The history of this dice game, and its many names
This 5-dice, 13-category format has been played under different names in different countries for decades. Here's a short history, and what to know if you've heard it called something else.
A bit of history
The idea of rolling 5 dice up to three times and filling a 13-category score sheet has circulated under various names since the middle of the 20th century — very similar variants existed even earlier as card and dice parlor games, before any version was sold commercially. In France, the game became a household classic under the name "Yams"; in Scandinavia, a closely related variant called Yatzy became just as popular, with a few categories set up slightly differently.
Is it the same as Yatzy?
The classic ruleset used on this site follows the traditional French score sheet: an upper section (Ones through Sixes, with a bonus at 63 points) and a lower section with Three of a Kind, Four of a Kind, Full House, Small Straight, Large Straight, Five of a Kind and Chance. The Nordic Yatzy variant swaps a couple of lower-section categories for a Pair and Two Pairs instead. This site sticks to the classic ruleset described above, with a dedicated variants overview for anyone curious about the differences.
Why "YamDice" here?
We use "YamDice" as this site's name, and the classic ruleset that comes from the French tradition of the game — no reference to any registered trademark.