Time and time again around the Yahtzee board I am told that it is just a game of chance. Mainly from my crusty gribbler of a father and my annoying twat of a brother in law (but he can't even count to ten, so what does he know). I suspect a couple of others feel this way, but none are really vocal about it. I wholeheartedly disagree with this assessment, and I think, for fairly good reason.
Now, I'm not gonna be daft enough to sit here and pretend that luck and chance is not a major part of this great game we play. Of course it is, it is a dice game after all. But I do think it's equally daft to suggest that Yahtzee is totally luck and chance. I would also have no interest in a game where I couldn't have a hand in my own fate. Finally, I'm not making any outlandish claims that Yahtzee involves any super deep strategy or headache inducing deliberation like Chess or Scrabble can often involve, but it does require thought, critical thinking and decision making. Without any of these, your game would be substantially worse. So no, it isn't the most complex game in the world, but it does require more than luck.
Let's have a sneaky peak at some examples. Let's say you've just rolled 2-2-2-3-3. That's a Full House, but you've already got that. You’ve got your Two's, Three's and Three Of A Kind open. Where would you put this? Well, if you're still hoping for your bonus and you're more or less on track for it, Two's is your best bet. If you've blown your chance at a bonus, scoring in your Three's would limit the damage to your score. You could always roll those Two's again or get more later. But, unless you have to, I would always avoid putting this in your Three Of A Kind, as 16 points can be quite easily surpassed and should be saved for later.
Okay, we've done that one. But what if you have 6-6-6-6-5. This can, at times, be a bit of a thinker. Presume you are behind on getting your bonus. Quad sixes would really help. But, this roll is also the best Four Of A Kind you can get, short of rolling a second Yahtzee. Well, you could forego the first Yahtzee for your Four Of A Kind, but who would do that? What you need to ask yourself is how far behind on your bonus are you? Could the deficit be made up with four of something else? If so, go for your Four Of A Kind. If not, use your sixes. A 35 point bonus (plus the sixes) is far more beneficial to your score than a 29 point Four Of A Kind.
Finally, let's talk about Chance. Some people use it as a back up, something to be used when you have no good place to put your score. Often that is the case. But don't just rush to do this. Again, consider your One's, Two's etc first. You need to maximise every score you can wherever possible, so don't just rush to your Chance whenever your score is low. Consider your options. Your Chance has as much scoring power as your Three and Four Of A Kind, so don't dismiss it. My general rule is if your score is 19 or over it is more than acceptable to place in your Chance. Obviously, this is where chance and luck does come in so it's not always possible, but bare it in mind, in the long run it will help you.
I mention these examples not as a tutorial, but to illustrate how much thought can often come in to play whilst in a game of Yahtzee. In my opinion, and feel free to disagree, is that if you are able to make informed decisions in order to dictate the direction of your game, then chance and luck cannot be the only element of that game. Hopefully I have explained myself well, and protected the good name of this great game. IN YAHTZEE WE TRUST!
Only joking, but feel free to let me know if you think I'm wrong as I'm sure my fellow faction members will take great delight in doing.
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