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Everything you need to know about Yacht, from basic rules and scoring to how it differs from Yahtzee. Whether you are new to the game or settling a rules dispute, these answers will help.
Yacht is the original game that Yahtzee was based on. Key differences: Yacht has 12 scoring categories (Yahtzee has 13), Yacht has no upper section bonus (Yahtzee awards 35 points for scoring 63+ in the upper section), Yacht scores Full House and Four of a Kind as the sum of all dice (Yahtzee uses a fixed 25 for Full House), both Yacht straights score 30 points (Yahtzee's large straight scores 40), and Yacht has no bonus for additional five-of-a-kinds.
Yacht has 12 scoring categories. The upper section has 6: Ones, Twos, Threes, Fours, Fives, and Sixes. The lower section has 6: Full House, Four of a Kind, Little Straight (1-2-3-4-5), Big Straight (2-3-4-5-6), Choice, and Yacht (five of a kind). Each category is used exactly once per game, so the game lasts 12 rounds.
A Yacht is when all five dice show the same value (e.g., five 4s or five 6s). It is the highest-scoring single category in the game, worth a flat 50 points regardless of which number is repeated. Rolling a Yacht is relatively rare and is the namesake of the game.
A Little Straight is the sequence 1-2-3-4-5 (the five lowest dice values), and a Big Straight is the sequence 2-3-4-5-6 (the five highest dice values). Both score exactly 30 points. The order the dice are rolled in does not matter — only the values present. These are the only two straight combinations recognized in Yacht.
No. You may stop after your first, second, or third roll. If you are happy with your dice after the first roll, you can immediately choose a scoring category. Using fewer rolls is common when you roll a natural straight, full house, or yacht on the first try. However, you must always roll at least once per turn.
The theoretical maximum score in Yacht is 303 points. This requires perfect rolls: Ones = 5, Twos = 10, Threes = 15, Fours = 20, Fives = 25, Sixes = 30 in the upper section (total 105), plus Full House = 28 (6-6-6-5-5), Four of a Kind = 30 (6-6-6-6-6), Little Straight = 30, Big Straight = 30, Choice = 30 (all sixes), and Yacht = 50 in the lower section (total 198), for a grand total of 303. In practice, achieving even 250 would be an extraordinary game.
No. Unlike Yahtzee, which awards a 35-point bonus if you score 63 or more in the upper section, Yacht has no upper section bonus whatsoever. Your upper section score is simply the total of your six number categories with no additional reward for reaching a threshold. This makes the strategic calculus different from Yahtzee.
Choice is equivalent to the Chance category in Yahtzee. You simply add up all five dice regardless of what combination they form. Choice accepts any roll, making it a valuable safety net for turns when your dice do not match any remaining categories. A strong Choice score is 25-30 points (rolling mostly fives and sixes).
In Yacht, a Full House (three of one number plus two of another) is scored as the sum of all 5 dice. For example, 5-5-5-3-3 scores 21 points, and 6-6-6-5-5 scores 28 points. This differs from Yahtzee, which awards a fixed 25 points for any Full House regardless of the dice values.
Yes. If your dice do not satisfy the requirements of a category, you score zero for it. For example, if you place a non-qualifying roll in the Yacht category, you score 0. Since you must use one category per turn and each category can only be used once, you will sometimes be forced to take a zero in a category you cannot fill. Strategic players try to sacrifice low-value categories when this happens.
Yacht can be played by any number of players, though 2 to 4 is most common. Each player uses their own column on the score sheet and takes turns rolling. The game length scales with the number of players since everyone must complete all 12 rounds. With more players, games take longer but the competitive dynamic becomes more interesting.
Yes. After any roll, you may set aside dice or pick up dice you previously set aside. For example, if you keep three 4s after your first roll hoping for Four of a Kind, but your second roll gives you a 2 and a 3, you could pick up one of the 4s and re-roll it on your third roll to try for a different combination like a straight. This flexibility is a key strategic element of the game.
Got questions? The best way to learn is to play.
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