Yatzy vs Yahtzee: What's the Difference?
Same five dice, same three rolls per turn, very different score sheets. Yahtzee is the American version and Yatzy is the Scandinavian one, and if you've ever played one with someone who learned the other, you already know the arguments start at Full House.
The short version
- Yahtzee has 13 boxes, a 35-point upper bonus, fixed scores for Full House and straights, and 100-point bonuses for extra Yahtzees.
- Yatzy has 15 boxes (it adds One Pair and Two Pairs), a 50-point upper bonus, and almost everything scores the dice you used instead of a fixed number.
- Turns work the same way in both: up to three rolls, keep what you like, then fill one box.
Scoring side by side
| Box | Yahtzee | Yatzy |
|---|---|---|
| Ones to Sixes | Total of that number | Total of that number |
| Upper bonus | 35 at 63+ | 50 at 63+ |
| One Pair | Not in the game | Total of the pair |
| Two Pairs | Not in the game | Total of both pairs |
| Three of a Kind | Total of all 5 dice | Total of the 3 matching dice |
| Four of a Kind | Total of all 5 dice | Total of the 4 matching dice |
| Small Straight | Any 4 in a row: 30 | Exactly 1-2-3-4-5: 15 |
| Large Straight | Any 5 in a row: 40 | Exactly 2-3-4-5-6: 20 |
| Full House | 25 | Total of all 5 dice |
| Chance | Total of all 5 dice | Total of all 5 dice |
| Five of a kind | Yahtzee: 50 | Yatzy: 50 |
| Extra five of a kinds | +100 each, plus Joker rules | No bonus |
| Highest possible score | 1,575 | 374 |
Why the strategy changes
Straights are worth less in Yatzy
In Yahtzee a small straight is any four in a row for 30 points, so it's one of the best boxes in the game. In Yatzy the small straight has to be exactly 1-2-3-4-5 and pays 15. Chasing straights is a much worse deal in Yatzy.
High dice matter more in Yatzy
Because Yatzy's Full House and Three/Four of a Kind score the dice themselves, a full house of 6-6-6-5-5 (28) is worth way more than 2-2-2-1-1 (8). In Yahtzee both are 25. Yatzy rewards sixes everywhere.
The upper bonus is a bigger deal in Yatzy
The 63-point target is the same, but the payoff is 50 instead of 35. In a game where the max score is only 374, that bonus is a huge chunk of a winning total.
Yahtzee has a higher ceiling
Yahtzee's 100-point bonuses for extra Yahtzees mean one lucky game can blow up the scoreboard. Yatzy scores sit in a much tighter range, because no single box pays more than 50.
What about Kniffel and Yacht?
For the deeper history and regional variants, see Wikipedia's articles on Yatzy, Kniffel, and Yacht.
Kniffel is the German name for the game, and its scoring follows Yahtzee: 13 boxes, a 35-point bonus, Full House 25, straights 30 and 40, and 50 for five of a kind. If you know Yahtzee, you know Kniffel.
Yacht is the older public-domain dice game that came before both. House rules vary a lot, but common versions have no upper bonus, score Full House as the total of the dice, and give 50 for a Yacht. Many versions also skip Three of a Kind.
Which one does Jatzee use?
Jatzee uses Yahtzee-style scoring: 13 boxes, the 35-point bonus at 63, fixed points for Full House and straights, and 100-point bonuses for extra Jatzees. So you can practice the American rules for free, against a bot or against friends.