Free game: Play Yahtzee with Excel

Excel Yahtzee demo on YouTube

Not sure if the programmed game options are truly the optimised – but it works and was fun to program.

The spreadsheet includes macros (in order to make it work) and if you download the file in order to study and play it, you will get security warnings from Excel asking if you want to “allow blocked content”. This is a normal warning when a spreadsheet contains macros .. but the game will not work unless you allow it.

Dice juggled in hand
Throw the dice

Ingredients in this file:

  • Manual calculation – the file Recalculation option is set to “Manual” which is a necessity for the game to work.
  • Macros – used for navigation and for “freezing” values and reinstating formulas as well as copying cells in accordance with the progress of the game.
  • Random number generator – used to produce a number between 1 and 6 when the player “rolls” the dice.
  • IF functions – used the determine cell values, subject to game history and outcomes. Also used to suggest best scoring possible at a given stage, using a predefined set of gaming strategy options (though we cannot guarantee that our model is scientifically the ultimate solution for optimising the outcome).
  • Lookup – used for generating a matrix set of cells with values subject to the outcome of the roll for each dye
  • Conditional formatting – used to replicate the dots on the dice in the graphic representation of the outcome of the dice rolls, and for giving guidance on the score development shown on the Scorecard.
  • File options, advanced – used to hide row and column labels for estetic reasons.

Templates

Yahtzee Dice in Excel Spreadsheet
Yahtzee Dice in Excel Spreadsheet
Yahtzee Scores in Excel Spreadsheet
Yahtzee Scores in Excel Spreadsheet

Download Excel Template

Note: The file is stored as a .zip and will need to be downloaded, unzipped and opened in Excel.

Want printable scoresheet?:

2 PDF versions to download: