Good dice decisions look beyond this turn.

A promising roll is only half the picture. Your scorecard decides what it is worth.

Expected score is a guide, not a guarantee

Yathzy Trainer maximizes expected final score: the average across possible future rolls, assuming optimal choices afterward. It does not maximize the chance of beating a particular opponent. A correct decision can still lead to a disappointing roll.

The upper bonus changes the calculation

Reaching 63 points across Ones through Sixes earns 35 more. Three of each face totals exactly 63, a useful reference point rather than a rule to follow blindly. Scoring a modest upper category can be more valuable than a bigger immediate lower score if it brings that bonus within reach.

Open categories are future opportunities

Chance can rescue an awkward roll. A straight category can reward a risky reroll. Filling a box spends that opportunity, so the solver compares the points earned now with the options left for future turns. A category showing zero may still be the best place to score.

Holding more dice is not always better

Classic scoring, including the tricky bits

The trainer uses five six-sided dice, up to three rolls per turn, and thirteen categories. You may score early. The upper section counts the chosen face. Three and four of a kind score the dice total; a full house scores 25, a small straight 30, a large straight 40, and a Yahtzee 50. Chance scores the total. Missing a requirement scores zero.

An extra Yahtzee earns 100 only if the Yahtzee box already contains 50. When that box is filled—even with zero—five equal dice follow Joker placement: use the matching upper category if open, otherwise any open lower category, otherwise zero in another upper category. Joker straights and full houses receive their fixed scores.

These are classic 13-category rules, not a claim to cover every Scandinavian Yatzy variant or house rule. See the official classic rule booklet for the game rules.

Practice the decision, then review it

Start with Learn to compare choices. Switch to a new Practice session when you want to decide without seeing advice. Exact ties count as correct. The final review shows your decision accuracy and explains mistakes using the actual dice, open categories and remaining rolls.