To get the Yahtzee bonus, score 63 or more in Ones through Sixes. That's exactly three of each number, so treat three of a number as par for every upper box, get ahead with extra 4s, 5s and 6s, and let Ones absorb your bad rolls. Perfect play earns the bonus in 68.1% of games, and playing for it is worth 9.6 points a game compared with a perfect player who ignores it. The skill is knowing how far ahead or behind par you are, and when the bonus stops being worth the chase.
This guide is about the 35-point upper bonus. The 100-point bonus for an extra Yahtzee is a different rule, covered in our Yahtzee rules guide. Yahtzee is a Hasbro trademark; Poozee isn't affiliated with Hasbro, and our version of the game is called Yacht Dice.
How we measured
Every number here comes from the exact solver behind our Yahtzee strategy guide. It knows the best play from each of the game's 536,320 scorecard situations under the standard American rules, and averages 254.59 points a game. Instead of simulating games, we followed the exact probability of every roll, hold and scorecard through all 13 turns, so nothing below is sampled.
To see what the bonus itself changes, we also solved a version of the game with no upper bonus and let that strategy play the real game. It plays perfectly in every other way, and it still collects the 35 points whenever it happens to reach 63. We call it the bonus-blind player.
| Player | Average score | Earns the upper bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Perfect play | 254.59 | 68.1% |
| Perfect play, but blind to the bonus | 244.98 | 20.4% |
So playing for the bonus is worth 9.6 points a game. The bonus pays 23.8 points a game on average under perfect play, against 7.2 for the bonus-blind player, but chasing it costs 7.1 points in the other boxes. Without the bonus in the game at all, perfect play would average 237.82.
Par: three of each number
Par is three of each number: 3 in Ones, 6 in Twos and so on up to 18 in Sixes. Add up par for the upper boxes you've filled and compare it with your upper total. With 24 in Sixes and 4 in Twos, par is 18 + 6 = 24 and you have 28, so you're 4 ahead. That one number tells you more than your total does.
Here's what perfect play scores in each upper box, on average. The last three columns are the share of games where the box ends up with that many dice of its number.
| Box (par) | Average | 3 or more | 4 or more | 2 or fewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ones (3) | 1.9 | 29% | 13% | 71% |
| Twos (6) | 5.3 | 54% | 22% | 46% |
| Threes (9) | 8.6 | 65% | 25% | 35% |
| Fours (12) | 12.2 | 78% | 29% | 22% |
| Fives (15) | 15.7 | 84% | 32% | 16% |
| Sixes (18) | 19.2 | 87% | 35% | 13% |
Two habits stand out:
- Get ahead in the high boxes. Perfect play scores at least three 6s in 86.6% of games and at least four in 35.3%. Each extra 6 is 6 points of cushion for the low boxes.
- Ones is the dump. Perfect play ends with two or fewer 1s in 70.5% of games. Falling short in Ones costs at most 3 points of par, so it's the cheapest place for a bad roll.
Fours, Fives and Sixes average a little above par, and Ones, Twos and Threes a little below. In all, perfect play averages 62.8 points in the upper section, right at the line. It misses the bonus in 31.9% of games, and the near misses hurt: 6.4% of games end with 60, 61 or 62.
Your bonus odds, ahead or behind par
This is the chance that perfect play goes on to earn the bonus, by where you stand right after filling an upper box. Each column is how many upper boxes are still empty. A cell averages over every way perfect play arrives there, weighted by how often it does, so it's a typical chance rather than an exact one for your card: which boxes are left, and how many turns, matter too. A dash means perfect play gets there in fewer than 1 game in 1,000.
| Versus par | 5 left | 4 left | 3 left | 2 left | 1 left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 behind | - | 16% | 13% | 11% | 11% |
| 5 behind | - | 25% | 19% | 16% | 13% |
| 4 behind | 29% | 29% | 25% | 21% | 15% |
| 3 behind | 43% | 36% | 31% | 25% | 16% |
| 2 behind | 50% | 44% | 37% | 29% | 15% |
| 1 behind | 55% | 49% | 42% | 33% | 16% |
| At par | 63% | 59% | 58% | 61% | 69% |
| 1 ahead | 67% | 65% | 65% | 67% | 74% |
| 2 ahead | 76% | 75% | 75% | 76% | 82% |
| 3 ahead | 81% | 80% | 80% | 82% | 82% |
| 4 ahead | 85% | 84% | 84% | 86% | 89% |
| 5 ahead | 88% | 88% | 88% | 90% | 92% |
| 6 ahead | 90% | 91% | 91% | 93% | 96% |
How to read it:
- Par holds up. At par, perfect play gets the bonus 63% of the time with five boxes left and 69% with one left.
- With one box left, falling behind is a cliff. At par you need three of the last number. Even 1 point behind, you need four, and the chance drops to 16%. It's still 11% at 6 behind, so once you're short, a few more points hardly matter.
- The first box sets the tone. The chance is 43% if the first box comes in 3 behind and 90% if it comes in 6 ahead.
What the bonus is worth, and when to give up
A 63% chance at 35 points isn't worth 22 points, because chasing the bonus costs points elsewhere. A better measure is how much more perfect play expects to score from that spot than it would in the same spot with no bonus in the game. Here's that difference, in points, for the same spots as above:
| Versus par | 5 left | 4 left | 3 left | 2 left | 1 left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 behind | - | 2.9 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 3.1 |
| 4 behind | 5.6 | 5.7 | 5.2 | 4.9 | 4.3 |
| 2 behind | 10.9 | 9.7 | 8.6 | 7.2 | 4.4 |
| At par | 15.6 | 14.5 | 13.9 | 14.9 | 19.4 |
| 2 ahead | 19.2 | 19.0 | 19.6 | 21.3 | 25.5 |
| 4 ahead | 23.6 | 23.5 | 24.3 | 26.3 | 29.1 |
| 6 ahead | 27.2 | 27.7 | 28.5 | 30.3 | 32.5 |
At par with five boxes left, the bonus is still worth 15.6 points, not the 22.2 you'd get from 63% of 35. Even 6 behind it's worth a few points, so don't give up early.
Once you're 7 or more points behind par with one or two upper boxes left, the bonus is worth less than 1 point and the chance of getting it is under 3.5%. At that point, stop chasing it and play your remaining upper boxes for whatever they score.
Pro tip: Say your pace out loud after every upper box: "Sixes 24, 6 ahead." Then "Twos 4, still 4 ahead." It takes a second and keeps you from throwing points at a bonus that's already gone.
Each 6 in Sixes is worth more than 6 points
The first turn of a game shows how much par matters. Here's the expected final score, with perfect play afterward, if you score your first roll in Sixes:
| 6s in Sixes | Points | Expected final score | Gain from one more 6 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 216.52 | - |
| 1 | 6 | 222.72 | +6.21 |
| 2 | 12 | 232.20 | +9.47 |
| 3 | 18 | 250.53 | +18.33 |
| 4 | 24 | 268.23 | +17.71 |
| 5 | 30 | 279.47 | +11.24 |
The third and fourth 6s are worth about 18 points each, about three times their face value, because they take Sixes from 6 behind par to 6 ahead of it. Two 6s leave your best upper box 6 points short, which is why perfect play would rather put them somewhere else.
Four decisions where the bonus beats points
Each row below compares perfect play with the bonus-blind player. "Lost" is how many points the bonus-blind choice costs on average, assuming perfect play afterward either way.
The last row is from the middle of a game. It's turn 8: Ones through Fours hold 30 points, exactly par, and 3 of a kind, Small straight and Chance are filled. You need 33 from Fives and Sixes, which is par again, and perfect play gets the bonus 64.2% of the time from the start of this turn.
| Situation and dice | Perfect play | Bonus-blind | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turn 1, last roll: 1‑6‑6‑6‑6 | Sixes: 24 | 4 of a kind: 25 | 7.69 |
| Turn 1, last roll: 1‑3‑5‑6‑6 | Chance: 21 | Sixes: 12 | 8.76 |
| Turn 1, 1 roll left: 1‑1‑4‑4‑4 | Hold 4‑4‑4 | Full house: 25 | 1.34 |
| Turn 8, 1 roll left: 1‑1‑6‑6‑6 | Hold 6‑6‑6 | Full house: 25 | 5.51 |
- Four 6s go in Sixes. 4 of a kind pays 1 point more today, but Sixes with 24 puts you 6 ahead of par. Our 3 of a kind or 4 of a kind guide shows that perfect play does the same with almost every four of a kind, 1s included.
- Two 6s don't. 12 in Sixes leaves you 6 behind in your best box. Chance takes the 21 instead.
- Break up a full house for the upper box. In the last two rows the bonus-blind player keeps all five dice and scores the full house. Perfect play gives up that sure 25 to roll two dice at a fourth 4. Mid-game, with the bonus riding on Fives and Sixes, the same choice with 6s is worth 5.51 points.
Our strategy guide covers more first-turn choices, like which pair to keep and where to dump a junk roll.
The last upper box
When your last upper box comes down to a single turn, these are the odds of rolling enough of its number, holding that number every time:
| Dice of one number you need | Chance in one turn |
|---|---|
| 1 or more | 93.5% |
| 2 or more | 69.9% |
| 3 or more | 35.5% |
| 4 or more | 10.4% |
| 5 or more | 1.3% |
Three of a number comes up 35.5% in a single turn, yet the odds table earlier gives perfect play 69% at par with one box left. The difference is time. When perfect play arrives at par with one upper box left, it has 3.9 turns left on average, and it's down to the final turn only 7% of the time. If a turn misses, the dice go in a lower box and the chase goes on. So try not to leave an upper box you need for your very last turn.
Track it in Yacht Dice
In Yacht Dice, the Upper total row shows your total out of 63, and the Bonus row fills in 35 the moment you reach it. Par isn't shown, so count it as you go. Press Hint to see what the perfect solver would hold or score, and compare it with your own choice when the bonus is on the line. For how your final totals stack up, see what a good Yahtzee score is.
Keep playing
- Play Yacht Dice and keep your upper section on pace
- Yahtzee strategy: when to keep pairs, chase straights or dump a bad roll
- What is a good Yahtzee score? Exact percentiles from perfect play
- How to play Yahtzee: every box, the joker rule and the 100-point bonus
Frequently asked questions
How do you get the bonus in Yahtzee?
Score 63 or more in Ones through Sixes and you get 35 extra points. 63 is exactly three of each number, so aim for three of every number and use extra 4s, 5s and 6s to cover a short Ones or Twos box.
What are the odds of getting the Yahtzee upper bonus?
Perfect play gets it in 68.1% of games. A player who plays perfectly in every other way but ignores the bonus gets it in only 20.4%.
Is the Yahtzee upper bonus worth going for?
Yes. Compared with perfect play that ignores the bonus, playing for it is worth 9.6 points a game on average, even after the points it costs in other boxes.
Do you need exactly three of each number for the bonus?
No. Only the total counts: four 6s and one 3 add up to 27, the same as three 6s and three 3s. Three of each is simply the easiest way to tell whether you're on pace.
Is the upper bonus the same as the Yahtzee bonus?
No. The upper bonus is 35 points for 63 or more in the upper section. The Yahtzee bonus is 100 points for each extra five of a kind once your Yahtzee box holds 50.