Pocket Games
Yatzy
Five dice, three rolls per turn, thirteen boxes to be filled once each. At the end of every turn you must write something down, even a zero: the game is nearly always decided by which box you agree to throw away.
How a turn works
Five dice, three rolls. After the first roll you choose which dice to keep and reroll the rest; after the second, the same again. Then you must record the result in one of the thirteen boxes still open, even if it scores zero. When every box is full, the game ends.
On Pocket Games
Before you start you choose against the bot, at three levels, or multiplayer: 2 to 4 people on the same phone, taking turns, each with their own colour.
| Bot level | How it plays | Average per game |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | Keeps the dice of the most frequent value and records the box worth most right now | about 160 |
| Medium | Picks the box with an eye on the bonus and the boxes left; keeps dice optimally only on the last reroll | about 195 |
| Hard | Always keeps dice optimally and keeps pace towards the bonus | about 230 |
How it works here:
- Tap a die to hold or release it; the first roll of a turn always throws all five.
- Every open box shows what the current roll would be worth there. To record, tap the box once to select it and a second time to confirm.
- The bonus row shows the upper-section count, for example 42/63.
- Full house only counts as three plus two: five of a kind is not a full house.
- If you already have 50 in the Yatzy box and roll five of a kind again, you can record 50 points in any open box.
A game in progress is saved, dice of the current turn included, and resumes from the start screen. Against the bot your best score is saved for each level; multiplayer games leave no record.
The scoring table
Upper section. Six boxes, one per face: Ones, Twos, Threes, Fours, Fives, Sixes. Each scores the sum of the dice showing that face. Three fives score 15 in the Fives box.
This is where the bonus lives: if the six upper boxes add up to 63 or more, you get 35 points free. 63 is the figure you reach by recording exactly three dice in each box (three ones, three twos, three threes and so on). Every time you record four you bank some margin; every time you record two you spend it.
Lower section. Seven combinations:
- Three of a kind: scores the sum of all five dice.
- Four of a kind: again the sum of all the dice.
- Full house (three of a kind plus a pair): a flat 25 points.
- Small straight (four consecutive): a flat 30 points.
- Large straight (five consecutive): a flat 40 points.
- Yatzy (five of a kind): 50 points.
- Chance: the sum of the dice, always valid. This is the dumping ground.
Strategy
The bonus is worth as much as a large straight. Thirty-five points is enormous in a game that lands around 200-250. The practical rule is to keep track of your margin: after recording an upper box, ask whether you are above or below the pace of three dice per box. If you are well below, stop chasing the bonus and use the upper section for your sacrifices.
Three of a kind and four of a kind score everything. Four twos is barely 10 points; three sixes is over 20. Not all combinations are equal: a four of a kind made of low dice is nearly always a mediocre score you record reluctantly.
Save Chance for the end. It is the only box that cannot score zero, and it is your safety net for a turn gone wrong. Burning it on turn two for 22 points is the classic mistake you pay for at the end.
Sacrifice the Ones. When you have to throw a turn away — and you will — the cheapest box is Ones: you lose 5 points at most, against 30 for a small straight or 50 for a Yatzy. Twos come next.
When in doubt, go for straights. With four different dice in hand, rerolling the last one for the large straight is often worth more than settling: the small straight stays as a fallback, and together they are 70 points.
Do not reroll a pair of sixes chasing a Yatzy. The chance of five of a kind in a single turn, even when you play for it, is around 4-5%: you take it when it comes, you do not hunt it.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to record something every turn?
Yes, and that is the heart of the game. When no box is good, you pick the one that costs least to lose: usually the Ones.
What happens if I roll a second Yatzy?
If the Yatzy box already holds 50, the new Yatzy is worth 50 points in any box still open, even one in the upper section or a straight. If you had recorded a zero there instead, the second Yatzy scores normally, according to the box you choose.
How strong is the hard bot?
It averages about 230 points, against 195 for medium and 160 for easy. It decides which dice to keep by working out the expected value of every choice over the rolls left.
Can I change my mind after recording a score?
No, a recorded box stays as it is. That is what the double tap is for: the first selects the box and shows its value, the second confirms. Until you confirm you can pick another box or keep rolling.
Does my record follow me to another phone?
Yes, if you are signed in with an account: your best score against the bot, one for each level, is also saved online. Multiplayer games have no record to sync.
More games to try
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