Generala Dice Game: Rules, Scoring and Odds

Generala is a five-dice game that families in much of Latin America, Spain and beyond play at the kitchen table. Each turn you roll up to three times, keep the dice you like, and score the result in one empty box of a score sheet. When every box is full, the highest total wins. If you know Yahtzee rules, you already know most of it: Generala is a close relative, with fewer boxes and a few special rules of its own.

What you need

• Five ordinary six-sided dice, and a cup if you have one.
• A score sheet with one column per player (paper and pen are fine).
• Two or more players. It also works as a solo game where you try to beat your own best score.
• A fair way to choose who starts, for example one roll each on a dice roller.

How a turn works

1. Roll all five dice.
2. Set aside any dice you want to keep and roll the rest again. You may do this twice, so a turn has at most three rolls. In many homes you can also pick dice back up that you set aside earlier.
3. After your last roll, or earlier if you like what you have, write a score in one empty box.
4. If your dice fit no box, or you choose not to use one, you must cross out a box and score zero there.
5. Play passes to the left. The game ends when every player has filled every box.

The score sheet

There is no single official sheet, and point values change from family to family. Below is a common home version. The “Points” column is what you write in the box. The “Served” column is the score when you make the hand on the very first roll of a turn, which Spanish speakers call servida.

• Ones to sixes (6 boxes): add up only the dice showing that number. Three fours score 12 in the fours box.
• Straight (escalera): 1-2-3-4-5 or 2-3-4-5-6. 20 points, 25 if served. Many groups also accept 3-4-5-6-1, with the one counting as a seven.
• Full house (full): three of one number and two of another. 30 points, 35 if served.
• Poker: four dice the same. 40 points, 45 if served.
• Generala: all five dice the same. 50 points.
• Double Generala (optional): a second Generala after the first box is filled. 100 points.

Two house rules come up again and again, so agree on them before the first roll. First, in many homes a Generala served on the first roll of a turn wins the whole game on the spot. Second, some groups add the Double Generala box and others leave it out. Neither rule is wrong; what matters is that everyone plays the same one.

Picking who goes first

The usual way is for each player to roll one die, and the highest goes first, with a re-roll for ties. With a dice roller you can do it on a phone or a classroom screen. Since every player gets the same number of turns, going first is a small edge at most, but a quick random pick stops the “I always start” argument. More ideas are in our guide to deciding who goes first.

How likely is each hand?

The table compares the special hands. “One roll” is the exact chance of getting the hand with a single throw of five dice, out of 7,776 possible results. “Three rolls” is an estimate from a computer simulation of 400,000 turns, where the player chases only that hand with a simple keep plan: hold the most common number for Poker and Generala, hold pairs and triples for a full house, and hold the different numbers that fit a straight.

So a served Generala, worth the whole game in many homes, comes about once in 1,300 first rolls, and even with three rolls you make a Generala in fewer than one turn in twenty. A full house is the easiest special hand to build. If your group counts 3-4-5-6-1 as a straight, the chance of a straight in one roll goes up to about 4.6%, and with three rolls to about 31%. Real players switch targets in the middle of a turn, so their numbers will differ a little. For the maths behind numbers like these, see our page on dice probability.

Tips

• Early in the game, aim high: keep pairs and triples and look for Poker, a full house or a Generala.
• Do not waste a big hand in a small box. Four sixes are 24 in the sixes box but 40 as Poker.
• When a turn goes badly, crossing out the ones box costs you very little, so use it as a dump box.
• Keep the Generala box open as long as you can. Once it is crossed out, a lucky roll later is worth nothing.
• Count what is still possible near the end. If you need a straight and only one turn is left, chase it from the first roll.

Variations

• Fewer rolls: allow only two rolls per turn for a faster, more luck-driven game.
• Team Generala: two players share a sheet and take turns rolling.
• Classroom Generala: one roll on a big screen, and everyone fills their own sheet with the same dice. It is good practice for adding and multiplying.
• Bonus for the top boxes: borrowed from Yahtzee, some groups give a bonus when the ones to sixes reach a set total.
• Related games: Balut and poker dice use the same five dice in different ways, and Yahtzee adds more boxes and a fixed upper bonus.

Where does Generala come from?

Nobody can point to an inventor. Games where you roll five dice and fill a list of hands are old and widespread, and Generala is the name used in Argentina, Uruguay and other Spanish-speaking countries for one family of them. Yahtzee, sold in the United States from the 1950s, is a close cousin, and it is often said that both grew out of earlier folk dice games such as poker dice. Treat any exact date or place of origin you read with care. If you want more games in this style, our list of easy dice games is a good next step.

FAQ

How do you play Generala?

Each turn you roll five dice up to three times, keeping the dice you want between rolls. Then you score the result in one empty box: ones to sixes, straight, full house, Poker or Generala. When all boxes are full, the highest total wins.

What is a served Generala?

It is five of a kind on the very first roll of a turn. In many homes it wins the game at once; in others it simply scores 50 or more. The chance of it is 6 in 7,776, about 1 in 1,300.

How many points is each hand worth?

A common home version gives 20 for a straight, 30 for a full house, 40 for Poker and 50 for a Generala, with 5 extra points when the first three are served. Values vary, so agree before you start.

Is Generala the same as Yahtzee?

They are close relatives. Both use five dice and three rolls, but Generala has fewer boxes, a served bonus and often an instant win for a served Generala, while Yahtzee has more boxes and an upper-section bonus.

Can I play Generala without real dice?

Yes. Use a dice roller with five dice on a phone or a screen, and keep score on paper.