# How to Play Farkle: Rules, Scoring and When to Stop Rolling Learn Farkle in five minutes: roll six dice, set aside what scores, and decide whether to bank your points or risk a Farkle. Full scoring table and tips. Source: https://pips.club/farkle - Players: 2 to 8 - Dice: 6 dice, plus pen and paper - Type: Push your luck - Level: Easy - Time: 20 to 30 minutes ## At a glance ### Roll, score, and know when to stop Farkle is a game of nerve. On your turn you roll six dice, put aside the ones that score points, and then choose: stop and keep your points, or roll the rest and try for more. The danger is a Farkle: a roll where nothing scores. Then you lose everything you collected that turn. The first player to reach 10,000 points wins. ## Setup ### Six dice and something to write on You need six ordinary six-sided dice and a way to keep score, such as our free score sheet. Two to eight people can play; three to five is best. Agree a target score before you start. 10,000 is the usual one; 5,000 makes a shorter game. ### What scores Each 1 100 Each 5 50 Three of a kind: 1s 1,000 Three of a kind: 2s to 6s 200 to 600 Four of a kind 1,000 Five of a kind 2,000 Six of a kind 3,000 Straight, 1 to 6 1,500 Three pairs 1,500 Three of a kind in 2s to 6s is the number times 100: three 4s is 400. A lone 2, 3, 4 or 6 is worth nothing. The practice table scores only what is listed. Tables differ on the rest: the Patch Products boxed set scores three 1s as 300, four of a kind with a pair as 1,500 and two triplets as 2,500. ## The first roll ### Who goes first Everyone rolls one die. The highest number goes first, and play then moves to the left. Roll again to break a tie. Here West rolls a 6 and starts. ## A turn ### Roll all six dice Pick up all six dice and roll them. Look for dice that score. This roll is 1, 5, 2, 2, 3, 6. The 1 is worth 100 and the 5 is worth 50. The 2s do not score on their own, because it takes three of them. ### Set aside, then roll the rest After every roll you must set aside at least one scoring die (or all that you like). You then roll only the dice that are left. You keep just the 1 (100 points) and re-roll the other five. They land 3, 3, 3, 4, 6: three 3s, worth 300. You now have 400 points this turn. ### Bank your points, or roll on After setting dice aside you choose. You can bank: stop, write the points down, and pass the dice. Or you can roll the remaining dice and try for more. You are on 400 with two dice left. A roll of two dice often scores nothing, so you bank: 400 goes on your sheet. ## Special rolls ### A Farkle: nothing scores If a roll has no scoring dice at all, that is a Farkle. You lose all the points from this turn, even if you had 2,000 collected, and the dice pass to the next player. This roll is 2, 3, 4, 6, 4, 3. No 1s, no 5s, no three of a kind: Farkle, and the turn scores nothing. ### Hot dice: all six score If every one of your six dice has scored, you have hot dice. Pick all six up again and keep rolling, adding to the same turn. The points are not safe until you bank them: a Farkle on the next roll still loses the whole turn. You set aside the 1 and 5. The other four land 5, 5, 1, 1, and all of them score. That is 450 points and hot dice: you roll all six again. ## Scoring ### Keeping score Write each banked turn on the score sheet and add it to your running total. A turn that ends in a Farkle scores 0. Here after a few turns: Ana has 450, Ben 1,200 and Cy has had two Farkles in a row and is on 0. ## Winning ### First to 10,000, then one last turn each When someone passes 10,000, every other player gets one final turn to beat their total. The highest score after that round wins. Stopping at the target would be unfair to the players who had not yet had a turn this round, so the last turn evens it out. ## Variants and house rules - **Opening score**: You may not bank until one turn is worth at least 500 (or 350, or 300). Until you have reached it, you simply keep rolling. - **Other scores for three pairs**: Some tables pay 750, 1,500 or 2,000 for three pairs. Some also pay 2,500 for two sets of three of a kind. - **Three Farkles in a row**: Three Farkles in a row cost you 1,000 points. It makes players think twice about rolling on with nothing banked. - **Short game**: Play to 5,000 when you have half an hour, or only a few players. ## Tips - Count the dice before you roll again. With six dice a Farkle is rare; with two or one it is common. Three dice is where most players should stop. - Setting aside only the 1s and 5s keeps more dice in play than setting aside every scoring die. A single 5 is rarely worth the dice you give up. - When you are far behind, take bigger risks. When you lead, bank early and make everyone else catch up. ## Quick answers **How do you win Farkle?** Be the first to reach the target score, usually 10,000. When someone gets there, all the others get one more turn, and the highest total after that wins. **What is a Farkle in the game?** A roll where none of the dice score. You lose all the points you collected on that turn and the dice pass to the next player. **What does hot dice mean?** When all six dice have scored you roll all six again and keep your points. Most players keep rolling, because the risk of a Farkle is small with six dice. **How likely is a Farkle?** With six dice about 2 rolls in 100 are a Farkle. With four dice it is about 16 in 100, with three dice 28 in 100, with two dice 44 in 100, and with one die 2 in 3. **Do you need 500 points to get on the board?** Not in the rules we use here, but many tables do: you may not bank until a single turn is worth at least 500 (some say 350 or 300). It stops players from creeping onto the board with tiny turns. Agree it before you start.