Bone · dice game rules
How to play Yam's — French column Yatzy rules
Yams, French Yatzy, column Yahtzee
Yam's is the French take on the five-dice game. Same family as Yahtzee, but the sheet has several columns that must be filled in a set order. That turns every roll into a choice between the free column and the one you are forced to fill next.
- Players
- 1 to 8 (solo friendly)
- Length
- ≈ 60 min
- Difficulty
- Strategic
- What you need
- 5 standard 6-sided dice, 1 cup (optional).
Rules
How to play
On your turn you get 3 rolls: between rolls, keep any dice and reroll the rest. Then write your result in a free cell of your sheet. You can always cross out a cell (0 points) if nothing fits.
Columns
- Down (↓): must be filled top to bottom.
- Free: any order.
- Up (↑): bottom to top.
- Dry: only with the result of your first roll (declare it before scoring).
- Play with 1, 3 or 4 columns.
Upper section
Ones to Sixes: total of dice showing that value. Bonus: if a column's subtotal reaches 63, +35 points for that column.
Max and Min
Sum of the 5 dice in each cell. Max must be strictly higher than Min in the same column, otherwise both cells score 0. Can be turned off when starting.
Lower section
- Three of a kind: 3 matching dice → sum of those three.
- Four of a kind: 4 matching → sum of those four.
- Full house (3 + 2) → 25.
- Small straight 1-2-3-4-5 → 30.
- Large straight 2-3-4-5-6 → 40.
- Yam's (5 matching) → 50.
- Chance → sum of all 5 dice.
Winning
The game ends when every cell of every player is filled. Highest total across all columns wins.
Yam's scoring chart
| Box | Points |
|---|---|
| Ones to Sixes | Total of dice showing that value |
| Bonus (subtotal ≥ 63) | +35 per column |
| Max | Sum of all 5 dice (must beat Min) |
| Min | Sum of all 5 dice |
| Three of a kind | Sum of those three dice |
| Four of a kind | Sum of those four dice |
| Full house (3 + 2) | 25 |
| Small straight (1-2-3-4-5) | 30 |
| Large straight (2-3-4-5-6) | 40 |
| Yam's (5 of a kind) | 50 |
| Chance | Sum of all 5 dice |
Any box can be crossed out for 0.
FAQ
- What is the dry column in Yam's?
- A column you can only fill with your very first roll, without rerolling any dice. You declare the box before scoring it.
- How do Max and Min work?
- Each box takes the sum of the 5 dice. Max must be strictly higher than Min in the same column, otherwise both boxes score 0.
- How much is the Yam's bonus?
- 35 points per column, as soon as that column's Ones-to-Sixes subtotal reaches 63.
- What's the difference between Yam's and Yahtzee?
- Yahtzee uses a single 13-box column filled in any order. Yam's adds columns filled top to bottom, bottom to top or in one roll, and usually the Max and Min boxes.
