Dice games
Yahtzee
Fill a scorecard of thirteen categories with five dice, choosing each turn where to place your roll to maximise your total.
- players
- 1–8
- minutes
- 30
- variants
- 2
You’ll need: 5 dice. Marquoir gives you all the rules and keeps score.
Setup
- Five dice and one scorecard per player, with the grid of thirteen categories.
- Any number of players. Take turns clockwise.
How to play
- On your turn, roll the five dice.
- You may reroll some or all of the dice, twice at most: three rolls per turn in all.
- At the end of your turn, you must enter a result in an empty box of your scorecard.
- If no box fits, you must cross one out with a zero.
- The game lasts thirteen turns, the time it takes to fill every box.
Scoring
- Upper section, Aces to Sixes: score the sum of the dice showing that value. Three Fours are worth 12 points in the Fours box.
- Bonus: if the upper section totals 63 points or more, that is three dice of each value on average, add 35 points.
- Three of a kind: score the sum of all five dice.
- Four of a kind: score the sum of all five dice.
- Full house, three of a kind plus a pair: a fixed 25 points.
- Small straight, four consecutive dice: a fixed 30 points. Large straight, five consecutive dice: a fixed 40 points.
- Yahtzee, five identical dice: a fixed 50 points.
- Chance: the sum of the five dice, whatever they are. It is the fallback box.
End of the game
- The game ends when every scorecard is complete, after thirteen turns.
- The highest total, bonus included, wins.
House rules and pitfalls
- A common but optional rule: a second Yahtzee scores an extra 100-point bonus.
- Classic pitfall: using up your Chance box too early — it is your safety net at the end of the game.
- The 63-point bonus often comes down to a single die. Sacrificing Aces early is rarely a good idea.
Variants
Extra Yahtzees
No bonus
A second Yahtzee is entered in another box, like any roll.
Second Yahtzee bonus
The most common rule: 100 points per Yahtzee after the first. A box is added to the scorecard to record them.
chosen when starting, the scorer follows
Frequently asked questions
How do you get the bonus?
You need at least 63 points in the upper section, Aces to Sixes. That equals three dice of each value. The bonus is worth 35 points.
How many rolls do you get per turn?
Three at most. After the first roll, set aside the dice you keep and reroll the others, twice.
What if no category comes up?
You must cross out a box with a zero. Usually you sacrifice a low-value box, such as Yahtzee or the large straight, rather than Chance.
Can you enter zero in any box?
Yes. When no result fits, cross out the box of your choice with a zero. Better to sacrifice a costly box early than big potential at the end.
What do you score for three or four of a kind?
The sum of all five dice, not just the matching ones. Four sixes with a two is therefore worth 26 points.
Why does the bonus kick in at 63 points?
It is the total you get with three dice of each value, Aces to Sixes. Above it, you are ahead of that pace.
What about a second Yahtzee?
The most common rule gives a 100-point bonus per extra Yahtzee. In Marquoir, choose the "Second Yahtzee bonus" variant when starting: a dedicated box appears in the scorecard.
Can you reroll a die you kept?
Yes. Nothing forces you to keep a die from one roll to the next: you freely choose which dice to reroll, within the limit of three rolls.
The box
- Age
- Ages 6+
- Origin
- Traditional game, with no specific designer or publisher
- Mechanics
- Lancer de désPapier-crayonStop ou encoreRelancesCollection
- Contents
- 5 dés
- 1 gobelet
- 1 bloc de score