The classic shake and score dice game!
Definition Yahtzee is a dice game currently (2005) produced by Hasbro. It is a game almost entirely governed by chance. Common sense helps determine which dice to keep and which to re-roll, but assuming all players use common sense and the dice are fair, the outcome of the game is random. In the game, a yahtzee is statistically the most difficult roll to obtain as it is comprised of five dice all showing the same face. The probability of obtaining a yahtzee in a single roll is 0.1%, and the probability of obtaining a yahtzee in three rolls is 4.6%. "Yahtzee!" is also an English-language colloquialism synonymous with "Bingo!." It may be heard at baseball games when a home run is hit and at bingo parlors when one completes a bingo.
History Yahtzee was invented by a Canadian couple. This couple wanted an easy, fun game that could be played aboard their yacht. Thus, Yahtzee was born under its original name, Yacht. Yacht was a success among the couple's friends, and they all wanted a copy. The couple saw a great earning potential in Yacht.
The couple pitched Yacht to Edwin S. Lowe in 1956. Lowe had had success selling Bingo games in the past so he was a logical choice to make professional-looking Yacht games. Lowe, just like the couple's friends, fell in love with the game. He offered to buy the rights, and the couple was to be paid the profit made on the first 1000 games. At this point, Yacht officially became known as Yahtzee.
Unfortunately, Yahtzee didn't sell well. Advertisements didn't do the game justice. Yahtzee was easy to understand, but it needed to be played to be appreciated. Lowe didn't give up; he started throwing Yahtzee parties of his own (just like the original couple), and Yahtzee took off through the oldest form of advertising, word of mouth.
Yahtzee was made by the E.S. Lowe Company until 1973, when the company was purchased by Milton Bradley. Milton Bradley, in turn, was acquired by Hasbro in 1984. At the time or writing, Hasbro produces and owns Yahtzee.
Rules Object: Roll the dice resulting in the highest scoring combination possible.
Summary: The player may roll any or all of the dice up to three times each turn. The player stops when satisfied or three rolls have been taken. The player decides which of the 13 roll categories to score depending on which criteria are met and which result in the most points. The game is over when all players have completed all 13 roll categories. The player with the highest score is the winner.
Instructions: Yahtzee is a game suitable for any number of players (even one). Each player takes a score sheet (or a sheet of adequately prepared notebook paper) and rolls all five dice. The player with the highest total begins the game and play continues in a clockwise fashion.
At the start of his/her turn, the player rolls all five dice. If the player wants to keep any of the dice, s/he may do so and re-roll the others. If the player keeps all of the dice, the turn is over and scored. On each successive roll, any or all dice may be rolled. For example, dice kept from the first roll may be re-rolled on the third roll. After three rolls or all dice are kept by the player, the turn is over and scored.
Scoring The scoring categores are:
Game Over The game ends when all players have completed their score sheets. Add up the points from Group A. If the total is greater than 62, add a 35 point bonus. Add the points from Group B to the total. Add 100 points for each bonus chip. The player with the highest score wins.
Single Player Game The single player version of Yahtzee works just like the normal version. The only difference is that the player competes against his/her prior best score instead of actual opponents. All other rules apply as in normal play.
SOURCES: http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/52174.html http://www.hasbro.com/pl/page.corporate_history_yahtzee/dn/default.cfm http://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/Yahtzee.pdf http://www.tutorgig.com/ed/Timeline_of_video_games
Thanks to xq for correcting my very flawed odds (I've changed them to probabilities) and for catching a typographical error.
You've played the game and you badly want to know how to win most matches. (Well, yeah, otherwise you wouldn't be here.) Congratulations, you've just stumbled upon someone who has played a lot of Yahtzee, both in traditional form and electronic form. Playing the single-player version has given me both experience and a good mind for tactics that can be utilised in the multi-player games.
On with the show.
You need a total of 63 to score the 35 bonus points, which means you can get any score in the ranges 0-62 and 98-140. 140 is nigh on impossible - you'd need to get 5 of each of the numbers. Aim for 3 of each number - if this is achieved then your score is exactly 63. Generally, however, people don't get 3 of each number - most times they will be forced to put a 4 in twos, or even (the horror!) 10 in fives.
The idea is to stick your first four-of-a-kind into the appropriate section in the lower half, then the next one into the upper half if possible. (Do not put it in 3 of a kind! There's a special strategy for that.) With that, you should make the 63 even if you had to score low in one category.
This is where all of the points are scored, but the combinations are tricky to obtain deliberately, especially Large/Long Straight (for simplicity I'm going to use Large Straight here), and even more expecially if trying to fill an inside straight. Also in this section is what I call the escape route: Chance. More on that later.
Whenever I play Yahtzee, I always try to fill out what I call the Big Five: Yahtzee, Small Straight, Large Straight, Full House and the upper half's bonus. Together, these score 180 points, and together with an average of 20 points each for 3 of a kind, 4 of a kind and Chance and at least 63 points for the upper half, 300 looks very, very realistic. Of course, when that's not possible, a good, winning score with yahtzee is 275; without is 235. Don't ask me how I got different figures.
And finally, a quick word on scores. Since the maximum score possible is 675 (375 without Yahtzee Bonus, which some people do still play), I'd say a good score, given the odds of scoring a Yahtzee, is around 250, but aim for 300 if possible. A score that will practically ensure you a win is 275, however don't take that as a guarantee. For the single player game, I tend to get 225+ around 80% of the time, 250+ around 50% of the time, and 300+ around 15% of the time. Get 230 and you're cruising.
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