How to Play Yacht

Yacht is the original dice game that inspired Yahtzee and dozens of other five-dice scoring games. Created in the 1940s, Yacht was played aboard luxury yachts by wealthy couples before being commercially adapted by Milton Bradley in 1956 as Yahtzee. While the two games share a similar structure, Yacht has its own distinct set of 12 scoring categories (compared to Yahtzee's 13), no upper section bonus, and different scoring rules for several categories. The game accommodates any number of players, takes about 20-30 minutes, and rewards both luck and thoughtful category allocation.

Equipment and Setup

You need 5 standard six-sided dice, a score sheet with 12 categories for each player, and a flat surface for rolling. Players decide who goes first by any agreed method (high roll, youngest player, etc.). Each game consists of exactly 12 rounds, one for each scoring category on the sheet.

Rolling the Dice

On each turn, you roll all 5 dice. You get up to 3 rolls per turn. After the first roll, you may set aside any dice you wish to keep and re-roll the remaining dice. After the second roll, you may again keep or release any dice before making your third and final roll. You are never required to use all three rolls — if you are happy with your result after the first or second roll, you may stop and score immediately.

Importantly, dice you set aside after an earlier roll can be picked back up and re-rolled on a later roll. This flexibility allows you to change strategy mid-turn if the dice are not cooperating with your original plan.

Scoring Categories

Yacht has 12 scoring categories divided into an upper section and a lower section. Each category may be used only once per game. After your rolls are complete, you must assign the result to one unused category — even if it means scoring zero.

Upper Section

The upper section contains six categories, one for each die face. For each category, you score the sum of all dice showing that number. For example, if you roll 3-3-3-5-6 and choose the Threes category, you score 9 (three threes). There is no upper section bonus in Yacht, unlike Yahtzee which awards 35 extra points for reaching a certain threshold.

Lower Section

The lower section contains six categories with specific dice combinations:

• Full House — Three of one kind plus two of another (e.g., 3-3-3-5-5). Score the sum of all 5 dice.
• Four of a Kind — Four dice showing the same value (e.g., 4-4-4-4-2). Score the sum of all 5 dice, not just the four matching ones.
• Little Straight — The sequence 1-2-3-4-5. Scores a flat 30 points.
• Big Straight — The sequence 2-3-4-5-6. Scores a flat 30 points.
• Choice — The sum of all 5 dice regardless of combination (equivalent to Yahtzee's Chance category). This is your safety net for turns that do not fit another category well.
• Yacht — All 5 dice showing the same value (five of a kind). Scores a flat 50 points. This is the highest single-category score in the game.

Scoring Quick Reference

Game Flow

Players take turns in clockwise order. Each turn follows the same pattern: roll all 5 dice, optionally re-roll up to two more times, then assign the result to an unused scoring category. After 12 rounds, every category on each player's score sheet is filled. Players total their scores across all 12 categories. The player with the highest total score wins.

If a roll does not qualify for any remaining valuable category, you must still assign it somewhere. This means you will sometimes score zero in a category (for example, placing a non-qualifying roll in the Yacht category for 0 points). Managing which categories you sacrifice and which you protect is a core part of Yacht strategy.

Strategy Tips

Prioritize high-value categories early. If you roll a natural Yacht or a straight in the first few rounds, take it immediately. These fixed-value categories are hard to complete and worth locking in when the opportunity arises.

Use Choice wisely. Choice is your safety category — it accepts any roll. Save it for a turn when you roll well but do not match any remaining combination, such as a high-value dice set with no matching category. Scoring 25-30 on Choice is excellent.

Be strategic about zeroes. Since there is no upper section bonus in Yacht, the penalty for taking a zero in an upper category is simply the missed potential points. If you have a weak roll, consider dumping it in a low upper category (Ones or Twos) where the maximum possible score is small.

Know when to stop rolling. If you have a solid result after your first or second roll, it is often better to take the guaranteed score rather than risk losing what you have. A full house after one roll is worth keeping rather than chasing four of a kind or a yacht.

Key Differences from Yahtzee

While Yacht and Yahtzee share the same basic framework, several important differences set them apart:

• Yacht has 12 categories; Yahtzee has 13 (Yahtzee adds Three of a Kind and splits straights differently).
• 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 fixed values (25 for Full House, sum of all dice for Three/Four of a Kind).
• Yacht has no Yahtzee bonus mechanic for rolling multiple five-of-a-kinds.
• Both straights in Yacht score exactly 30 points; in Yahtzee, the small straight scores 30 and the large straight scores 40.