Game Goal

Yatzy Royale uses cards instead of dice for a more strategic game than classic Yahtzee.

The goal of the game is simple: score more points than your opponent to win!

Basic Rules:

• Build five card hands to match the slots on the score card.

• Fill the score card to finish the match.

• The deck only has 10 through Ace of each suit and two Jokers.

• All cards are re-shuffled every hand.

• Each match has a 5 minute time limit.

Fairness

Each match of Yatzy Royale is played against another player to see who can get the highest score.

• You are matched against players of similar skill, but you may not be playing at the same time.

• Both players play the same shuffle. All cards are in the same order each hand.

• Make better hands faster than your opponent to win!

How To Play

On each turn of Yatzy Royale you generally take three actions: Drawing, Discarding, and Playing.

Drawing & Discarding:

• You are given a starting hand of 5 cards.

• You may select any number of cards to Hold.

• Click Draw to Discard any cards not marked to Hold.

• Discarded cards are replaced with new cards.

• You may then select other cards to Hold, and click Draw again.

• After drawing a second time you must play those cards.

• The first card of the new draw is displayed to the right of your hand.

Playing Cards:

• Point values for your current hand are displayed on the yellow marker for each slot.

• Tap the yellow marker on a score card slot to place your current hand there.

• Once you have used a score card slot it cannot be used again.

• If your current hand does not match any of the remaining slots, it is called a Burn and scores 0 points.

• Royal Flush and 5 of a Kinds can be placed in multiple slots. See Hand Guide below.

• All cards are re-shuffled after each hand played.

Hand Guide

There are three hand types on the Yatzy Royale board: Upper Hands, Combo Hands, and Poker Hands.

Upper Hands:

• Each of these only scores points for a specific card type.

• Individual card value contributes towards the point total.

• Score at least 450 points total here to earn the Upper Bonus of +350 points.

• Hint: 3 of each in the upper slots totals 450!

Combo Hands:

• Each of these scores points for hands with multiples of the same card.

• Individual card value contributes towards the point total, except for 5 of a Kind.

• Sum scores points for all cards in the hand based on their value. 

  • Any hand can be used here.

• 3 of a Kind must have three cards of the same type.

  • Two remaining cards also contribute towards the point value.

• 4 of a Kind must have four cards of the same type.

  • One remaining card also contributes towards the point value.

• 5 of a Kind must have five cards of the same type.

  • Has a set value regardless of the cards used.

Poker Hands:

• Each of these scores points for Poker-style hands.

• Each has a set point value for completing them.

• Individual card value does not contribute towards the point total.

• Small Run is at least four cards in sequence, e.g. 10, J, Q, K in any suit.

• Large Run is five cards in sequence, e.g. 10, J, Q, K, A in any suit.

• Full House is three of a kind and a different two of a kind, e.g. 4, 4, 4, J, J.

• Royal Flush is five cards of the same suit in sequence, e.g. 10, J, Q, K, A in the same suit.

Major Hands:

• 5 of a Kind and Royal Flushes can be earned and played multiple times in any slot they meet the requirements for.

  • e.g if you’ve already earned a 5 of a Kind, you can play a second one in the 3 of a Kind slot, but not the Full House slot.

• Use this to get massive scores!

Scoring

Scores in Yatzy Royale vary a lot depending on the shuffle, however if you can score over 5,000 points you’re doing great. Any score over 6,000 is incredible!

Points in Yatzy Royale come from three sources:

1. Base Score 

2. Bonuses 

3. Time Bonus

Base Score:

• Comes primarily from scoring hands in each slot.

• All of the Upper Hands and Combo Hands point values vary based on the cards used.

  • Tens = +10 points each

  • Jacks = +20 points each

  • Queens = +30 points each

  • Kings = +40 points each

  • Aces & Jokers = +50 points each

  • e.g. a hand of 10, 10, 10, 10, J played in the 4 of a Kind slot is worth 60 points, but a hand of K, K, K, K, A played in the 4 of a Kind slot is worth 210 points.

• Some slots have a set point value regardless of the cards used to make them.

  • Small Run = +200 points

  • Large Run = +400 points

  • Full House = +300 points

  • Royal Flush = +500 points

  • 5 of a Kind = +750 points

• 5 of a Kinds and Royal Flushes can be earned and played multiple times in any slot they meet the requirements for.

Bonuses:

• Upper Bonus = +350 points

  • Play at least 450 points worth of cards in the upper slots.

  • Easiest way to earn this is by playing at least three of each card in each slot.

• Full Card Bonus = +500 points

  • Finish the game without Burning any slot.

• Earn extra bonuses by playing multiple 5 of a Kinds and Royal Flushes.

Strategy

There are a few general goals you should try to reach in every match:

1. Get as many 5 of a Kinds and Royal Flushes as possible.

2. Get the Upper Bonus.

3. Get the Full Card Bonus.

Here are some tips and tricks to help you succeed:

• Always check the first card of the next draw to the right of your current hand and use it to inform your strategy for that hand.

  • For example, if you have two clubs and two diamonds, and the next card is a club, hold the clubs to try for a Royal Flush.

• You should almost always try to go for a Major Hand on every turn, especially if you get both Jokers.

• If a Major Hand seems unlikely after the first draw/discard, then go for the other hand types. Always have a backup plan.

• Always try to fill the Sum, 3 of a Kind, and 4 of a Kind slots with Aces since they’re worth the most points.

• Count cards! Keep track of how many of which cards you’ve seen on each turn. Since the deck is only 22 cards, this is much easier than with a standard deck.

• If you put 4 Aces or Kings in the Upper Hands, it gives you flexibility to play aggressively for Royal Flushes and 5 of a Kind for the 10-Q slots… and still hit the Upper Bonus!

You can also play cash games to watch replays and learn your opponent's strategies.

Finally, practice makes perfect! Yatzy Royale is a game of skill; the better you are, the more you win.