Yahtzee! Review
Unless you’re very young, Just about everyone has heard of Yahtzee. Yahtzee has been around since the 1950’s. It’s popularity peaked in the 1970’s and 1980’s when Milton Bradley produced it.
Yahtzee involves rolling five dice and a scorecard. At the end of 13 rounds, the player with the highest score wins. The scorecard is based loosely on the card game Poker since it includes straights, a full house, three and four of a kinds. A Yahtzee is five of a kind.
Everybody gets a thrill from their first Yahtzee! Overall, Yahtzee is a game of chance and is a lot more fun than it sounds.
How to Play Yahtzee!
The game starts by passing out score cards and deciding who goes first by whatever method you prefer. Players take turns rolling the dice and entering a score. After 13 rounds, the game is over and everyone totals their score. The player with the highest score wins.
Each turn begins by a player rolling all five dice. They decide which dice to keep and which to reroll. The player is allowed three rolls of the dice per turn. They can choose to end their turn after one or two rolls depending on how the dice turned out.
The goal is to get the best score on the score card. Most of the scores involve rolling 3, 4, or 5 of a kind. There’s also a full house, a small and large straight on the score card. Chance is simply the total of all five dice.
Once the player records their score their turn is over and the next player takes their turn. Play continues in this fashion for 13 rounds. As the scorecard fills it becomes increasingly difficult for players. For example, if a player rolls several 2’s and has already filled their 2’s score, chance, 3 of a kind, and 4 of a kind. They have a tough choice to keep the 2’s or reroll all the dice. In my experience getting a Yahtzee doesn’t happen every game.
Why Yahtzee?
Anyone who likes games of chance would enjoy this game. There’s something strangely exhilarating about rolling a Yahtzee. Or filling a full house on the final roll of the dice.
It doesn’t require as much concentration compared to say a card game or board game. Each player takes a turn so there’s ample opportunity for conversation. If you enjoy gathering around the table and talking with friends, then Yahtzee is an ideal game to pass the time.
How We tested Yahtzee.
We tested this game with 1, 2, 3, and 4 players.
Comparable Games
Yahtzee is similar to Strike. Both involve rolling dice. Strike is simpler since the only goal is to not run out of dice. Yahtzee involves scorekeeping and choosing the best way to fill the scorecard.
Pros and Cons
The best part about Yahtzee is it’s easy to learn. People of all ages can play. Everyone enjoys filling up the scorecard.
On the other hand, it’s disappointing to take a 0 for failing to roll a score such as a large straight or Yahtzee. Yahtzee can also feel slow if you have 4 or more players. Some may get distracted while the others takes their turn.
Review Summary
Our Yahtzee game review gives it 7 out of 10 stars. It’s not a bad game and we usually have fun playing it. Some may find it boring since it’s just rolling dice. However, we like to chat a lot so this game works for us.
If that sort of game appeals to you then you should give Yahtzee a try!
Yahtzee! Review
brought to you by: David M.
I’m David M. I’ve been playing video games a long time, my pong game was fire. Now, my kids run circles around me but we always have a good time. We mostly play party and family games. Strategy and battle games are still among my favorites. I like writing about games almost as much as I do playing them. My favorite games are: Moving Out 2, Out of Space and Overcooked All You Can Eat.
