Yahtzee - Cacho. 5 Winning Tips and Tricks
Before two Canadians with nothing better to do on their luxury yacht snatched up the idea and called it "Yahtzee" there was Cacho from Bolivia and Peru.Grab five dice and go for it.
It"s a good game to travel with because so little equipment is needed (dice, your leather Cochabamba Dice Cups from Bolivia a pencil and some paper).
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Basic Yahtzee - Cacho Rules
Objective
To gain the most points
Scoring
* Each side is worth its face value (ones=1, two"s=2, etc)
* Straight (Escalera de Mano) in one roll - 25
* Straight (Escalera) in a series of rolls - 20
* Full house (Un Full de Mano) 3 of one, 2 of another in one roll - 35
* Full house (Un Full) in a series of rolls - 30
* Poker de Mano (4 of a kind) in one roll - 45
* Poker in a series of rolls - 40
* Five of a kind in a series of rolls - called a "Grande" is worth 50 points a maximum of 2 times per scoreboard, past that it is worth only the sum of the dice.
* Five of a kind in one roll - a Dormida or Grande de Mano earns 100 points and takes the place of a Grande square.
Each player is given a score sheet. The scores are noted on a tic-tac-toe cross hatch. The left column (from top to bottom) scores: ones, twos, threes.
The centre column scores straights, fulls, pokers. The right column scores fours, fives, sixes. The two boxes below the cross-hatch denote the spaces for Grandes - worth 50 points each. Grandes beyond these two are noted in the respective number spaces (1-6) since they are only worth the face value of the dice.
5 Yahtzee Tactics, Tips & Tricks
1. Go Big Early
When playing Cacho or yahtzee, go for the big point totals early in the game. If you roll a pair of "ones" or "twos" to start the game, try for a full de Mano (full house), Escalera (straight), or go for one of the other high numbers you rolled. Rolling three or four "ones" or "twos" after your third roll isn"t really ideal too early in Yahtzee.
More importantly, if you need to take a zero for some reason later in the game, it makes sense to take it in your "ones" or "twos" column than it does in one of your higher point columns. You can always make up for that loss in one of the other single number columns.
2. Spread your other Big Scoring Hands Around
If you get Poker de Mano (four of a kind) with "fours," "fives," or "sixes," take the points in single number columns if you haven"t already, not in your Poker de Mano column. It will help you complete this section before the end of the game. This is particularly true of Yahtzee (as opposed to Cacho), where you want the Bonus 35 for having a total higher than 63 on the upper half. It also allows you to take a zero in your "ones" single number column if you have to later in the game.
3. Be sure to Get your Straight
If you roll a "two," "three," "four," and "five" with four of your five dice on the first roll, and the fifth die was not a "one" or a "six," go for an Escalera (large straight). You have two chances with each roll to get your large straight (a "one" or a "six"). Don"t underestimate the importance of getting your large straight. After all, It"s only 10 points below a Yahtzee or a Grande.
4. Going for the Grande and Grande de Mano (Yahtzee)
Should you ever try to get a Grande or Yahtzee early in the game? Absolutely!
If you roll three-of-a-kind or four-of-a-kind (Poker de Mano) on your first or second roll, and you have the corresponding single number column (or three-of-a-kind column in Yahtzee) to fall back on, go for it! That"s also one reason to save your "ones" column. When you go for a Yahtzee or Grande, you can take a zero in your "ones" column if you don"t get it without losing much.
Then all you need is to get the four of a kind in just one of your other single number columns to make up for it.
5. The Yahtzee Chance
When playing Yahtzee (Cacho has no chance), save your "chance" for as long as you can. Your "chance" column can be used any time during the game, no matter what you roll.
It"s nice to have that to fall back on if you don"t get the straight or Yahtzee that you were attempting to get.
In Cacho, the nearest equivelant would be one of your Grande de Mano or Dormida squares which are worth 100 points if you score your Yahtzee (Grande) in one throw.
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