Yahtzee online is a game of chance with objectives similar to skill-based classic poker. While luck significantly determines the outcome, utilizing a strategy can make a difference. Much like a well-played Craps game, winning depends on your decisions every time you roll the dice. So it’s not just about throwing the dice; what can you make of it?
Today’s casino news examines the skill and chance elements of the Yahtzee online dice game.
Yahtzee Online: Compete, Win, and Enjoy Every Roll
Yahtzee online is an exciting dice game with goals similar to poker. It is played between two or more players and requires five dice and a specially designed scorecard. The objective is for each player to score the most points by rolling five dice combinations. The word Yahtzee refers to 5 of a kind, meaning when all five dice you throw show the same value—for example, a dice throw of 4, 4, 4, 4, 4.
While Craps fans ask, “Can you play craps online for real money?” Our online casino’s most experienced players know you can also play Yahtzee online from the comfort of your home if you wish to avoid visiting a land-based casino.
History of Yahtzee
Most people today discovered Yahtzee when Edwin S. Lowe released a commercial version of the game in 1956. According to some scholars, its origins can be traced back to the popularity of dice games in numerous traditions. They often compare the game to Tali, Generala, and Poker Dice, which are still found on the best online casino platforms.
On the other hand, Hasbro, an entertainment company, claims that Milton Bradley introduced Yahtzee. However, the most accurate origin can be traced back to 1938. A Canadian couple invented the game and named it Yacht because they played it on their yacht. Interesting, isn’t it?
According to records, the couple asked Lowe, who was a renowned board game creator, if he could create a set of gifts for their friends. Seeing the game’s potential, Lowe agreed to go with the deal and gave the couple the rights to the first one thousand games produced. After that, he commercialized it, and it became an instant hit.
Lowe sold over 40 million copies of the game from 1956 to 1973 when he sold the company to Milton Bradley, which Hasbro later acquired. Those were the formative years of Yahtzee, during which the game’s packaging, contents, and appearance evolved.
Today, many Yahtzee online variations, such as Yahtzee Turbo, Yahtzee Texas Hold’em, and Power Yahtzee, have emerged, and more are being developed. Hasbro has also released even more unique versions of it.
Yahtzee Online Gameplay
Like many popular casino games, Yahtzee online is best understood when practiced. Let’s take a quick look at its gameplay.
Whether playing Yahtzee Online or live, the game comes with a scorecard and five dice. At the beginning of the game, each player is assigned a scorecard. The card has 13 sections—the upper and lower sections—where players input their scores. Players then take turns rolling their dice and recording their scores based on the dice result rolled. The player with the highest score wins.
Once a player rolls the five dice, keep some while rolling the rest up to two more times. For example, if a player rolls the dice and there are two dice with the numbers 2, 2, 3, 1, and 6, the different numbers can be rolled again while the 2s are kept. However, if, after two more rolls, the outcome is 2, 2, 2, 4, 1, the result can be input on the scorecard.
Yahtzee Score Card
The correct rules for scoring in Yahtzee are as follows:
Upper Section:
The upper section consists of boxes for each number from 1 to 6. In this section, the player scores the total of the dice showing the same number.
- Example: If you roll three 3s (3, 3, 3, 4, 1), you would record 9 points in the “Threes” section. The other dice (4 and 1) are excluded from this calculation. Only dice showing the number 3 are counted.
Lower Section:
The lower section includes categories like Three of a Kind, Four of a Kind, Full House, Small Straight, Large Straight, Yahtzee, and Chance. In these categories, different scoring methods apply:
- Three of a Kind: The player must have at least three dice showing the same number. The score is the total of all five dice, not just the three matching dice. For example: For a roll of 2, 2, 2, 4, 1, you would score 11 points in the “Three of a Kind” section (2 + 2 + 2 + 4 + 1 = 11).
- Full House: This occurs when you roll a combination of three of one number and two of another. A Full House always scores 25 points regardless of the actual dice values.
- Small Straight: A sequence of four consecutive numbers (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4). It always scores 30 points.
- Large Straight: A sequence of five consecutive numbers (e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). It always scores 40 points.
- Yahtzee: Rolling five of a kind scores 50 points.
- Chance: Any combination of dice can be recorded here, and the score is the total of all five dice.
Yahtzee Score Rules
Just like we have the Craps rules, Yahtzee has a few dos and don’ts that guide it. They are:
Score Filling
You can only fill the 13 boxes on your scorecard once. If you have filled out a 3-of-a-kind section and got another, you can’t fill anything on your scorecard again. Each player has 13 throws. For more tips on maximizing your strategy, check out our online casino guide section.
Also, you must fill out the empty section with zero whenever you don’t score anything. The game’s strategic part is deciding which sections you want to fill first, how many times you want to throw the dice, and so on.
Point Allocation
You score a Yahtzee when you roll five dice of the same number. An example is 3, 3, 3, 3, 3. This automatically gives you 50 points, and you can fill in the section that says “Yahtzee.” Similar to scoring big in many online table game, if you throw a Yahtzee a 2nd time in the game, you will get a bonus of 100 points.
The Yahtzee Joker Rule
If the game allows it, two Yahtzee Joker rules allow players to use their 5-of-a-kind for something else instead of getting the bonus.
The first says that you can use the Yahtzee to fill up the lower section of the scorecard if they are empty. Let’s say your 3-of-a-kind score line was empty, and you threw a 3, 3, 3, 3, 3. Instead of using it as a Yahtzee bonus, you can record it as a 3-of-a-kind. This way, your score will be 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 15.
The second rule, called free choice, states that the Yahtzee be used as a joker if the upper section of the scorecard has been used. If the section is free, i.e., the player scored zero, the Yahtzee can be recorded as a Full House, Small Straight, or Large Straight.
Yahtzee Online: Dice-Rolling Action at Its Best
Yahtzee online game is simple to play and understand. However, you would need a few practice sessions and patience to grasp its gameplay fully. There are free virtual Yahtzee games you can play, just like the free Craps online, if you want to get better.
Visit Vegas Aces Casino to play online casino dice games, and explore more options similar to this enticing game!
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