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 Latin America.

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 any combination of dice in order: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, or 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Additionally, in a straight, a 1 can be placed after a 6, meaning a 3, 4, 5, 6 and 1 is also legal. A variation of this rule includes all combinations where only one number is missing, e.g. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 or 1, 2, 3, 4, 6. Another 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.
• Remember, a player may choose which play to fill, ex. 3-3-3-3-3 can go into the 3 category or the "Poker" category if the "Generala" category has been filled. No extra points awarded.
• 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.

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.