Maxi Yatzy Rules – How to Play

The goal

You and up to five other players share the same set of scoring boxes. Over the course of the game everyone fills in every box exactly once, and whoever ends up with the most points wins. The catch — and the fun — is that you decide which combination to score after you've rolled, so every turn is a little gamble between playing it safe and chasing something big.

How a turn works

On your turn you get three rolls of the six dice.

1. Roll all six dice.
2. Keep the dice you like and re-roll the rest. You choose which to keep — hold none, hold all, or anything in between.
3. Roll a third and final time if you want to.

After your final roll you pick one open box on your scoresheet and score your dice there. You can also stop early: if you're happy after the first or second roll, you don't have to use the rest. Once you've scored, your turn passes to the next player.

That's the whole rhythm of the game: roll, keep, re-roll, score, pass.

The combinations and what they score

Maxi Yatzy has two halves to the scoresheet: an upper section where you collect matching numbers, and a lower section where you build specific combinations. Here's every box and how it scores.

A couple of things worth knowing: Chance is your safety valve — you can put any roll there and just score whatever the dice add up to, which is handy when nothing else fits. And Maxi Yatzy — all six dice matching — is the jackpot: a flat 100 points, the biggest single score in the game.

The bonus

Here's where the upper section pays off. Add up everything you scored in the upper boxes (ones through sixes). If that total reaches a certain threshold, you get a chunky bonus on top.

The most common version — the one this site uses by default, and the one on classic Alga score pads — works like this: reach 84 points or more in the upper section and you earn a 100-point bonus. Eighty-four is roughly what you get by scoring four of each number, so the bonus rewards you for spreading your good rolls across the top rather than dumping everything into the lower section.

There's also a second common variant, found on Egmont/Kärnan and Tactic score pads: 75 points in the upper section earns a 50-point bonus. It's a slightly easier target for a smaller reward. Neither is more "correct" than the other — they're just different traditions, so agree with your group which one you're using before you start. On this site you pick the variant when you create a room, so everyone's on the same page automatically.

Saved rolls

This is an optional rule that some score pads include and some don't. When it's switched on, any rolls you don't use on your turn get banked for later. Stopped after your first roll because you already hit a great combination? Those two unused rolls get saved, and on a future turn you can spend them for extra re-rolls when you really need them.

It adds a fun layer of strategy — do you bank rolls now hoping for a clutch moment later, or use them while you've got them? Because not everyone plays with this rule, it's a room setting here: flip it on if your group likes it, leave it off for the traditional game.

What if nothing fits?

Sometimes you'll finish your rolls and none of the remaining boxes are a good match. When that happens you have to scratch a box: pick an open one and score it as zero. It stings, but it's part of the game — the trick is scratching wisely. The usual move is to dump a zero into a low-value upper box (your ones, say) rather than sacrificing a big lower-section box you might still fill later. You can't scratch the bonus; it's calculated automatically from your upper section.

Winning and the maximum score

The game ends when everyone has filled in all their boxes. Add up both sections plus any bonus, and the highest total wins. With perfect dice and the 84→100 bonus, a flawless game tops out at 649 points — but you'll almost never see that, and you absolutely don't need it to win. Most games come down to who managed their scratches best and who caught a lucky Maxi Yatzy along the way.

Frequently asked questions

How many dice do you use in Maxi Yatzy?

Six. That's the headline difference from classic Yatzy, which uses five, and it's what makes room for the extra combinations like three pairs, tower, and five of a kind.

What's the bonus in Maxi Yatzy — 75 or 84 points?

Both exist. The Alga version (this site's default) gives a 100-point bonus when your upper section reaches 84. The Egmont/Tactic version gives a 50-point bonus at 75. Pick whichever your group prefers when you create a room.

What's the difference between house, villa, and tower?

House (a full house) is a pair plus a three of a kind. Villa is two separate threes of a kind. Tower is a pair plus a four of a kind. They're all "matching groups," just bigger and rarer as you go up.

How do saved rolls work?

When the rule is switched on, rolls you don't use are banked and can be spent as extra re-rolls on later turns. It's optional, so it's a room setting you can toggle on or off.

How many points is a Maxi Yatzy?

A flat 100 points for all six dice showing the same number — the single biggest score in the game.

Do I have to scratch if I can't make a combination?

Yes. If nothing fits after your rolls, you score a zero in one open box of your choice. Scratching a low upper box is usually smarter than giving up a valuable lower one.