Generala Rules: How to Play the Latin American Dice Game

Generala is a dice game from Argentina and Uruguay, played with five dice and a score sheet of 11 boxes. On your turn you throw up to three times, set aside the dice you want to keep and score the result in one box: a number from 1 to 6, or a major game (escalera, full, póker or generala). A generala made on the very first throw wins the whole game on the spot; otherwise the highest total wins.

Generala rules at a glance (October 2026)

How does a turn work in Generala?

Throw all five dice. If nothing you need has come up, set aside the useful dice and throw the rest again, then once more for the third and last throw. Spanish Wikipedia adds one rule that Yahtzee players forget: a die you have set aside can't be picked up and used again.

You are not forced to score after the first or second throw. You choose a box when you like, or after the third throw. Once a box is filled, a later roll of that kind can't go in it, so you move to another box. When no open box suits the dice, you cross one out and it scores zero.

How is Generala scored?

The sheet has the six numbers and then the major games. For a number, add up the dice showing it: three sixes in the sixes box score 18.

The double generala is optional: players can agree to drop it, which leaves ten boxes and ten turns. The free game below scores it only once the generala box already holds 50.

What is a servida, and how does a generala win the game?

A major game made on the first throw of a turn is called servida (served), and it earns 5 extra points. A generala servida is better still: in the classic rules it wins the game immediately, whatever the scores. If you have crossed out the generala box earlier, though, a later servida can no longer win it, according to English Wikipedia.

Because of that, a player who throws a major game on the first throw may gamble and ask for something bigger, taking all five dice again.

How is Generala different from Yahtzee?

The games are cousins, and Yahtzee is a Generala derivative. The main differences:

There is also a variant, generala obligada (forced generala), where boxes must be filled in order from the ones up to the generala.

Play Generala online

Our free Yatzy game has a Generala rule set: eleven boxes, no upper bonus, the servida bonuses, a generala servida that wins on the spot and a double generala. Play alone or with up to four players on one device.

Generala rules: common questions

How many dice are used in Generala?

Five, and you throw them up to three times a turn, setting aside the ones you want to keep.

How many points is a generala worth?

50 in the common rules, or 60 in some sets. A double generala is 100 (some sets say 120). A generala made on the first throw wins the game.

What does servida mean?

Served: a game made on the first throw. Escalera, full and póker each earn 5 extra points when servido.

How many turns are there in Generala?

11, one for each box, or 10 if players leave out the double generala.