the game was invented in 1954 by an anonymous Canadian couple, who called it "The Yacht Game" because they played it on their yacht with their friends. Two years later they asked Lowe if he would make up some sets to be given as gifts to their friends who enjoyed the game. Lowe perceived the possibility of marketing the game, and acquired the rights to the game from the couple in exchange for 1,000 gift sets. This story is expanded by Lowe in the 1973 book, A Toy is Born by Marvin Kaye.
According to Lowe, the game did not initially do well commercially, since the rules and appeal were not easily conveyed in an advertisement. Eventually, he had the idea of organizing Yahtzee parties at which people could play the game and thereby gain a firsthand appreciation of it. The idea was successful, and enthusiasts quickly popularized the game through word of mouth.
The E.S. Lowe company sold Yahtzee from 1956 to 1973. During Lowe's ownership, a number of changes were made to the game's packaging, contents, and appearance. Between 1956 and 1961, the game's advertising slogan was changed from "The Game That Makes You Think While Having Fun" to "The Fun Game That Makes Thinking Fun!"
The game and its contents were copyrighted by Lowe in 1956, 1961, 1967, and 1972. In 1973, Milton Bradley
purchased the E.S. Lowe Company and assumed the rights to produce and sell Yahtzee. During Lowe's ownership over 40 million Yahtzee games were sold in America and around the globe. The game has maintained its popularity. According to current owner Hasbro
, 50 million Yahtzee games are sold each year.
Over time, the Yahtzee logo has taken several forms. The original version of the logo was used throughout the entire period that the game was produced solely by the Lowe company. After 1973, the logo changed various times. This logo is found on the scorecards and the game boxes.
In 1988, Yahtzee became a television game show
, hosted by Peter Marshall. The show was taped in Atlantic City, New Jersey
. The first set of episodes took place at Trump Castle
, then the show moved to the Showboat Hotel & Casino
.
A certain combination can be scored in more than one appropriate category; e.g., a full house can be scored in the Full House, Three-Of-A-Kind, or Chance categories.
Additional Yahtzees may be used as wild cards in the Lower Section (scoring full points in a lower section box, such as a long straight, despite not having the normally required dice) provided that the corresponding Upper Section box has been filled. For example, if a player rolled five threes (a Yahtzee in threes), the player could only use it as a wild card in the Lower Section if he or she already had a score in the Threes box in the Upper Section. If the Threes box was still open, the player must score 15 in the threes (sum of five threes).
In case a Yahtzee occurs "after" the Yahtzee box contains zero, the Bonus Yahtzee score is not awarded; but the wild card rule stated above still applies.
The original game rules released in 1956 contain a discrepancy in the rule above. The booklet stated that additional Yahtzees must be used as Jokers in the Lower Section and does not allow for their use in the Upper Section. However, the booklet also declares the highest possible score as 375, which would require the placement of Yahtzees in the Upper Section. This problem was corrected when the game was re-copyrighted in 1961.
If the Yahtzee bonuses are included, this score can be elevated to 1,575 points. This would mean 12 bonuses of 100 points are awarded for each of the 12 non-Yahtzee boxes. In this case, one would fill in the Yahtzee box first, then each box in the Upper Section, and then use the remaining Yahtzees as wild cards for the Lower Section boxes. This requires employing the "Jokers" rule using the Yahtzees as wild cards in the small and large straight spots.
so a score of five can only be achieved by rolling 5 aces.
Although this roll is technically a Yahtzee, a player may choose not to score it as one, or cannot if a zero was previously placed
in the Yahtzee score box. It is possible for all other boxes to be scored as 0 points. The strategy that works to maximize the average expected
score will under worst case conditions score a minimum of 12 points, but cautious play will guarantee a minimum score of 18.
), or roughly 1 in 22 attempts. The probability of rolling a Yahtzee in the first roll of any turn is 1 in 1296.
The probability of a specific Yahtzee (e.g., all aces) is about .013272
(
). This is about 1.3% or about 1 in 75 attempts. The pure probability of beating a given score in a single game is virtually incalculable. However, this can be assessed by playing many games and observing scores achieved. A program has been written for choosing the correct dice at any point in a game, which maximizes the expected score (i.e., for an infinite number of games from that point).
The probability of a player rolling 13 Yahtzees in a game is about 1 in 283 quadrillion
(15 zeros).
That does not mean, however, that a person would have to be rolling for a Yahtzee of a specific side to get that Yahtzee. For instance, during the first two turns of the game, whichever Yahtzee is obtained would be with a probability of about .046 (for example, rolling for whichever dice turns up most the first roll). That would give a Yahtzee a score of five-of-a-kind in some boxes in the upper section (such as 25 in Fives box). During subsequent turns, there are still several possibilities (e.g., Aces to Fours or Sixes in the Upper Section on Turn 3).
At least four Yahtzees with sixes must be obtained in this game, but that does not necessarily mean rolling two sixes instead of three threes if the threes are open as well—though it could at some point (e.g., if Three-of-a-kind, Four-of-a-kind, Chance, and Threes are the only remaining categories, the one which is best for the player). The only turn for which the probability of a Yahtzee for a specific face would apply is for the last roll of the game if a score is needed in any category but Full House. For instance, suppose nine Yahtzees were obtained and only Threes and Twos are left. The probability of a Yahtzee in Turn 12 would still be slightly better than that for a specific die face (about 1 in 77) because there are two sides to choose from - i.e., rolls don't necessarily need to be specific on the Threes or Twos.
With this thought process in mind, we can calculate the best possible scores based on the number of Yahtzees rolled. This would require obtaining Yahtzees in a specific order to maximize scoring. That is, the second Yahtzee would be in Sixes, adding six points to the Upper Section score; then Fives, Fours, Threes, and Twos. Then, in no particular order, since there would only be one additional point for counting die faces: Aces, Three-of-a-kind, Four-of-a-kind, and Chance. The Full House, Small Straight and Large Straight are saved for last because there is no additional score for counting the die faces.
Since the 1970s, Travel Yahtzee has been sold in various forms as part of Milton Bradley's line of travel games.
Various Yahtzee console games have been sold over the years including an early version on the TI-99 4A computer
. In 1996, the game was first released to PC and Mac users by Atari
. The Ultimate Yahtzee CD-ROM game contained standard Yahtzee as well as other varieties. Later, GameHouse
also released an authorized special version of the game for Windows users. Independently-produced versions, downloadable and online ones, also exist.
There are also several electronic versions of the game such as a handheld LCD version, and a cell phone version called Yahtzee Deluxe, which feature the original rules along with Duplicate and Rainbow modes, as well as independently-produced versions for the Palm OS
and Pocket PC
and several cellphone models. The version for the Nintendo GameBoy was licensed from Hasbro and was produced by DSI Games and Black Lantern Studios Inc. It was sold in a three pack that included Life
, Payday
, and Yahtzee. The game has also been released for the iPod
, iPod touch
and the iPhone
, to be purchased through the iTunes Store
. Yahtzee is available on the Xbox 360
in the Family Game Night
game by Hasbro. Pogo Games released a version in 2009, and the game is also available on the Pogo Facebook site as well.
game show
Spin-Off was based on Yahtzee. Another, similarly short-lived, TV game show adaptation, Yahtzee
, was syndicated to local stations during the 1987 season.
Dice game
Dice games are games that use or incorporate a die as their sole or central component, usually as a random device.-Collectible dice games:Patterned after the success of collectible card games, a number of collectible dice games have been published...
made by Milton Bradley
Milton Bradley Company
The Milton Bradley Company is an American game company established by Milton Bradley in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1860. In 1920, it absorbed the game production of McLoughlin Brothers, formerly the largest game manufacturer in the United States, and in 1987, it purchased Selchow and Righter,...
(now owned by Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
), which was first marketed by game entrepreneur Edwin S. Lowe
Edwin S. Lowe
Edwin S. Lowe was an American game entrepreneur and toymaker who created popular games like Yahtzee.In December 1929, Edwin S...
in 1956. The game is a development of earlier dice games, such as Yacht
Yacht (dice game)
Yacht is a public domain dice game, similar to the Latin American game Generala, the English game of Poker Dice, the scandinavian Yatzy, and the Cheerio . It is also known as the predecessor of Yahtzee ....
and Generala
Generala
Generala or sometimes Dados , is a dice game similar to the English game of poker dice, the Polish game Jacy-Tacy and the American game Yahtzee. Although it is sometimes played in Europe and the United States, Generala is most popular in Latin America.- Rules :Generala is a game played by two or...
. The object of the game is to score the most points by rolling five dice
Dice
A die is a small throwable object with multiple resting positions, used for generating random numbers...
to make certain combinations. The dice can be rolled up to three times in a turn to try to make one of the thirteen possible scoring combinations. A game consists of thirteen rounds during which the player chooses which scoring combination is to be used in that round. Once a combination has been used in the game, it cannot be used again.
The scoring combinations have varying point values, some of which are fixed values and others of which have the cumulative value of the dice. A Yahtzee is five-of-a-kind and holds the game's highest point value of 50 (not counting multiple "Yahtzees" in the same game).
Yahtzee was marketed by the E.S. Lowe company from 1956 to 1973. In 1973, the Milton Bradley Company
Milton Bradley Company
The Milton Bradley Company is an American game company established by Milton Bradley in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1860. In 1920, it absorbed the game production of McLoughlin Brothers, formerly the largest game manufacturer in the United States, and in 1987, it purchased Selchow and Righter,...
purchased the E.S. Lowe
Company and assumed the rights to produce and sell Yahtzee. During Lowe's ownership over 40 million Yahtzee games were sold in
America and around the globe. The game has maintained its popularity. According to current owner Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
, 50 million Yahtzee games are sold each year.
History
Generala
Generala
Generala or sometimes Dados , is a dice game similar to the English game of poker dice, the Polish game Jacy-Tacy and the American game Yahtzee. Although it is sometimes played in Europe and the United States, Generala is most popular in Latin America.- Rules :Generala is a game played by two or...
, and the English games of Poker Dice
Poker dice
Poker dice are dice which, instead of having number pips, have representations of playing cards upon them. Poker dice have six sides, one each of an Ace, King, Queen, Jack, ten and nine, and are used to form a poker hand....
and Cheerio
Cheerios
Cheerios is a brand of breakfast cereal by General Mills introduced on May 1, 1941 as the first oat-based, ready-to-eat cold cereal. Originally named CheeriOats, the name was changed to Cheerios in 1945 because of a trade name dispute with Quaker Oats. The name fit the "O" shape of the cereal pieces...
. Another game, Yap, shows close similarities to Yahtzee; this game was copyrighted by Robert Cissne in 1952.
The most notable is the dice game named "Yacht", which is an English
cousin of Generala. This predecessor is extremely similar to Yahtzee in both name and content. The game's rules differ from those of Yahtzee in the following ways:
- It does not have an upper section bonus.
- Both straights are a sequence of five ("Large Straight" is 2-3-4-5-6, "Small Straight" is 1-2-3-4-5).
- Full House is scored by summing all dice faces.
- There is no three-of-a-kind category.
- The highest possible score is 302.
Wood classifies Yacht, and a similar three-dice game called Crag, as sequence dice games.
The present-day commercial Yahtzee began when toy and game entrepreneur Edwin S. Lowe filed Yahtzee as a trademark with the U.S.
Patent Office on April 19, 1956. The first commercial usage of the name Yahtzee was a few weeks earlier on April 3. Lowe classified his product as a "Poker Dice Game."
According to Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
, the game was invented in 1954 by an anonymous Canadian couple, who called it "The Yacht Game" because they played it on their yacht with their friends. Two years later they asked Lowe if he would make up some sets to be given as gifts to their friends who enjoyed the game. Lowe perceived the possibility of marketing the game, and acquired the rights to the game from the couple in exchange for 1,000 gift sets. This story is expanded by Lowe in the 1973 book, A Toy is Born by Marvin Kaye.
According to Lowe, the game did not initially do well commercially, since the rules and appeal were not easily conveyed in an advertisement. Eventually, he had the idea of organizing Yahtzee parties at which people could play the game and thereby gain a firsthand appreciation of it. The idea was successful, and enthusiasts quickly popularized the game through word of mouth.
The E.S. Lowe company sold Yahtzee from 1956 to 1973. During Lowe's ownership, a number of changes were made to the game's packaging, contents, and appearance. Between 1956 and 1961, the game's advertising slogan was changed from "The Game That Makes You Think While Having Fun" to "The Fun Game That Makes Thinking Fun!"
The game and its contents were copyrighted by Lowe in 1956, 1961, 1967, and 1972. In 1973, Milton Bradley
Milton Bradley Company
The Milton Bradley Company is an American game company established by Milton Bradley in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1860. In 1920, it absorbed the game production of McLoughlin Brothers, formerly the largest game manufacturer in the United States, and in 1987, it purchased Selchow and Righter,...
purchased the E.S. Lowe Company and assumed the rights to produce and sell Yahtzee. During Lowe's ownership over 40 million Yahtzee games were sold in America and around the globe. The game has maintained its popularity. According to current owner Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
, 50 million Yahtzee games are sold each year.
Over time, the Yahtzee logo has taken several forms. The original version of the logo was used throughout the entire period that the game was produced solely by the Lowe company. After 1973, the logo changed various times. This logo is found on the scorecards and the game boxes.
In 1988, Yahtzee became a television game show
Yahtzee (game show)
Yahtzee is a game show that aired from January 11 to September 1988. Based on the dice game Yahtzee, the show was hosted by Peter Marshall, with Larry Hovis serving as both the show's announcer and a regular panelist...
, hosted by Peter Marshall. The show was taped in Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
. The first set of episodes took place at Trump Castle
Golden Nugget Atlantic City
The Golden Nugget Atlantic City was a casino from 1980 to 1987 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It is currently the Atlantic City Hilton.It was built in 1980 by a partnership of Golden Nugget Companies and Michael R. Milken for $140 million....
, then the show moved to the Showboat Hotel & Casino
Showboat Atlantic City
Showboat Atlantic City is a Mardi Gras themed casino located in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In 1998, the property was purchased by Harrah's Entertainment, now Caesars Entertainment, which has since sold off similar Showboat themed properties in other cities. The Showboat is currently the...
.
Rules overview
The Yahtzee scorecard contains thirteen boxes divided between two sections: the upper section, and the lower section.Upper section
In the upper section, each box is scored by summing the total number of dice faces matching that box. For example, if a player were to roll three "twos," the score would be recorded as 6 in the twos box. If a player scores a total of at least 63 points in these boxes, a bonus of 35 points is added to the upper section score. Though 63 points corresponds to three-of-a-kind for each of the six dice faces, a common way to get the bonus is rolling four (or five, often using a "Yahtzee as a joker") of a larger number so that fewer of the smaller numbers are needed (a player can earn the bonus even if he or she scores a "0" in an upper section box).Lower section
The lower section contains a number of poker-themed combinations with specific point values:| Category | Description | Score | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three-Of-A-Kind | At least three dice showing the same face | Sum of all dice | |
| Four-Of-A-Kind | At least four dice showing the same face | Sum of all dice | |
| Full House | A three-of-a-kind and a pair | 25 | |
| Small Straight | Four sequential dice (1-2-3-4, 2-3-4-5, or 3-4-5-6) |
30 | |
| Large Straight | Five sequential dice (1-2-3-4-5 or 2-3-4-5-6) |
40 | |
| Yahtzee | All five dice showing the same face | 50 First Yahtzee only |
|
| Chance | Any combination often acts as discard box for a turn that will not fit in another category (thus the name), although during a lucky game it can be used to record a high score |
Sum of all dice |
A certain combination can be scored in more than one appropriate category; e.g., a full house can be scored in the Full House, Three-Of-A-Kind, or Chance categories.
Gameplay
On each turn, a player gets up to three rolls of the dice. He or she can save any dice that are wanted to complete a combination and then re-roll the other dice. After the third roll, the player must find a place to put the score (though he or she can choose to end the turn and score after one or two rolls, if desired). If the resulting combination of dice will not fit in any unused scoring category, the player must place a "zero" in one of the unused boxes. Each player's total score is calculated by summing all thirteen score boxes.Yahtzees and bonus chips
A Yahtzee occurs when all five dice have the same value during one roll. Yahtzee is the most difficult combination to throw in a game and has the high score of 50 points. If a player scores one or more additional Yahtzees during the same game, that player is awarded bonus points and is given bonus chips that correspond to each additional Yahtzee that a player rolls. Bonus Yahtzees are worth 100 points each. Bonus chips are only awarded for subsequent Yahtzees if the first Yahtzee was placed in the 50-point Yahtzee score box. A player must still score in an empty box as per normal in addition to receiving the 100 point bonus.Additional Yahtzees may be used as wild cards in the Lower Section (scoring full points in a lower section box, such as a long straight, despite not having the normally required dice) provided that the corresponding Upper Section box has been filled. For example, if a player rolled five threes (a Yahtzee in threes), the player could only use it as a wild card in the Lower Section if he or she already had a score in the Threes box in the Upper Section. If the Threes box was still open, the player must score 15 in the threes (sum of five threes).
In case a Yahtzee occurs "after" the Yahtzee box contains zero, the Bonus Yahtzee score is not awarded; but the wild card rule stated above still applies.
The original game rules released in 1956 contain a discrepancy in the rule above. The booklet stated that additional Yahtzees must be used as Jokers in the Lower Section and does not allow for their use in the Upper Section. However, the booklet also declares the highest possible score as 375, which would require the placement of Yahtzees in the Upper Section. This problem was corrected when the game was re-copyrighted in 1961.
Solitaire
Yahtzee may also be played solitaire with the player attempting to reach the maximum possible score of 375 (1575 if bonuses are included).Scoring variations
Rules and scoring categories are slightly different for the Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and Finnish versions.- The bonus for reaching 63 or more points in the Upper Section is 50 points.
- There are "One Pair" and "Two Pair" categories, which score the total of the pair(s) involved. In the case of Two Pair, the pairs must be distinct; a four-of-a-kind counts only as One Pair for two of the four dice having the same face.
- In a similar vein, the Three-of-a-Kind and Four-of-a-Kind categories are scored by the total of the needed number of same-faced dice. (For instance, 5-5-5-5-6 will score 20 points in Four-of-a-Kind and 15 points in Three-of-a-Kind; under standard rules, the same combination would give the player 26 points in either category.)
- Small Straight and Large Straight have the same definition in this variation as they are in Yahtzee's parent game, Yacht (see History above). Here, a Small Straight is 1-2-3-4-5 and scores 15 points (the total of the dice faces); the Large Straight is 2-3-4-5-6 and awards 20 points (again the combined value of the dice).
- Full House scores the total of all dice (same as in Yacht).
- Succeeding Yahtzees can be scored to the other categories except Two Pair, Full House, and Small Straight/Large Straight under the same scoring restrictions (for example, a Yahtzee of sixes can only score 12 under One Pair, 18 under Three-of-a-Kind, 24 under Four-of-a-Kind, and 30 under either Sixes or Chance.) There are no Yahtzee bonuses.
Optimal strategy
Discussion of the optimal strategy are beyond the scope of this article, but the optimal strategy has been determined. The strategy will sometimes involve zeroing out rows.Maximum score
The maximum score of 375 is achieved by scoring five aces (5 points), five twos (10 points), five threes (15 points), five fours (20 points), five fives (25 points), five sixes (30 points), the Bonus for Upper Box row score equaling or exceeding 63 points (35 points), five sixes played as Three-of-a-kind (30 points), five sixes played as a Four-of-a-kind (30 points), a Full House (25 points), a Small Straight (30 points), a Large Straight (40 points), a Yahtzee (50 points), and five sixes played as Chance (30 points).If the Yahtzee bonuses are included, this score can be elevated to 1,575 points. This would mean 12 bonuses of 100 points are awarded for each of the 12 non-Yahtzee boxes. In this case, one would fill in the Yahtzee box first, then each box in the Upper Section, and then use the remaining Yahtzees as wild cards for the Lower Section boxes. This requires employing the "Jokers" rule using the Yahtzees as wild cards in the small and large straight spots.
Minimum score
Theoretically, the lowest possible score is 5. The Chance box always scores the sum of the dice,so a score of five can only be achieved by rolling 5 aces.
Although this roll is technically a Yahtzee, a player may choose not to score it as one, or cannot if a zero was previously placed
in the Yahtzee score box. It is possible for all other boxes to be scored as 0 points. The strategy that works to maximize the average expected
Expected value
In probability theory, the expected value of a random variable is the weighted average of all possible values that this random variable can take on...
score will under worst case conditions score a minimum of 12 points, but cautious play will guarantee a minimum score of 18.
Probabilities
The probability of a Yahtzee for any three-roll turn is about 0.04603 (or), or roughly 1 in 22 attempts. The probability of rolling a Yahtzee in the first roll of any turn is 1 in 1296.The probability of a specific Yahtzee (e.g., all aces) is about .013272
(
). This is about 1.3% or about 1 in 75 attempts. The pure probability of beating a given score in a single game is virtually incalculable. However, this can be assessed by playing many games and observing scores achieved. A program has been written for choosing the correct dice at any point in a game, which maximizes the expected score (i.e., for an infinite number of games from that point).The probability of a player rolling 13 Yahtzees in a game is about 1 in 283 quadrillion
Quadrillion
Quadrillion may mean either of the two numbers :* 1,000,000,000,000,000 – for all short scale countries; increasingly common meaning in English language usage* 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 – for all...
(15 zeros).
Attaining the maximum score
Using bonus chips, a 1,575-point overall score would require thirteen Yahtzee rolls, nine of which would have to be of a specific face (aces to sixes in the Upper Section and thirty points for five sixes in Three-of-a-kind, Four-of-a-kind, and Chance).That does not mean, however, that a person would have to be rolling for a Yahtzee of a specific side to get that Yahtzee. For instance, during the first two turns of the game, whichever Yahtzee is obtained would be with a probability of about .046 (for example, rolling for whichever dice turns up most the first roll). That would give a Yahtzee a score of five-of-a-kind in some boxes in the upper section (such as 25 in Fives box). During subsequent turns, there are still several possibilities (e.g., Aces to Fours or Sixes in the Upper Section on Turn 3).
At least four Yahtzees with sixes must be obtained in this game, but that does not necessarily mean rolling two sixes instead of three threes if the threes are open as well—though it could at some point (e.g., if Three-of-a-kind, Four-of-a-kind, Chance, and Threes are the only remaining categories, the one which is best for the player). The only turn for which the probability of a Yahtzee for a specific face would apply is for the last roll of the game if a score is needed in any category but Full House. For instance, suppose nine Yahtzees were obtained and only Threes and Twos are left. The probability of a Yahtzee in Turn 12 would still be slightly better than that for a specific die face (about 1 in 77) because there are two sides to choose from - i.e., rolls don't necessarily need to be specific on the Threes or Twos.
With this thought process in mind, we can calculate the best possible scores based on the number of Yahtzees rolled. This would require obtaining Yahtzees in a specific order to maximize scoring. That is, the second Yahtzee would be in Sixes, adding six points to the Upper Section score; then Fives, Fours, Threes, and Twos. Then, in no particular order, since there would only be one additional point for counting die faces: Aces, Three-of-a-kind, Four-of-a-kind, and Chance. The Full House, Small Straight and Large Straight are saved for last because there is no additional score for counting the die faces.
| # of Yahtzees | Best Possible Score |
|---|---|
| 0 | 301 |
| 1 | 351 |
| 2 | 457 |
| 3 | 562 |
| 4 | 666 |
| 5 | 769 |
| 6 | 871 |
| 7 | 972 |
| 8 | 1,073 |
| 9 | 1,174 |
| 10 | 1,275 |
| 11 | 1,375 |
| 12 | 1,475 |
| 13 | 1,575 |
Deluxe and collector editions
Deluxe edition games have been sold alongside the regular issue games since the early 1960s. They all contain components that are more luxurious than standard game parts. In recent years, a number of collector issue Yahtzees have been sold as well. Some of these collector issues have dice that replace the pips with certain symbols connected to a theme, but still correspond to the numbers one to six.Other versions
- In the past, the travel form of Yahtzee was composed of the five dice contained in a special apparatus (see image at the right). "Rolling" the dice is initiated by turning the apparatus over, running it on one hand and turning the apparatus upright to see the faces of the dice. Dice to be saved for the next roll are locked by snapping the reverse of the apparatus.
- Currently, a zip-up cloth deluxe folio edition is sold. It consists of the set of dice, the cup, the scoresheets, and a tray for the dice to roll on, which includes a holder for the dice to be saved for the next roll. The cup has an oblong lip for easy storage.
- There also exists a red circular travel edition, which includes the dice and scoresheets, as well as a collapsible cup and detachable dice holder. The bottom half of the case acts as a dice tray. It should be noted that this one uses a different logo from the standard one (the name of the game in uppercase with an exclamation point in front of a green oval) and it is sold outside of the United States.
- There are also miniature versions of the game, sold in sets contained either in cups that act as keychains (by the company Basic Fun) or in specially-shaped pens (by the company Stylus).
Various Yahtzee console games have been sold over the years including an early version on the TI-99 4A computer
Texas Instruments TI-99/4A
The Texas Instruments TI-99/4A was an early home computer, released in June 1981, originally at a price of USD $525. It was an enhanced version of the less-successful—and quite rare—TI-99/4 model, which was released in late 1979 at a price of $1,150...
. In 1996, the game was first released to PC and Mac users by Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
. The Ultimate Yahtzee CD-ROM game contained standard Yahtzee as well as other varieties. Later, GameHouse
GameHouse
GameHouse is a casual game developer, publisher, digital video game distributor, and portal, based in Seattle, Washington, United States-History:...
also released an authorized special version of the game for Windows users. Independently-produced versions, downloadable and online ones, also exist.
There are also several electronic versions of the game such as a handheld LCD version, and a cell phone version called Yahtzee Deluxe, which feature the original rules along with Duplicate and Rainbow modes, as well as independently-produced versions for the Palm OS
Palm OS
Palm OS is a mobile operating system initially developed by Palm, Inc., for personal digital assistants in 1996. Palm OS is designed for ease of use with a touchscreen-based graphical user interface. It is provided with a suite of basic applications for personal information management...
and Pocket PC
Pocket PC
A Pocket PC is also known by Microsoft as a 'Windows Mobile Classic device'. It is a hardware specification for a handheld-sized computer, personal digital assistant , that runs the Microsoft 'Windows Mobile Classic' operating system...
and several cellphone models. The version for the Nintendo GameBoy was licensed from Hasbro and was produced by DSI Games and Black Lantern Studios Inc. It was sold in a three pack that included Life
The Game of Life
The Game of Life, also known simply as LIFE, is a board game originally created in 1860 by Milton Bradley, as The Checkered Game of Life . The Game of Life was America's first popular parlor game...
, Payday
Pay Day (board game)
Pay Day is a board game originally made by Parker Brothers in 1975. It was invented by Paul J. Gruen of West Newbury, Massachusetts, USA, one of the era's top board game designers. It was Gruen's most successful game, outselling Monopoly in its first production year.This article is based on the...
, and Yahtzee. The game has also been released for the iPod
IPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
, iPod touch
IPod touch
The iPod Touch is a portable media player, personal digital assistant, handheld game console, and Wi-Fi mobile device designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The iPod Touch adds the multi-touch graphical user interface to the iPod line...
and the iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
, to be purchased through the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
. Yahtzee is available on the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
in the Family Game Night
Family Game Night
Hasbro Family Game Night is a video game originally released for the PlayStation 2 and Wii published by Electronic Arts. It is a mini-game collection consisting of six Hasbro board games - Battleship, Boggle, Connect Four, Sorry!, Sorry! Sliders and Yahtzee. The games all have traditional versions...
game by Hasbro. Pogo Games released a version in 2009, and the game is also available on the Pogo Facebook site as well.
Related games
A number of related games under the Yahtzee brand have been produced. They all commonly use dice as the primary tool for gameplay, but all differ generally. As Yahtzee itself has been sold since 1954, the variants released over the years are more recent in comparison, with the oldest one, Triple Yahtzee, developed in 1972, eighteen years after the introduction of the parent game. In addition, the 1970s televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
Spin-Off was based on Yahtzee. Another, similarly short-lived, TV game show adaptation, Yahtzee
Yahtzee (game show)
Yahtzee is a game show that aired from January 11 to September 1988. Based on the dice game Yahtzee, the show was hosted by Peter Marshall, with Larry Hovis serving as both the show's announcer and a regular panelist...
, was syndicated to local stations during the 1987 season.
Similar games
- Open Yahtzee is a popular cross-platformCross-platformIn computing, cross-platform, or multi-platform, is an attribute conferred to computer software or computing methods and concepts that are implemented and inter-operate on multiple computer platforms...
computer program version of Yahtzee. - Kubus is another variant with variable bonus threshold and is also available for mobile devices.
- BalutBalut (game)Balut is a game of dice, similar to Yahtzee. It was created by an American soldier named Edgar Woolbright stationed in the Philippines as an alternative to poker, and is a popular pastime of Danish businessmen overseas...
is the name of a Danish dice game played by expatriates in many countries all over the world. The name of the game is taken from balut eggs. Games are organized monthly by IBF (International Balut Federation) members. - Poker dicePoker dicePoker dice are dice which, instead of having number pips, have representations of playing cards upon them. Poker dice have six sides, one each of an Ace, King, Queen, Jack, ten and nine, and are used to form a poker hand....
, with labels reminiscent of playing cardPlaying cardA playing card is a piece of specially prepared heavy paper, thin cardboard, plastic-coated paper, cotton-paper blend, or thin plastic, marked with distinguishing motifs and used as one of a set for playing card games...
s. - KismetKismet (dice game)Kismet is the trademarked name of a commercial dice game introduced in 1964. The game's name is the Turkish word for "fate". E.William DeLaittre holds the trademark on the game, originally published by Lakeside Games, and currently produced by Endless Games. Marketed as "The Modern Game of Yacht",...
has rules almost identical to those of Yahtzee but have dice with multiple colors. Numbers and colors are taken into account when scoring in these games. - Let 'em Roll is a pricing game from The Price Is RightThe Price Is Right (U.S. game show)The Price Is Right is an American game show which was created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Contestants compete to identify the pricing of merchandise to win cash and prizes. The show is well-known for its signature line of "Come on down!" when the announcer directs newly selected contestants to...
played for a car, with one free roll. In the grocery part, a player must win two more rolls to roll five dice. The player then rolls five dice and attempts to roll "Car" symbols, or otherwise rolls a cash prize. The game ends after all rolls are taken, with the player winning a car if they successfully roll five Car symbols in their rolls, or the total of whatever cash prizes they rolled. Each die has three car symbols, so the chances of rolling five car symbols are more favorable than the chances of rolling a Yahtzee in the traditional game. - To Court the KingTo Court the KingTo Court the King is a dice-based table game designed by Tom Lehmann. It was published in German by Amigo Spiele and in English by Rio Grande Games in 2006. The basic mechanics of rolling and re-rolling dice have drawn comparisons to the game of Yahtzee....
uses a similar roll and re-roll mechanic to Yahtzee with the added mechanic of using dice to claim character cards that give the player various abilities to manipulate their dice rolls. It was designed by Tom LehmannThomas LehmannTom Lehmann has been an economist, programmer, boardgame publisher, game designer, and technical writer.-Published Games:*Fast Food Franchise *Time Agent *Suzerain...
and published by Amigo SpieleAmigo SpieleAmigo Spiele is a German board and card game publisher. Many of their games have won Spiel des Jahres awards, and many have been published in English by Rio Grande Games.- Notable games :* Bohnanza* 6 Nimmt!/Take 6!* Café International...
and Rio Grande GamesRio Grande GamesRio Grande Games is a board game publisher based in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. The company primarily imports and localizes foreign language German-style board games.-History:...
in 2007. - Richard GarfieldRichard GarfieldRichard Channing Garfield is a mathematics professor and game designer who created the card games Magic: The Gathering, Netrunner, BattleTech CCG, Vampire: The Eternal Struggle , The Great Dalmuti, Star Wars Trading Card Game, and the board game RoboRally...
deliberately created the game King of Tokyo because he wanted to create a game using the dice mechanics of Yahtzee; the "theme" of the game came later. - YAMB or JAMB is a very popular Yahtzee-like game in Southeastern part of the Europe, especially ex-Yugoslavia. It features six dice (5 for playing and 1 as a joker) and more complex rules: it has 3 sections, upper, mid and lower section. Each of them can have up to 9 different columns that all have unique ways to play. For example, one column must be filled starting from the lower section, one from the upper, one is for announcing the result after the first throw, etc. Middle section has "maximum" and "minimum" rows and the goal is to get the highest/lowest number combination based on the 5 dice. To get the total for each column of the middle section, "maximum" result is subtracted from the "minimum" and that number is multiplied by the sum written in the box "one" from the upper section.
Cultural references
- Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw is a British video games critic currently based in Australia who takes his pseudonym from the game.
- Yahtzee is played by Queen Sophie-Anne in HBO's True BloodTrue BloodTrue Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
. - In Scary Movie 3Scary Movie 3Scary Movie 3 is a 2003 American science fiction comedy film, which parodies the horror, sci-fi, and mystery genres, directed by David Zucker. It is the third film of the Scary Movie franchise, as well as the first to have no involvement from the Wayans family...
Yahtzee is played by one of the main characters. - In The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
Treehouse of Horror XXITreehouse of Horror XXI"Treehouse of Horror XXI" is the fourth episode of The Simpsons twenty-second season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 7, 2010...
, Yahtzee is parodied as Yahtzu. - In Family GuyFamily GuyFamily Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
, Yahtzee is played by the Griffin family during the episode From Method to Madness. - In the South ParkSouth ParkSouth Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
episode, You Have 0 FriendsYou Have 0 Friends"You Have 0 Friends" is the fourth episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 199th episode of the series overall. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 7, 2010...
, Yahtzee is played by Stan MarshStan MarshStanley Randall "Stan" Marsh is a fictional character in the animated television series South Park. He is voiced by and loosely based on series co-creator Trey Parker. Stan is one of the show's four central characters, along with his friends Kyle Broflovski, Kenny McCormick, and Eric Cartman...
during the deathmatch needed to delete his FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
account (itself a spoof of TronTron-Film:*Tron , a franchise that began in 1982 with the Walt Disney Pictures film Tron** Tron , a 1982 science fiction film by Disney, starring Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, Cindy Morgan, Dan Shor and David Warner...
). - At one point during the FablehavenFablehavenFablehaven is The New York Times best-selling children's literature fantasy series written by Brandon Mull. The book series, which includes Fablehaven, Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star, Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague, Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary, and Fablehaven: Keys to...
book series, Warren and Bubda get trapped within a sub-dimensional storage room for several months. An old version of the game being one of their only means of entertainment, the two play Yahtzee extensively to pass the time until they are rescued. - Yahtzee is a term that is shouted with glee upon the arrival of a joyous occasion.
- Yahtzee has been cited as a precipitating factor in a case of domestic violence and as the motive for at least one murder .
- Yahtzee was featured in the episode "Remedial Chaos Theory" in NBC's "CommunityCommunity (TV series)Community is an American television comedy series created by Dan Harmon that airs on NBC. The series is about a group of students at a community college in the fictional locale of Greendale, Colorado. The series heavily uses meta-humor and pop culture references, often parodying film and television...
".