1 Overview
Balut is a 5-dice scoring game popular in Denmark and the Philippines. Like Yahtzee, players roll 5 dice up to 3 times per turn, trying to achieve specific combinations. The key difference: Balut uses 7 fixed scoring categories, each scored exactly 5 times, giving 35 total scoring turns. The highest scorer after all 35 turns wins. Getting a "Balut" (5 of a kind) is the rarest and most celebrated result.
2 Setup
- 5 standard six-sided dice
- Balut scorecard (7 rows × 5 columns + totals column) — can use paper
- 2–6 players; 2–4 works best
- Decide who goes first (highest single die roll)
3 Gameplay
On your turn:
- Choose a category to target (or decide after rolling).
- Roll all 5 dice.
- Set aside any dice you want to keep (optional).
- Roll remaining dice (second roll).
- Set aside again (optional).
- Roll remaining dice (third and final roll).
- Record your score in one of the 7 categories for this round. You must fill in a score — if you don't meet the category requirements, you score 0.
Play passes clockwise. Each category is scored exactly 5 times (one per round for that category). After all 7 categories have been scored 5 times (35 total turns), the game ends and scores are tallied.
Typical structure: In each "round" of 5 turns, every player scores once in a different category. After 5 complete rounds, each category has been filled once. Then repeat 4 more times (for 5 total fills per category).
Each category is scored 5 times. Balut (5 of a kind) is worth the most. Highest total wins.
4 Scoring Categories
| Category | How to Score | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Fours | Any roll | Sum of all 4s rolled (0–20) |
| Fives | Any roll | Sum of all 5s rolled (0–25) |
| Sixes | Any roll | Sum of all 6s rolled (0–30) |
| Straight | 1-2-3-4-5 or 2-3-4-5-6 | 25 points (else 0) |
| Full House | 3 of a kind + pair | Sum of all 5 dice |
| Four of a Kind | 4 or more matching dice | Sum of all 5 dice |
| Balut! | All 5 dice the same | Sum of all dice + 20 bonus |
A Balut (five of a kind) scores the sum of all 5 dice plus 20 bonus points. A Balut of sixes scores 30 + 20 = 50 points — the maximum single-category score.
5 Scoring System
Each category is scored exactly 5 times. Multiply category max by 5 to get maximum possible section score:
- Fours (max 20 × 5 = 100)
- Fives (max 25 × 5 = 125)
- Sixes (max 30 × 5 = 150)
- Straight (25 × 5 = 125)
- Full House (varies)
- Four of a Kind (varies)
- Balut (max 50 × 5 = 250)
Maximum theoretical score is very high (700+); typical winning scores range from 200–350 depending on luck.
6 Strategy
- Sixes is your most valuable number category — prioritize rolling for 6s early in each scoring turn.
- Straights and Baluts require specific rolls — don't sacrifice a good four-of-a-kind turn trying to complete a Straight you'll likely miss.
- Accept zeroes wisely — if you've rolled terribly and have no path to a good score, strategically score zero in a lower-value category (like Fours) rather than burning a Balut or Straight slot.
- Track opponents' zeroes — if they've been forced to score zero multiple times, they're behind and may take risks.
7 Variants
Danish Balut
The original Danish version. Categories are identical but scoring for Full House is fixed at 30 regardless of dice values.
Filipino Balut
Common in the Philippines. The Balut bonus varies by which number you roll five of: five 6s = highest bonus.
4-Round Game
Shorter version: each category scored only 4 times (28 turns total). Popular for quicker sessions.