From the publisher’s rulebook

Who goes first in Yak?

Pretzel Games English rules, 2022

The person who is hairy as a yak starts the first round.

Rule details

Put the Baby Yak in front of that player. They reveal their Action card first during Noon; play proceeds clockwise.

The Baby Yak passes clockwise at the end of each day.

Source & edition

Yak: English rulebookPretzel Games · Setup, step 9; Noon; end of day · Checked 2026-09-24Printed page references: 3, 4, 5
PDF page 2 PDF page 3 PDF page 4

Image: © Pretzel Games / Asmodee · Pretzel Games / Asmodee Belgium

If your rules call for a random choice, use the player picker.

If there’s a tie

The rulebook doesn’t say. If you need a tie-break, pick a player at random.

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<blockquote class="whogoesfirst-rule" cite="https://whogoesfirst.fun/games/yak-pretzel-2022-en/">
  <p><strong>Who goes first in Yak?</strong> The person who is hairy as a yak starts the first round.</p>
  <p>Source: <a href="https://whogoesfirst.fun/games/yak-pretzel-2022-en/">Official starting rule on Who Goes First?</a> (Pretzel Games English rules, 2022)</p>
</blockquote>

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