Generala

Generala (from the Spanish for "Alert") or sometimes Dados (Spanish for "dice"), is a dice game similar to the English game of poker dice, the Polish game Jacy-Tacy (yahtzee-tahtzee) and the American game Yahtzee. Although it is sometimes played in Europe and the United States, Generala is most popular in Iberoamerica.

Rules

Generala is a game played by two or more players. Players take turns rolling five dice. After each roll, the player chooses which dice (if any) to keep, and which to reroll. A player may reroll some or all of the dice up to three times on a turn.

Scoring

The following combinations earn points:

• Ones, Twos, Threes, Fours, Fives or Sixes. A player may add the numbers on any combination of dice showing the same number. For example, 4-4-4-2-6 would score 4 + 4 + 4 = 12 points in "Fours" or 2 points in "Twos" or even 6 points in "Sixes". Once a player has taken points on a specific combination, he or she may not take points for that combination again during the game.
• Straight. 20 points. A straight is a combination of five consecutive numbers (1-2-3-4-5, or 2-3-4-5-6); it also includes consecutive numbers with 6 and 1, such as 3-4-5-6-1. In essence, any set of five unmatched dice are a straight. A variation allows a 1 to replace a 2 in a straight, e.g. 1, 1, 3, 4, 5 or 1, 3, 4, 5, 6.
• Full house. 30 points. Any set of three combined with a set of two. For example, 5-5-5-3-3.
• Four of a kind. 40 points. Four dice with the same number. For example, 2-2-2-2-6.
• Generala. 50 or 60 points. All five dice with the same number.
• Double Generala (optional). 100 or 120 points. All five dice with the same number for the second time in a game.

A player may choose in which qualifying category to score a roll. For example, one need not enter 3-3-3-3-3 in Generala – it may also go in Threes or Four of a kind.

If a player makes a Straight, Full House, or Four of a Kind on the first roll of a given turn, it is worth 5 or 10 extra points. A player who makes Generala on the first roll of a turn automatically wins the game.

A player who fails to make any valid score, or chooses not to take any other score, may scratch (eliminate) a category, such as Generala or Twos. If a player scratches a category, that player cannot score on that category for the rest of the game. Specifically, if a player scratches Generala and subsequently rolls Generala on the first roll of a turn, it may not be used as an automatic win.

Winning

The winner, if no one scores an automatic Generala win, is the player who finishes the game with the most points.