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Yahtzee Strategy: Which Dice to Keep and When to Chase the Bonus

3 min readUpdated November 10, 2026

Luck decides each roll, but your choices decide the score. Good players don't roll better dice; they waste fewer points. These are the decisions that matter most, roughly in order of how many points they're worth.

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ContentsGo for the 35-point bonusWhich dice to keepWhen to go for a YahtzeeMake the lower section countA quick decision checklistMistakes that cost the most points

Go for the 35-point bonus

The bonus is worth more than any single lower box except Yahtzee and the large straight. You need 63 in the upper section, which is three of each number. Think of every upper box as having a target: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18.

  • Every point above target in Sixes, Fives or Fours buys you room elsewhere. Four 6s (24) covers a weak Threes.
  • Use Ones and Twos as dumping boxes for bad rolls. A 0 in Ones costs at most 5 points.
  • Avoid putting low scores in Fours, Fives and Sixes early. One weak high box makes the bonus hard to reach.

Which dice to keep

Early in the game, keep pairs and triples of high numbers. They can still become an upper box above target, three or four of a kind, a full house or a Yahtzee. Go for a straight when you already have four in a row, or three in a row with both straight boxes open.

5-5-2-3-6, early game: keep the two 5s. Chasing a straight from 2-3-5-6 needs a 4 and leaves you with little if it misses.

When to go for a Yahtzee

  • Early game: with three or four of a kind, keep rolling for the Yahtzee. If you miss, the dice still fit an upper box or three or four of a kind.
  • Mid game: if you're behind, the 50 points are worth the risk. If you're ahead, take the safe score.
  • Late game: only chase it if Yahtzee is one of very few open boxes. Otherwise, use the Yahtzee box as a place to put a 0.

Make the lower section count

Three and four of a kind add up all the dice

6-6-6-5-4 scores 27 in Three of a kind but only 18 in Sixes. With high dice and an open Three of a kind box, the lower box is often better.

Save Chance for later

Chance is your safety net. Use it early only for a big roll (25 or more), and keep it for a late turn that fits nowhere else.

Straights

A small straight is 1-2-3-4, 2-3-4-5 or 3-4-5-6. A large straight is 1-2-3-4-5 or 2-3-4-5-6. Keeping 3-4-5 gives you the most ways to finish, because a 2 or a 6 completes a small straight.

A quick decision checklist

  1. Which boxes are still open, and how many turns are left?
  2. Am I on track for 63 in the upper section?
  3. What does this roll score in each open box right now?
  4. If I roll again, what am I hoping for, and what's my fallback if it misses?
  5. Decide, and don't look back.

Mistakes that cost the most points

Instead of thisDo this
Chasing a Yahtzee from a pair late in the gameTake the sure score and keep the game moving
Putting 8 in Fours earlyPut a weak roll in Ones, Twos or Chance
Using Chance on turn twoKeep Chance for a late, awkward roll
Forgetting the bonus mathsTrack how far you are above or below 63
Playing it safe when far behindTake the risk: a Yahtzee or straight can swing the game

Want a benchmark? Read what a good Yahtzee score is, or work through one tricky roll in 3-3-3-5-6: what should you keep?