Generala - Rules, History & Strategy Guide

Generala originated in South America in the 1940s and is wildly popular across Argentina, Uruguay, and the Spanish-speaking world. It pre-dates Yahtzee by about a decade and shares most of the same DNA.

The key difference: Generala has tighter scoring categories (ones through sixes plus straight, full house, four of a kind, generala, double generala) and rewards a Generala scored on the FIRST roll with bonus points or instant victory in some house rules.

Each turn you roll five dice up to three times, locking dice between rolls, then score the result into one of the eleven categories. Each category can be scored only once per game.

1. On your turn, roll all five dice. Choose any subset to keep, re-roll the rest.
2. You may roll up to three times total, choosing what to keep between each roll.
3. After your final roll (or sooner), you must score into ONE empty category — sum-of-ones-through-sixes, or one of the five combinations: straight, full house, four of a kind, Generala, or double Generala.
4. A Generala is five of a kind. A "served Generala" (rolled on the first throw) often scores extra or wins the game outright depending on house rules.
5. Eleven turns total. Highest sum of all category scores wins.

• Score zero into the highest categories early when you can't hit them — don't waste a Generala slot trying to chase a five-of-a-kind on the last few turns.
• A "served" combination (rolled on the first throw) typically scores bonus points — never re-roll a first-roll Generala or four-of-a-kind unless you're going for double Generala.
• In the upper section (ones through sixes), aim for at least 3 of each number to keep average scores positive.
• When you're behind on the final turns, take risks: re-roll an OK score to chase a higher one rather than locking in mid-grade values.

Yahtzee is the best-known variant, with a different category list and bonus structure. Yacht (the original 1938 game) preceded both. Local Argentine and Uruguayan variants disagree on whether a served Generala wins instantly or just doubles its score.