Farkle Rules: How to Play and Score Farkle

Farkle rules take one turn to learn and a lifetime to stop arguing about, which is half the fun of this push-your-luck dice game. You roll six dice, set aside the ones that score, and decide whether to bank your points or roll the rest for more. Roll nothing that scores and you farkle, losing everything you built up that turn. Below are the standard rules, a full Farkle scoring chart, and the common house rules you should agree on first. Roll right here with the dice roller and keep score with the scoreboard if you do not have dice handy.

Quick rules

• On your turn, roll all six dice.
• Set aside at least one scoring die or combination (see the chart below).
• Either bank your turn total, or roll the remaining dice to try for more.
• If a roll has no scoring dice, that is a farkle: you lose all points from that turn.
• If all six dice score, you have hot dice and may roll all six again.
• First player to reach 10,000 points triggers a final round. Highest score wins.

What you need

• Six standard six-sided dice, or the on-page dice roller.
• A cup for rolling (optional, but it keeps dice on the table).
• Pen and paper, or the scoreboard below, to record each player's banked total.

Setup

1. Each player rolls one die. The highest roller goes first and play passes to the left.
2. Write every player's name at the top of a score sheet.
3. Agree on the house rules in the last section, especially the opening minimum.

How to play

Rolling and setting aside

1. Roll all six dice.
2. Look for scoring dice: any 1, any 5, or a scoring combination such as three of a kind.
3. Set aside at least one scoring die or combination. You may set aside more than one, but only dice that score.
4. Combinations only count when they are rolled together in a single throw. A 2 you set aside earlier cannot join two 2s you roll later.

Bank or keep rolling

1. After setting dice aside, add their value to your running total for the turn.
2. Choose to stop and bank the running total onto your score, ending your turn.
3. Or roll the remaining dice for more points. Every roll must produce at least one scoring die.
4. If you have set aside all six dice, you have hot dice: pick up all six and keep rolling, adding to the same running total.

Farkle

If a roll contains no scoring dice at all, call "Farkle". Your running total for the turn drops to zero and play passes to the next player. Points you banked on earlier turns are always safe.

Scoring

2s, 3s, 4s and 6s score nothing on their own. Many families use an older chart instead, where four, five and six of a kind double the three of a kind value each time (for example three 4s = 400, four 4s = 800, five 4s = 1,600), and three pairs score 750. Both charts are common, so pick one before you start.

Scoring examples

• You roll 1, 1, 1, 5, 3, 4. Set aside the three 1s and the 5 for 1,050, then roll the last two dice or bank.
• You roll 2, 2, 2, 5, 6, 6. Keep three 2s (200) and the 5 (50). The 6s score nothing.
• You roll 3, 3, 4, 4, 6, 6. That is three pairs for 1,500, and all six dice scored, so you have hot dice.

How to win

The first player to bank 10,000 or more points does not win straight away. Every other player gets one final turn to beat that score. After the final round, the player with the highest total wins.

Variations

• Opening minimum: you must bank at least 500 points in one turn (some groups use 350 or 1,000) before you can start scoring at all.
• Three farkles penalty: three farkles in a row cost 1,000 points from your banked score.
• Shorter game: play to 5,000 points with young children.
• Exact finish: you must land on exactly 10,000; going over makes the turn count as a farkle.
• Steal the points: the next player may choose to take over your unbanked dice and running total instead of starting fresh.

Tips and strategy

• You do not have to keep every scoring die. Setting aside one 1 instead of a 1 and a 5 leaves more dice to roll and a better chance to score.
• With two dice left, the chance of a farkle is about 44 percent. With one die left, it is about 67 percent. Bank more often with few dice.
• With three or more dice left and a modest running total, keep rolling. The farkle odds are low (about 28 percent with three dice).
• Play the scoreboard. If a rival is close to 10,000, take bigger risks to catch up.

Common mistakes

• Combining dice from different rolls into a three of a kind.
• Rolling again without setting aside at least one scoring die.
• Forgetting that hot dice keep the same running total, which you can still lose with a farkle.

Love dice games? Try Bunco, Ship, Captain and Crew or liar's dice, or browse our list of dice games. You can also use the full-screen dice roller.