Bozó (dice game)

Bozó

Bozó game, Mato Grosso–themed
Players	2–6
Skills	strategy logical reasoning
Age range	8+
Related games
Yahtzee

Bozó (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [boˈzɔ]) is a Brazilian dice game played with five six-sided dice and a leather cup, in which players aim to achieve the highest score by forming specific combinations. It is closely related to Yahtzee.

The game is typically played by two to six players, who take turns rolling the dice up to three times per turn in order to obtain scoring combinations. Scores are recorded on a score sheet, and the player with the highest total at the end of the game wins. The game is played using a cup, dice, and a score sheet, and play proceeds in a clockwise direction. In some variations, players may compete individually or form pairs or trios.

Origin

Bozó is a dice game of unknown origin that is popularly played in the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul.

Rules

At the start of the game, the player places all the dice inside a cup, shakes it, and inverts it onto a flat surface, ensuring that none of the dice escape. Upon lifting the cup, the player must check whether any dice are stacked on top of one another; if this occurs, the dice are re-rolled until all are resting flat on the surface. Each player is allowed up to three rolls per turn. During these rolls, the player may choose to aim for the scoring combination that yields the highest number of points. The game comprises ten possible scoring categories. The winner is the player with the highest total score at the end of the game, calculated by summing all points obtained across the scoring categories.

Scoring

Number scoring

Combination	Description	Score	Example
Ás	Sum of dice showing 1	1–5	scores 3
Duque	Sum of dice showing 2	2–10	scores 6
Terno	Sum of dice showing 3	3–15	scores 9
Quadra	Sum of dice showing 4	4–20	scores 8
Quina	Sum of dice showing 5	5–25	scores 15
Sena	Sum of dice showing 6	6–30	scores 18

Combinations

Scoring rules for combinations may vary across regional or informal variants of the game.

Combination	Description	Score	Example
Fu	Full house (a pair and three of a kind)	20
Seguida	Consecutive sequence (1–2–3–4–5 or 2–3–4–5–6)	30
Quadrada	Four of a kind	40
General	Five of a kind	50

Special rules

• De boca refers to a combination achieved on the first roll, which may grant a bonus for certain combinations. It typically awards an additional 5 points.
• Baixo is an optional rule that must be declared before lifting the cup. When applied, each die is counted as its opposite face value. The rule may only be declared after the first roll, and therefore can only be used on the second or third roll.
• Torar is a rule that allows a player to forfeit a scoring category instead of assigning a result to it. Once forfeited, the category can no longer be used for the remainder of the game.