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Yahtzee Bonus Rules: the 35, the 100 and the Joker

Quick answer

The rules of the Yahtzee bonus are short. If your Ones to Sixes add up to 63 or more, you get 35 bonus points. Every extra Yahtzee after a 50 in the Yahtzee box earns 100 more, and the Joker rule says which box that roll goes in.

Try the two calculators below to check your own score card.

Practice with a guided gamePlay Yacht Dice nowFree, no sign-up. The guided game tells you what to do and why.

The upper bonus: 35 points for 63 or more on top

The top six boxes count only their own number. Add them up at the end. If the total is 63 or more, write 35 in the bonus box.

Why 63? It is three of each number: 3 + 6 + 9 + 12 + 15 + 18 = 63. You don’t need exactly three of each, though. Extra 5s and 6s make up for a short Ones or Twos. For example, two 1s, two 2s, three 3s, three 4s, four 5s and four 6s give 2 + 4 + 9 + 12 + 20 + 24 = 71. That earns the bonus too.

Upper bonus calculator

For each box, pick how many of that number you scored. Leave it on “open” if you have not used it yet.

Upper total 33. You need 30 more for the bonus. 2 boxes are still open.

The Yahtzee bonus: 100 for every extra Yahtzee

  • First Yahtzee: write 50 in the Yahtzee box.
  • Each one after that: 100 bonus points. On a paper card, put a check in the Yahtzee bonus row. There is no limit.
  • A 0 in the Yahtzee box means no bonuses for the rest of the game, even if you roll more Yahtzees.

You still have to fill a box with that roll. That is where the Joker rule comes in.

The Joker rule decides where an extra Yahtzee goes

The official rule is a “forced” Joker. Take it in this order:

  1. Matching upper box first. Five 4s must go in Fours if Fours is open.
  2. Then any open lower box, at full value. Here the Yahtzee is a Joker: Full house scores 25, Small straight 30, Large straight 40. Three of a kind, Four of a kind and Chance score all five dice.
  3. Last, a 0 in any open upper box, if every lower box is full.
Five 4s with 50 in Yahtzee and Fours already used: the best Joker box is Large straight for 40, plus the 100-point bonus. That turn is worth 140.

You rolled a Yahtzee: where can it go?

Your five dice show
Your Yahtzee box has
Your Fours box is
The other lower boxes are

You may pick any of these 6 boxes. Best: Large straight for 40, plus the 100-point Yahtzee bonus: 140 in all. Choices: Large straight 140, Small straight 130, Full house 125, Three of a kind 120, Four of a kind 120, Chance 120.

  1. Large straight: 40 + 100 bonus = 140. Yahtzee as a joker: Large straight scores 40.
  2. Small straight: 30 + 100 bonus = 130. Yahtzee as a joker: Small straight scores 30.
  3. Full house: 25 + 100 bonus = 125. Yahtzee as a joker: Full house scores 25.
  4. Three of a kind: 20 + 100 bonus = 120. Five 4s, so all five dice count: 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 20.
  5. Four of a kind: 20 + 100 bonus = 120. Five 4s, so all five dice count: 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 20.
  6. Chance: 20 + 100 bonus = 120. Chance counts all five dice: 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 20.

Some families play the Joker differently, so agree first

  • Free choice Joker. The extra Yahtzee can go in any box. It only counts as a Joker for Full house and the straights when its upper box is already used.
  • No Joker. You get the 100, but the dice stay ordinary dice, so Full house and straights would score 0.

Our free game, Yacht Dice, follows the official forced Joker, and so do the calculators on this page.

Yahtzee is a trademark of Hasbro. This site is not affiliated with Hasbro; our free game is called Yacht Dice.

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Questions people ask

How do you get the 35-point bonus in Yahtzee?

Score 63 or more in the six upper boxes, Ones to Sixes. Three of each number adds up to exactly 63, so that is the easy way to think of it.

How many Yahtzee bonuses can you get?

As many as you roll. Each extra Yahtzee earns 100 points, as long as your Yahtzee box already holds 50.

Do you get a Yahtzee bonus if you scratched the Yahtzee box?

No. If the Yahtzee box has a 0, extra Yahtzees earn no 100-point bonus. You still place the roll using the Joker rules.

What is the Joker rule in Yahtzee?

When you roll an extra Yahtzee, you must score it in the matching upper box if it is open. If that box is used, it can go in any open lower box at full value: Full house 25, Small straight 30, Large straight 40. If those are full too, you write 0 in an open upper box.

Can you put a Yahtzee in Full house?

Only as a Joker: when it is an extra Yahtzee and its matching upper box is already filled. Then Full house scores the full 25.