Objective

Jamb is played with five dice and a scorecard with 13 categories in four columns. The aim is to score as many points as possible; each cell on the scorecard can be filled only once.

On your turn, roll the dice up to three times. After each roll, you may keep selected dice and reroll the rest. When you finish, record the result in one permitted empty cell.

Scorecard columns

Down: fill categories in order from Ones to Jamb. Each next cell is available only after the preceding one is filled.

Up: fill categories in reverse order, from Jamb to Ones. Free: record a result in any empty category, in any order.

Announced: after your first roll, announce one category that is still open, then record the result in its Announced-column cell. In this scorecard version, if the other three columns are completely filled, announcing is required before rolling again.

Number categories

For Ones through Sixes, add only the dice showing the category's number. For example, a roll of 2, 2, 2, 4, 6 scores 6 in Twos.

For Max and Min, add the values of all five dice. On this scorecard, both categories use the roll's total.

Dice combinations

Trips: at least three dice showing the same face. Score the value of those three dice plus 10 bonus points; for example, three 4s score 22.

Straight: 1-2-3-4-5 scores 35 points; 2-3-4-5-6 scores 45. Other sequences do not score.

Full: three dice of one face and a pair of another. Score the total of all five dice plus 30 bonus points.

Poker: at least four dice showing the same face. Score the value of those four dice plus 40 bonus points. Jamb: all five dice showing the same face; score their total plus 50 bonus points. If a combination's requirement is not met, it scores 0.

Bonuses and final score

The upper subtotal is Ones through Sixes. After filling all six cells, if their subtotal in a column is at least 60, add a 30-point bonus.

Calculate the middle subtotal only when Ones, Max, and Min are all filled in that column: multiply the Ones score by the difference Max − Min. The lower subtotal is the sum of Trips, Straight, Full, Poker, and Jamb.

Add the upper, middle, and lower subtotals for each column. The final scorecard total is the sum of all four column totals.

Also see category scoring details, blank printable scorecard