Full house and straights in Yatzy are mid-value categories worth 25 and 15-20 points respectively. Knowing when to pursue them versus safer categories is key to maximizing your score.

Why Full House and Straights Are Special

Full House and both straight categories — Small Straight (1-2-3-4-5) and Large Straight (2-3-4-5-6) — are the trickiest categories in Yatzy for two reasons:

  1. They have specific structural requirements — unlike Chance or upper section categories, you need particular dice combinations
  2. You can’t partially score them — either you meet the requirement or you score zero

These are the categories that most often end up as zeroes on scorecards. Mastering when and how to pursue them is a significant competitive advantage.

Full House Strategy

How Full House Works

A Full House requires three of one number plus two of another number. In standard Yatzy, it’s scored as the sum of all five dice.

Full House Value Range

Combination Score Quality
6-6-6-5-5 28 Maximum
6-6-6-4-4 26 Excellent
5-5-5-6-6 27 Excellent
5-5-5-4-4 23 Very Good
4-4-4-3-3 18 Good
3-3-3-2-2 13 Below Average
2-2-2-1-1 8 Poor
1-1-1-2-2 7 Minimum

When to Chase Full House

Immediately score Full House when:

  • You roll it naturally on your first throw
  • The total is 20 or higher (good value)
  • Full House is one of your last few remaining categories

Pursue Full House across re-rolls when:

  • You have three of a kind and need a pair on the other two dice
  • You have two pairs and need one more of either number
  • The alternatives for your roll are poor

Don’t chase Full House when:

  • You have a strong scoring option elsewhere (e.g., above-target upper section score)
  • You’d need to re-roll 3+ dice with specific requirements
  • Better combination-building paths exist (e.g., going for four of a kind)

Building Full House from Common Starting Positions

Starting Position What to Do Probability of Full House
Three of a kind + two randoms Keep the three, re-roll two for a pair ~33% per roll ≈ 56% across 2 rolls
Two pairs Keep both pairs, re-roll one ~33% per roll (need third of either pair)
One pair + one extra Keep the pair and matching extra, re-roll rest Low (~10-15%)
No pairs Don’t pursue Full House Very low

Key Full House Insights

  • Three of a kind is the best starting point — you just need any pair on two dice
  • Two pairs is also viable — re-roll the odd die hoping for a third of either number
  • Don’t force it from scratch — below 10% probability isn’t worth the gamble

Small Straight Strategy

How Small Straight Works

Small Straight requires exactly 1-2-3-4-5. In Yatzy, all five dice must form this sequence. The score is a fixed 15 points.

When to Chase Small Straight

Take it immediately when:

  • You roll 1-2-3-4-5 on any throw — it’s 15 guaranteed points

Pursue across re-rolls when:

  • You have four of the five numbers (e.g., 1-2-3-4) — one die needs to be a 5
  • You have four consecutive including the 1 (1-2-3-4)

Don’t chase when:

  • You only have two or three of the sequence
  • You have 2-3-4-5 (that’s Large Straight territory — more valuable at 20 points)
  • A better scoring option exists for your current dice

Probability Breakdown

Starting Dice Missing Rolls Left Probability
1-2-3-4-X 5 1 16.7%
1-2-3-4-X 5 2 30.6%
1-2-3-X-5 4 1 16.7%
1-2-3-X-5 4 2 30.6%
1-2-X-X-5 3,4 1 2.8%
1-2-X-X-5 3,4 2 ~8.5%

Small Straight Quirk

Since Small Straight requires exactly 1-2-3-4-5, having 2-3-4-5-6 doesn’t help — that’s a Large Straight. And 1-2-3-4-6 is not a Small Straight either. This specificity makes Small Straight harder to hit than it might seem.

Large Straight Strategy

How Large Straight Works

Large Straight requires exactly 2-3-4-5-6. The score is a fixed 20 points — the highest fixed-value category besides Yatzy.

Why Large Straight Is More Valuable

At 20 points, Large Straight outvscores Small Straight by 5 points. This makes it:

  • More worth pursuing when you have a choice between the two
  • A higher priority to keep open on your scorecard
  • Worth slightly more risk to chase

When to Chase Large Straight

Take immediately when:

  • You roll 2-3-4-5-6

Pursue across re-rolls when:

  • You have four of the five numbers (e.g., 2-3-4-5 plus a non-6)
  • You have 2-3-4-5 (only need the 6)
  • You have 3-4-5-6 (only need the 2)

Don’t chase when:

  • You have fewer than three of the sequence
  • A high-scoring alternative is available

The 2-3-4-5 Advantage

Having 2-3-4-5 is the best four-card straight because it can complete either direction:

  • Add a 1 → Small Straight (15 points)
  • Add a 6 → Large Straight (20 points)

This gives you a 33.3% chance per die per roll of completing some straight, compared to 16.7% when you need one specific number.

Starting Position Can Become Probability per Roll Probability across 2 Rolls
1-2-3-4 Small Straight only 16.7% 30.6%
2-3-4-5 Either straight 33.3% 55.6%
3-4-5-6 Large Straight only 16.7% 30.6%

Full House vs Straight Decision Points

Sometimes your dice could go either direction. Here’s how to choose:

Case 1: 3-3-4-5-6

Option Path What You Keep Probability Expected Value
Large Straight Need a 2 3-4-5-6 ~31% (2 rolls) ~6.2
Full House Need another 3 and pair the 4/5/6 Complicated ~10% ~2.0
Threes (upper) Keep 3-3 Always 6 points guaranteed 6.0

Best play: Chase Large Straight. Keep 3-4-5-6, re-roll the extra 3.

Case 2: 4-4-4-5-6

Option Path Probability Score if Hit
Full House Need pair on 2 dice ~56% (2 rolls) 22–28
Three of a Kind Already have it 100% 12
Fours (upper) Already at 12 100% 12 (on target)

Best play: Go for Full House. 56% chance at 22–28 points is excellent expected value. Keep 4-4-4, re-roll the 5 and 6 looking for any pair.

Case 3: 1-2-3-5-5

Option Path Probability Score if Hit
Small Straight Need 4, keep 1-2-3 + one 5 ~31% (2 rolls) 15
Full House Need third 5 + pair from {1,2,3} ~15% ~18
One Pair Score pair of 5s now 100% 10

Best play: Chase Small Straight. Keep 1-2-3-5, re-roll the other 5. If you miss the 4 on the second roll, you can still fall back to One Pair or Fives.

Straight-Hunting Tips

  1. Count consecutive numbers — four in a row is the threshold for chasing a straight
  2. 2-3-4-5 is golden — it can complete in either direction
  3. Don’t break up pairs to chase straights unless the pair is low and the straight position is strong
  4. Re-roll aggressively — if you’re committed to a straight, re-roll everything that isn’t part of the sequence
  5. Know the fixed values — Small = 15, Large = 20. Compare against other scoring options

Full House-Hunting Tips

  1. Three of a kind is your best starting point — 56% chance of Full House across two rolls
  2. Two pairs is viable — re-roll the odd die (33% per roll)
  3. High dice matter — 6-6-6-5-5 (28) is four times the value of 1-1-1-2-2 (7)
  4. Don’t settle for weak Full Houses early — wait for one worth 18+ points
  5. Full House is not the same as Five of a Kind — Yatzy doesn’t count as Full House

Summary Decision Table

Your Dice Best Target Why
Four consecutive Straight 31–56% completion chance
Three of a kind + 2 random Full House 56% chance, high value
Two pairs + 1 random Full House 33% per roll
Three consecutive + pair Full House Straight chance is too low
2-3-4-5 + random Straight Two-way straight opportunity
Random mess Not Full House or Straight Look at upper section or pairs

Mastering Full House and straights takes your Yatzy game to the next level. These categories are where experienced players gain the most ground over beginners — by knowing when to commit, when to bail, and how to calculate the odds in real time.

Play Yatzy for free on Rare Pike and put what you’ve learned into practice.