Players 2-4

Ages 8 and up

Playing Time 20 minutes

Combo King is a dice game that combines Yahtzee and poker. It has a great presentation with a very Las Vegas style box with cards that are designed to look like poker tables. Combo King comes with 8 red casino style 6-sided dice, 60 combo cards, 4 chip chart cards, and 36 poker chips.

The object of the game is to be the first player to get rid of all of your cards. Each turn you choose one of your cards and try to roll the hand depicted on the card. Each card has important information on it like how many times you can roll the dice to get the hand, how many dice you can roll, and if you can keep any die rolls to carry over to your next attempt.

Some cards are just for that player while other cards may force everyone to play. These cards clearly state the goal of the dice-off. For example, one all players card is won if any other player can beat the first players roll. So if I roll a 3 and a 4, someone who rolls a 4 and a 5 will win the chips.

If you are successful in your roll attempt, then you collect the number of poker chips the card is worth. If you fail, then place the card back in your hand to try again on another turn. Regardless of if you succeed or fail, you can spend your chips to cause a certain game altering reaction like make a player draw a card or roll the dice one more time.

Combo King doesn't take very long to play. With just two players, a game can last about 10 minutes. If you have just a few players and wish to play a longer game, have everyone start off with a bigger hand. For a two-person game, each player begins with 5 cards. Making a higher beginning card hand will ensure that the game lasts longer since players have to get rid of all of their cards to win the game.

If after attempting a combo card for a third time with no success, you have the option on your next turn to discard and draw another card. This action counts as your whole turn, and you don't get to play a card. If you happen to be stuck on a certain hard combo with no re-rolls, then this can be a great option.

Combo King makes a great party game since the rules are easy to learn. You can read the rules and be playing the game in under 10 minutes. The cashing-in of chips is the hardest part of the game to remember. Luckily there are special cards -the chip chart cards- that are a quick guide to what your chips can purchase. 1 chip can buy you an extra roll while 9 chips will allow you to discard a card. The all player cards where each player has to take part in will sometimes have an ante, so there are game elements where you can lose your chips. It was hard to me to accumulate too many since I kept losing some through these all player challenges.

Combo King is an entertaining game especially for Yahtzee fans. The added poker elements are light enough to be enjoyed by poker fans and those who don't play. Combo King does a great job of combining these two games into one fun experience.


I received Combo King from Gamewright. This review is 100% my opinion.