In Farkle you roll six dice and chase as many points per turn as you can. The sting is in the choice: keep rolling to grab more, or stop and bank your points? Because roll nothing even once, and everything from that turn is gone. The first player to reach 10,000 points wins.
Farkle is played with many house variants — some tables score three pairs or four-of-a-kinds differently, or not at all. This page describes the classic 10,000 scoring, so agree on your table's variants before you play.
On this page
What do you need?
You don't need much for a game of Farkle:
- Six dice — regular six-sided dice. No dice on hand? You can also roll dice online — set the count to six so you throw all the dice in one go.
- Pen and paper to keep track of each player's score.
- Two or more players — the more players, the more exciting the race to 10,000.
Objective of the game
The objective is simple: be the first to roll up 10,000 points. You collect points by taking scoring combinations out of your rolls. Each turn you may keep going as long as you keep scoring — but you have to pick the right moment to stop and write down your points. Pushing on too greedily can cost you an entire turn's worth of points.
Scoring
The core of Farkle is easy to grasp. A single 1 and a single 5 always score, and three of a kind brings in a solid chunk of points. The other single dice (a lone 2, 3, 4, or 6) are worth nothing at all.
| Combination | Points |
|---|---|
| Each single 1 | 100 |
| Each single 5 | 50 |
| Three 1s | 1,000 |
| Three 2s | 200 |
| Three 3s | 300 |
| Three 4s | 400 |
| Three 5s | 500 |
| Three 6s | 600 |
| A single 2, 3, 4, or 6 | 0 |
For three of a kind there's a handy rule of thumb: three of a kind = the number times 100. Three 4s are 400 points, three 6s are 600. The only exception is three 1s: those are worth not 100 but 1,000 points.
Note: you must roll three of a kind in the same roll for the combination to score. Holding two 1s and hoping for a third on the next roll doesn't count as "three 1s" — in that case you simply score 100 points per single 1.
How does a turn work?
Every turn follows the same rhythm:
- Roll all six dice. At the start of your turn you roll all the dice at once.
- Set aside at least one scoring die. From every roll you must set aside at least one scoring die (or combination). A die you have set aside no longer takes part.
- Stop or keep rolling? Now you get to choose. You may stop and write down the turn points you've collected, or keep rolling with the remaining dice to grab more points.
If you keep rolling, the pattern repeats with the dice you have left. That's how you build up your turn total step by step — but every extra roll is a gamble too, because one bust costs you everything.
Example turn
Say you roll 1-1-5-3-2-4. The two 1s are worth 200 points and the single 5 another 50 — 250 in total. You set those three dice aside and reroll the remaining three to keep scoring. If you roll something that scores, you add it on; if you roll nothing (a farkle), you lose this turn's 250 points. If you're satisfied, you stop and write down 250.
Hot dice and the farkle
Two rules create the tension in Farkle:
- Hot dice: if you have scored with all six dice, you may roll again with all six. The points from those new rolls simply keep stacking onto your turn total — that's how you can build a huge lead in a single turn.
- Farkle (bust): if a roll produces no scoring dice at all, you have farkled. You instantly lose all the points from that turn and your turn is over immediately. The points you already wrote down in earlier turns stay on the board, of course.
That is exactly why Farkle is all about nerve and timing. Want to know how likely a good roll actually is? Check out our guide to dice probabilities — handy for judging when rolling on is still worth it. Love exactly this push-your-luck dilemma? Then try Pickomino too, where every extra roll can cost you a tile.
Common variants
Farkle has many house rules; every friend group plays it just a bit differently. Agree before the game which ones you're using — and how many points you're playing to: the shorter 5,000 variant uses the same rules but ends at the halfway point. These are the extras you'll come across most often:
| Variant (house rule) | Points |
|---|---|
| Four of a kind | double the value of three |
| Five of a kind | even higher |
| Six of a kind | even higher |
| Straight 1-2-3-4-5-6 | 1,500 |
| Three pairs | 1,500 |
With "four of a kind" you usually double the value of three of a kind (some groups count four 1s as 1,000); five and six of a kind climb further from there. A full straight (1 through 6 in one roll) and three pairs are typically worth 1,500 points. Once again: these are all optional house rules — in the base version only single 1s, single 5s, and three of a kind score.
Opening threshold and winning
Many groups play with an opening threshold: the first time you write down points, you must score at least 500 (sometimes 1,000) points in a single turn. If you don't make it, you write nothing down yet and try again on your next turn. That keeps someone from getting on the scoreboard with just 50 points.
The game is won as soon as a player reaches 10,000 points or more. A common agreement: as soon as someone passes 10,000, the other players each get one last turn to try to top it. After that, whoever has the highest total wins.
In the mood? Grab six dice — or set the online dice roller to six — and start your race to 10,000. Looking for even more games? Browse all dice games, from Yahtzee to the bluffing game Mia.
Frequently asked questions about Farkle
How many dice do you need for Farkle?
You play Farkle with six dice, plus pen and paper to keep score. At the start of every turn you roll all six dice at once.
What happens if I score nothing on a roll?
If a roll produces no scoring dice at all, that's a farkle (also called a bust). You lose all the points you had already collected this turn and your turn is over immediately. Points written down in earlier turns stay on the board.
How many points are three 1s worth?
Three 1s are worth 1,000 points. That's the exception to the rule that three of a kind is worth the number times 100; three 2s, for example, are only 200 points and three 6s 600.
What does hot dice mean in Farkle?
Hot dice means you have scored with all six dice. You may then roll again with all six dice, and the points from those new rolls keep stacking onto your turn total.
Can you play Farkle with an online dice roller?
Yes. The online dice roller has a Farkle preset with six dice. Hold the dice that score by tapping them; reroll the rest. With the free Android app you put the dice on the big screen via Chromecast or Android TV.