Yahtzee Deluxe Poker
Yahtzee Deluxe Poker Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Summary
Aim of the Game
Whoever has the most money and at least one card at the end wins.
Preparation
Everyone receives 800,000 cash (the remaining money stays in the bank) and 1 betting token. 7 cards are placed as a face-down deck in the middle of the table with the 5 dice next to it. The rest of the cards go back into the box.
The Game Begins
The starting player turns over the top card and rolls the 5 dice to set the starting position for the following auction.
The Card Is Auctioned
All players bid out loud and simultaneously; the player who bids the most wins the right to attempt to crack the card. He places his bid in the middle (this is the "stake"), and now he is the "cracker".
Big Chance
Each player can bet on the cracker with his betting token (bet 10,000 up to a maximum of 100,000). Correct bet: keep bet and receive the same amount from the bank. Incorrect bet: lose bet to the bank.
Cracking the Card
On each card, there is a dice combination that the cracker has to crack. If it works, he gets the stake back (his bid for the auction), the prize money stated on the card (from the bank), and the card itself to keep (everybody needs at least one card to win the game). If it doesn't work, the stake is lost to the bank, and the card is auctioned again.
Last Chance
Once per game, anyone can call "Last Chance!" during an auction. You then automatically win the bid, regardless of how much money you have left. You put everything on one card. If it works, you get the prize money and stay in the game. If it doesn't work, you are out for the rest of the game.
Rules in Detail
Aim of the Game
The player who, through skillful bidding and luck with the dice, has the most money and at least one card at the end wins the game.
Preparation
Each player receives 800,000 cash (5 x 10,000, 5 x 50,000, and 5 x 100,000) as starting capital and 1 betting token. The cards are shuffled thoroughly. 7 of them are placed face down in the middle of the table. The remaining cards are not used for this game. The 5 dice are placed next to the cards. To prevent everyone from rummaging around in the money as they please, one player is appointed banker – ideally, the most honest player, or the one everyone considers to be the banker. The banker is responsible for all financial transactions.
The Cards
Each card provides the following information: the dice combination that must be rolled. Long drinks and cocktails are different jokers (see section: "Cards with Jokers"). In the example: 360,000 is the prize you get when you crack the card; 4 is the number of attempts you have to achieve the dice combination on the card, i.e., to crack it.
The Game Begins
The starting player (chosen randomly) prepares the first auction. To do so, he turns over the top card of the deck and rolls all 5 dice. The face-up card and the 5 dice next to it form the starting position for the subsequent auction.
The Card Is Auctioned
In other editions of the game, every auction begins with the last cracker, regardless of whether he was successful or not, making the next opening bid (might be "0"); then everyone, including himself, might raise freely in any order until nobody wants to raise anymore. If the opener bids "0" and nobody raises, the opener becomes cracker for free.
Things get heated when a card is auctioned. All players are allowed to shout loudly. But even the loudest loudmouth has to stick to three rules:
- Bids may only be increased in increments of ten thousand (say any amount divisible by ten thousand).
- You may raise at any time you want. Also give the others the opportunity and enough time to outbid you (e.g., saying "210,000 for the first, second, and third! (a la una... a las dos... ¡a la tres!)")
- Despite all the hustle and bustle, stay fair! Quickly shouting "Tenthousandforthefirstsecondandthird!!! (¡alaunaalasdosalastres!)" is not allowed. Neither is using a megaphone.
The player who won the auction for the card is the cracker in this round. He places his winning bid as the stake next to the card and sets about trying to crack it. By the way: anyone who bids more for a card than they can pay is eliminated from the game. Before the dice roll begins, all other players have the Big Chance.
Big Chance
Before the cracker starts his card-cracking attempts, the other players can (but don't have to!) place bets on him: will he get it or not? The cracker may not bet on himself. Any amount between 10,000 and 100,000 is welcome. If you want to bet, put your bet in front of you and your betting token on top. If the betting token is placed with the golden lucky clover leaf facing up, it means: "I bet he'll make it!" A betting token with the black side facing up means: "He'll never make it." After the card has been cracked (or not), the deal is settled. Whoever bet correctly keeps their bet and receives the same amount from the bank. All others have lost their bet to the bank.
Cracking the Card
After the Big Chance bets on the cracker have been placed, the cracker attempts to crack the card. To do so, he must achieve the dice combination for this card within the permitted number of attempts. For each attempt, he may choose whichever and as many dice as he wants to roll.
I would prohibit rolling dice that were set aside before, so the game always moves closer to an end. Other editions have similar rules forcing players to leave "good" dice locked on the card.
If the cracker manages to crack the card, he may a) pocket his stake, and b) collect the prize printed on the card from the bank, and c) take the card. If he does not crack the dice card, he loses his stake to the bank!
Example: Cracking the Card
Card: 160,000, 3 attempts.
The starting position: 2 dice already match: the two and the four. The cracker puts these aside and prepares to roll the other 3 dice. He may roll 3 times. It's up to him which dice he rolls each time.
The first throw: He rolls a two and two sixes. One six is set aside. He continues to roll with the remaining two dice.
The second throw: He rolls a one and a three. The three is set aside. Now he must roll the missing five with the last die in his last attempt.
The third and final throw: He rolls a six. That hit the eye. The dice remain as they are, and the same card is auctioned again. After the cracker has failed to crack the card, the Big Chance bets are settled.
Start of the Next Round
After the cracker's last unsuccessful attempt to crack the card, the 5 dice stay showing the result obtained after the last roll. This is the starting position for the following auction. This starting position can sometimes be very good... if there is no tough auction! The same card is auctioned again. Anyone, including the unsuccessful cracker, can take part in the new auction.
In fact, I would give him the right to make the opening bid, before everyone jumps into raising and re-raising.
If, however, the cracker has cracked the card, he gets the card, his stake back, and the prize stated on the card. Then the Big Chance bets are settled.
In other editions, the successful cracker also wins the bets placed against him, but I'd rather keep these bets between the players and the bank.
The next player, clockwise from the last cracker, flips the next card and rolls the new starting position for the dice.
Lucky Flash
Every now and then, when the initial position is rolled, the dice fall in such a way that the card is instantly cracked. In this case, the player who succeeds in this trick immediately receives the card and the prize. Then, the next player clockwise from the lucky cracker flips the next card and rolls the new starting position.
Last Chance
If you're running out of cash or you desperately need to crack a card in order to win, there is one last chance: once per game, each player may spice up an auction with the energetic call of "Last Chance!". Then that player automatically becomes the cracker in this round, regardless of what has been bid for the card up to that point. Whoever has won an auction with the call of "Last Chance!" must put all their money as the stake for this card. If he cracks the card, he receives the card, the prize, and his stake back, and stays alive in the game. If he doesn't crack it, he not only loses all his money but is also eliminated from the game.
I suppose the current dice results form the starting position for the next auction as usual. Also, in editions with specific rules for the first bid, the player to the left of the eliminated player makes the opening bid.
At the End the Scoop Is Done
When all 7 cards from the deck in the middle of the table have been cracked, the game is over. Now players count their money. Only those who have cracked at least 1 card qualify for winning. Whoever has the most money at the end wins the game and can breathe a sigh of relief.
Cards with Jokers
Cocktails and long drinks appear on some of the cards. Cocktails and long drinks are different types of jokers. The round's cracker can choose the numbers these jokers represent and can change them again and again until the last roll. The cocktail stands for any number. However, if there are two or more cocktails on a card, two or more random but identical numbers must be rolled. The same applies to the long drinks. However, the cocktails and long drinks must be different numbers.
In this edition, jokers may represent numbers already present on the card, as the examples below show.
Example: Card with One Joker
Card: 240,000, 4 attempts.
The starting position: The cracker sets aside the four. He uses the five for a long drink. In the same way, he could have put the four aside and then rolled the other four dice again. In the next four attempts, he must now roll two fives (for the long drinks) and a three.
The first throw: The cracker has rolled three threes. Now it's time to rethink and change his strategy. He needs one three anyway, and he is now using the other two threes for the long drinks. In the next three attempts, he must now roll another three (for a long drink). To do this, he takes the die with the five that he previously set aside.
The second throw: A one, too bad, roll again! And... the third try didn't work either. On the fourth attempt, the cracker finally managed to add the desired three. The card is cracked.
Example: Card with Two Jokers
Card: 130,000, 4 attempts.
The starting position: The cracker needs a two anyway, so he puts it aside. He takes the other two twos for the long drinks. He keeps the six for the cocktail. Now he only needs four more attempts to roll a six for the second cocktail. The cracker is lucky: on the third attempt to crack the card, the six comes up. Done! The card is cracked.