Generala: a dice game like Yahtzee, explained box by box

What generala is

Generala is the national dice game of Argentina and Uruguay: five ordinary dice, a leather cup and a score sheet. It belongs to the same family as Yahtzee, the boxed game sold by Hasbro, and poker dice from Spain and Mexico. If you have ever looked for a dice game like Yahtzee that needs nothing but dice and a pencil, this is it, and it has been played in South American kitchens for generations.

The goal: over eleven turns, fill the eleven boxes on your sheet and finish with the highest total. There are no hidden cards and no bluffing. Everything comes down to which dice you keep and where you choose to score.

Generala vs Yahtzee: what is different

The bones are the same: five dice, up to three rolls a turn, a sheet of boxes you fill once each. The details change how you play.

Two things matter most. With no upper bonus, the numbers boxes are worth exactly their sum, so ones become the obvious box to sacrifice. And the servida bonus rewards a lucky first roll, which sometimes makes it right to score immediately instead of rolling again.

How a turn works

1. Roll all five dice.
2. Set aside the ones you want to keep. In generala this is called holding (or “guarding”) dice.
3. Roll the rest again. You can change your mind: a die you held after the first roll can be thrown again on the second.
4. You get three rolls at most. After any roll, even the first, you may stop and score.
5. Write the result in one open box. If the dice fit nothing useful, cross out a box for 0.

Each box is used once, so a game is exactly eleven rounds. When every sheet is full, add them up. The highest total wins; a tie for first shares the win.

Generala scoring table

This is the table we use in our online version. “Made” means you completed the hand on the second or third roll; “servida” means it came on the first roll of your turn.

The theoretical maximum is 360 (105 from the numbers plus 25 + 35 + 45 + 50 + 100). A solid game usually lands between 150 and 200.

A sample turn

Sam has Four of a kind, Generala and Fives still open. First roll: 5-5-2-5-3. He holds the three 5s and rolls two dice. Second roll: 5 and 6, so now he has 5-5-5-5-6, four of a kind.

He could take 40 for Four of a kind, 20 in Fives, or roll the 6 hoping for a fifth 5. Here is the trick: rolling that last die is free. Whatever comes up, he still has four 5s, and Four of a kind is still worth 40. He rolls. Third roll: 5. Generala, 50 points.

A different turn: Ana's first roll is 2-2-6-6-6. That is a full house on the first roll, 35 points. She could hold the sixes and chase Generala, but that trades a sure 35 for a small chance at 50. With Full house open, she scores it.

Strategy for beginners

• Chase the big boxes early. At the start every box is open and almost any roll is useful somewhere. Hold dice that build toward Four of a kind, Full house or Generala; the numbers will fill themselves later.
• Three of a number is a good result. Three 6s is 18, three 5s is 15. There is no bonus to aim for, so don't burn rolls trying to get four 2s.
• Open-ended straights are worth chasing. With 2-3-4-5 or 3-4-5-6, two different faces finish it, so you'll complete it more than half the time with two rolls left. With 1-2-3-4, only a 5 works.
• Four of a kind plus an open Generala box? Roll the fifth die. You can't lose the 40.
• Know what to cross out. Ones (worth 5 at most) go first. Double Generala is the other usual sacrifice, especially late or if you haven't scored a Generala. Never cross out Generala early: it is 50 points and the key to the 100.
• Watch the other sheets. In the last rounds, a big lead means take safe points; a big deficit means go for Generala.

A few odds to keep in mind: on any single roll, a straight shows up about 4.6% of the time, a full house about 3.9%, four or five of a kind about 2%, and five of a kind only once in 1,296 rolls. Getting a Generala within all three rolls, keeping the best dice, happens a bit under 5% of the time.

Play a Yahtzee-style dice game online with friends

You don't need dice or a cup. In Generala on playparty.live, one person opens a room and shares the link or the four-character room code in the group chat. Everyone joins from a phone or laptop browser: no download, no account. A table seats 2 to 6 players, and empty seats can be filled with bots on Rookie or Expert level.

• Tap a die to hold or release it. Before you score, the sheet previews how many points each open box would give you.
• In the lobby the host picks the servida bonus (+5), the optional instant win for a first-roll Generala, and a turn timer: off, 30 or 60 seconds. If time runs out, the game rolls for you and scores the best box.
• If someone drops off the call or loses signal, their turns play automatically until they reconnect.

For two players it makes a quick duel, the same way backgammon with a friend does. If your group prefers tiles to dice, try dominoes online, and for a bigger list of table classics that work on phones, see board games you can play on your phone.

FAQ

Is generala the same as Yahtzee?

Close, but not the same. Generala has 11 boxes instead of 13, no upper-section bonus, no three of a kind or chance, and a bonus for hands made on the first roll. The core of five dice and three rolls is identical.

How many points is a Generala worth?

50 points. A second five of a kind scores Double Generala for 100, but only if Generala is already filled with 50. Some house rules make a first-roll Generala an instant win.

Can you play a dice game like Yahtzee with just dice?

Yes. Generala needs five ordinary dice and a sheet of paper with eleven rows per player. Or play online, where the dice and the score sheet are built in.

How many players can play generala?

Two or more. At the table there's no hard limit, but more than six means long waits. Online it's 2 to 6, with bots filling empty seats.

Can I play generala online with friends for free?

Yes. On playparty.live it's free, with no sign-up and nothing to install: open a room and send the link.