How to win in Yamb
Learn what actually moves your score, starting with the fundamentals and ending with more advanced decisions expert players think about.
The basics
Get these five right and you'll beat most casual players at the game.
Go for the upper bonus in Call and Free
The bonus is 30 points for reaching 60 in the top section, which is worth more than most single combinations. It's easiest where you choose the row. In Call you pick the number after your first roll, and in Free any open row takes it. The big numbers carry it. Every Six you miss costs 6 of the 60, every Two only 2, so bank extra Sixes and Fives when they come.
YoloYamb gets the bonus in 80.9% of Call columns and 51.5% of Free columns. In Down it gets it only 14.6% of the time, and in Up 2.3%. Go for the bonus in Call and Free. Don't hurt Down and Up to chase it.
See how scoring works →Don't neglect your Ones row
Max and Min don't score on their own. The gap between them is multiplied by whatever is in your ones row. With just a single 1 up there, a 20-point spread is worth 20. But with four of them, it's worth a whopping 80. Fill ones properly before you spend effort widening the gap.
In Up, Ones is the last row you fill, so YoloYamb often ends up with few of them. There, Max and Min earn it only 5.3 points per game. In Call, they earn 45.6. More Ones means more points from Max and Min.
How Max and Min score →Don't just chase Max, chase Min
It's tempting to push Max as high as possible, but a 5-point improvement in Min is worth exactly as much as 5 more in Max. When a roll is mediocre for Max, ask whether it's excellent for Min before you throw it away.
YoloYamb averages 23 in Max and 12 in Min, about 5 points better than random dice at each end. It works Min as hard as Max.
How Max and Min score →Keep Down and Up moving, and save Free
Down fills top to bottom and Up bottom to top, so each has only one open row at a time. Use the rolls that fit those rows to move both columns along, since every row you fill opens the next. Don't dump bad rolls into Free. It's the only column where you can wait for the right roll, so keep it for the hard rows.
YoloYamb opens the Down column by around turn 5, so aim for that. That gets the column moving right away. It takes only 1 scratch per game in Free, the fewest of any column, preferring to save Free for good rolls with points.
How each column works →Use your scratch wisely
You will have to write a zero somewhere, so pick where. Scratch rows you're unlikely to hit anyway. A Yamb comes in only 4.6% of turns, so scratching it at the bottom of Up to open the rest of that column is a frequent play. Avoid zeros in Sixes and Fives, which carry your upper bonus.
YoloYamb usually scratches Yamb in Up early, around turn 6, preferring to open the column early. It rarely scratches Sixes (2.2%) but often scratches Twos (16.3%) since they're low value. Ones are important for Max and Min.
Yamb: odds and scoring →Advanced play
As you get familiar with the game, you'll run into more nuanced decisions, where the right answer depends on the state of your sheet.
Bank straights on your first roll, but be careful chasing them
A straight on your first roll scores 66, the most it can be worth, so take it. Chasing one is riskier than it looks. From four in a row open at both ends you finish it 55.6% of the time, from four open at one end only 30.6%, and a straight on the third roll is worth just 46.
YoloYamb plays Yumbee rules, where a straight scores the same on any roll, so an early one earns nothing extra. Even so, when its first roll is a straight and a straight box is open, it writes it down 99.99% of the time. In Classic, where an early straight is worth the most, bank it all the more.
Straight: odds and scoring →The Call column rewards optionality
You declare the row after your first roll and must fill that exact one. Call something you can reach several ways, like Trilling or a numbers row, rather than a Yamb, unless you're behind and need the swing.
YoloYamb usually calls Max first, around turn 4, because any roll fills it. It almost never misses when it calls a number row. It scratches Yamb in Call 98.7% of the time. Call rows you can't miss.
How the Call column works →Know the odds before you chase
Holding three of a kind and re-rolling two dice, you land at least one more 31% of the time, and both 3% of the time. From a pair, re-rolling three gets you a third 42% of the time. Chasing a Poker off a Trilling is a reasonable gamble; chasing a Yamb off a pair is not.
Odds for every combination →Count what's still open
Late in a game the right hold depends less on the dice than on which rows survive. Before the second roll, check which cells each column still needs, because keeping a pair is pointless if every row that wants it is already filled.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fastest way to improve at Yamb?
Go for the upper bonus in Call and Free, where you pick the row. It's 30 points, more than most single rows are worth. Even YoloYamb, Yumbee's neural network, rarely gets it in Down and Up, so don't wreck those columns for it.
Should I always take a straight on the first roll?
Yes. A first-roll straight scores 66, the most a straight can, and only about 3% of first rolls give you one. Chasing one later is much less reliable, and it's worth less when it lands.
Is it worth chasing a Yamb?
Rarely from a pair, and only when you're behind. Five of a kind is the rarest roll in the game. It lands on well under one percent of single rolls, so treat it as a bonus when it arrives rather than a plan.
What should I put a zero in?
Rows you're unlikely to hit anyway. For example, scratching Yamb at the bottom of Up is a frequent play because it opens up the rest of that column.
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