Thrift Treasure: 7-Spot YOTT

I may have done it again. Two weeks in a row. I bought another game at Goodwill just because I thought the dice were cool. And they were playing card dice again, just like last week’s Showdown Poker. At least they weren’t the same dice – these are much more complex. And larger. And not made of wood. I’m actually not entirely positive what they are made from. It seems to be some type of plastic composite.

Either way, it’s in our collection now. 7-Spot YOTT by Classic Games Company advertised itself as the “finest playing and best designed five-dice game in existence”. Pretty hefty claims considering the popularity of Yahtzee, which preceded this 1977 release by more than 20 years.

7-Spot YOTT includes five 3/4″ custom dice with seven numbers, two jokers and four suits arranged in such a manner that any poker hand (ace through seven) can be thrown. Also included is a Yahtzee-style scorepad and a large dice cup.

On each player’s turn they will throw the dice up to three times, keeping as many or as few as they like. After the third roll, their turn is complete and they must (if they can) record a score. (Sounding familiar yet?)

Scoring options include the familiar 1’s, 2’s, etc., along with four kinds of straights, flushes, straight flushes and 5 of a kinds. Some more complex bonuses are achievable by not having any zeroes or scoring over 1200. Again, almost ripped exactly off a Yahtzee scorecard with the addition of a few card-specific options.

As it turns out, 7-Spot YOTT is nothing more than a variation of Yahtzee. At least I have some cool new dice! If you want your own copy (or the dice), you can easily find examples on eBay Wait for a reasonably-priced version well under $10 shipped or keep an eye out at your local thrift stores for a better price!

What game do you keep in your collection just because you love the components?