How do you play Five Dice?
Roll five dice up to three times per turn, holding the dice you want to keep, then write the result into one of thirteen scoring boxes. After thirteen turns every box is filled and the highest total wins. It is the classic yacht family of dice games, also known as yacht dice, and there is no money, chips or betting of any kind: just points.
Shake the leather cup and five ivory dice tumble onto the felt and settle. Tap a die to lift it onto the rack, and the roll button rerolls only the dice that are not on the rack. The score card shows a faint preview of what every open box would score with the current dice, and tapping a box writes the number in ink. Five matching dice are a Yacht, celebrated with confetti.
What are the thirteen scoring boxes?
The upper six boxes add up only the dice showing one particular face, Ones through Sixes, and the lower seven are 3 of a kind, 4 of a kind, Full house, Small straight, Large straight, Yacht and Chance.
| Box | Requirement | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Ones to Sixes | Only dice showing that face count | Face × count (three 5s = 15) |
| 3 of a kind | Three or more matching dice | Sum of all five |
| 4 of a kind | Four or more matching dice | Sum of all five |
| Full house | Three of one face plus two of another | 25 |
| Small straight | Four in a row (1234, 2345, 3456) | 30 |
| Large straight | Five in a row (12345, 23456) | 40 |
| Yacht | All five dice the same | 50 |
| Chance | Anything | Sum of all five |
You may write into a box whose requirement is not met, but it scores zero and the box is closed. Thirteen turns for thirteen boxes means one box every turn, so on an unlucky turn you choose which box to sacrifice.
How do the 35 point upper bonus and the Yacht bonus work?
If the six upper boxes, Ones through Sixes, add up to 63 or more you receive a 35 point bonus. 63 is exactly three dice of every face (3+6+9+12+15+18), so "three of each" is the target line. Four sixes for 24 give you slack elsewhere, and a single one for 1 point means another face needs to make up the two points.
If you roll a second Yacht after scoring 50 in the Yacht box, you earn a 100 point Yacht bonus and the dice act as a joker. The matching upper box must be used if it is still open; otherwise any lower box takes the dice, including Full house for 25, Small straight for 30 and Large straight for 40. A Yacht rolled after a zero was written in the Yacht box gets the joker rule but no bonus.
Can I play alone, against the computer or with friends?
Yes. There is a solo high score mode, matches against one to three computer players, and hot seat play for two to four people on one screen.
| Mode | How it runs |
|---|---|
| Solo | Your thirteen turn total gets a grade and the best score is kept in this browser |
| vs 1 to 3 CPU | You roll first, turns go round, and the highest total after thirteen rounds wins |
| 2 to 4 players | The score card grows a column per player and the active column lights up yellow. Pass the device around |
The computer has three levels. Easy holds the most common face and writes into the box that pays most right now. Normal evaluates all thirty two hold patterns by the expected score of one more roll. Hard looks ahead through both remaining rolls with a full expected value calculation that also weighs progress toward the upper bonus and the value of boxes left open, and averages around 230 points.
How often do the combinations come up?
A Yacht on a single roll has a 0.08% chance (1 in 1,296), but holding matching dice across three rolls lifts the chance of seeing one within a turn to about 4.6%.
| Combination | One roll | Aiming for it over three rolls (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 of a kind or better | 21.3% | over 70% |
| Full house | 3.9% | about 35% |
| Small straight or better | 15.4% | about 60% |
| Large straight | 3.1% | about 25% |
| Yacht | 0.08% | about 4.6% |
The three roll figures assume you chase that one combination from the first roll with the best holds. In real play you adapt after seeing the first roll, so the numbers shift a little.
Tips for a higher score
- Defend the upper section at three of each. Three sixes are 18, four are 24. The 35 point bonus only needs an average upper section, so when you collect high faces, write them upstairs first.
- Hold two or more high dice right away. Fives and sixes also pay well in 3 of a kind, 4 of a kind and Chance, so an early pile of them loses little wherever it lands.
- Four in a row means go for the straight. With 2345 either a 1 or a 6 completes the Large straight, so you reroll a single die twice.
- Dump zeros into Ones or Yacht. Ones rarely pays more than 3 or 4 and a Yacht is rare anyway, so they are the cheapest boxes to sacrifice on a bad turn.
- Save Chance for the end. It is the only box without a condition, so it insures the last two or three turns against a big sum with nowhere to go.
Controls
- Touch or mouse: tap the yellow roll button and the cup shakes the dice out. Tap a die to lift it onto the rack and hold it, tap again to release. Tap one of your boxes on the score card to write there.
- Keyboard: Space or R to roll, number keys 1 to 5 hold each die from the left, Up and Down pick a box and Enter writes it. On the title and result screens Space starts a game.
- Top right buttons: sound off and back to the menu. The sound setting and the last mode you picked are remembered in this browser.
Scores and the best record stay in this browser and are never sent to a server. There is no money, no chips and no betting: the dice exist only to write numbers on the card.