Farkle Rules and Scoring Chart: How to Play the 10,000 Dice Game

Farkle is a dice game for two or more players. All you need is six dice and something to keep score on. Each turn you roll, keep the dice that score and decide whether to stop or push your luck. Push too far and you lose everything from that turn.

It goes by many names, including Ten Thousand, Zilch and Greed, and the rules change a little from group to group. Here are the standard rules, a full scoring chart and the house rules worth agreeing before you start.

What you need

• Six ordinary dice.
• A pen and paper for the scores.
• Two or more players.

No dice to hand? The free online dice roller on Gamejim rolls up to six dice at once, which is exactly what a Farkle turn needs.

How to play Farkle

Players take turns, and each turn works the same way.

• Roll all six dice.
• Set aside at least one scoring die or combination. The chart below shows what scores.
• Now choose. Stop, and add this turn's points to your score, or roll the dice you have left to try for more.
• If you roll again, you must set aside at least one more scoring die from the new roll, and then choose again.
• If a roll has no scoring dice at all, that is a farkle. You lose every point from that turn, and the dice pass to the next player.

Combinations only count within a single roll. A 5 kept from one roll and two more 5s from the next do not make three 5s; they score 50 points each.

Hot dice

If all six dice have scored, you have hot dice. Pick all six up and roll them again, adding to the points you already have this turn. There is no limit, so a turn can go through hot dice more than once. A farkle still wipes out the whole turn, hot dice and all.

Farkle scoring chart

This is a widely used scoring chart. Farkle has plenty of house rules, so if your group uses different numbers, write yours down before the first roll.

• Single 1: 100 points
• Single 5: 50 points
• Three 1s: 1,000 points
• Three 2s: 200 points
• Three 3s: 300 points
• Three 4s: 400 points
• Three 5s: 500 points
• Three 6s: 600 points

Bigger combinations score more, and four, five or six of a kind score the same whatever the number.

• Four of a kind: 1,000 points
• Five of a kind: 2,000 points
• Six of a kind: 3,000 points
• Straight, 1 to 6: 1,500 points
• Three pairs: 1,500 points
• Four of a kind and a pair: 1,500 points
• Two sets of three: 2,500 points

2s, 3s, 4s and 6s score nothing on their own. They only count as part of a combination.

Scoring examples

• You roll 1, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6. Two 1s and a 5 make 250 if you keep all three. Or keep a single 1 for 100 and roll the other five dice.
• You roll 2, 2, 2, 5, 3, 6. Three 2s are 200 and the 5 is 50, so 250 with two dice left to roll.
• You roll 4, 4, 4, 4, 1, 3. Four 4s are 1,000 and the 1 is 100, so 1,100 with one die left.
• You roll 2, 2, 3, 3, 6, 6. Three pairs score 1,500, and all six dice have scored, so you have hot dice.

Getting on the board

Many groups use an opening score: you need at least 500 points in a single turn before any of your points count. Until you manage it, a turn that ends below 500 scores nothing. Some groups set the opening score at 350 or 1,000, and some play without one.

Winning the game

The usual target is 10,000 points. When one player reaches it, every other player gets one last turn to beat that score. The highest total after that final round wins.

Common house rules

These are the variations you are most likely to meet. None of them are wrong, but everyone at the table should be using the same ones.

• Three 1s worth 300 instead of 1,000.
• Doubling: four of a kind is worth twice the same three of a kind, five of a kind twice that again, and six of a kind twice again. Four 3s would be 600, for example.
• A straight worth 2,500 instead of 1,500, or three pairs worth 750.
• Three farkles in a row cost you points, usually 500 or 1,000.
• A minimum score before you may stop each turn, such as 300 or 350.

When to stop rolling

Farkle is a push-your-luck game, and the main skill is knowing when to stop. The fewer dice you roll, the more likely a farkle becomes. With the chart above, the chance of a farkle is:

• Six dice: about 2%, or 1 roll in 43.
• Five dice: about 8%.
• Four dice: about 16%.
• Three dice: about 28%.
• Two dice: about 44%.
• One die: about 67%, or 2 rolls in 3.

A few habits follow from those numbers.

• Do not always keep every scoring die. If you roll a 1 and a 5, keeping only the 1 lets you roll five dice instead of four, and five dice farkle half as often.
• With four or more dice left, rolling again is usually worth it, unless your turn total is already large.
• With two or three dice left, stop if your turn is worth keeping. Two dice farkle almost half the time.
• Play the scoreboard. If you are far behind near the end, you have to take bigger risks. If you are ahead, stop earlier and make the others chase you.

These are habits, not guarantees. Farkle is still a dice game, and the dice always have the final say.

Farkle by any other name

The same game is played as Ten Thousand, Zilch, Greed, Zonk and Dix Mille, among other names. The core never changes: six dice, scoring dice set aside, and a turn you can lose by pushing too far. The scoring chart is where versions differ most, which is why it is worth writing yours down.

Other dice games to play online

If you enjoy dice games, two classics run free in your browser. Ludo Jim is the dice game with the most decisions in it: on every roll you choose which token to move. Snakes and Ladders Jim is the opposite, a pure race where the die decides everything. Both can be played online with friends, against the computer or on one shared device.

Frequently asked questions

How many dice do you need for Farkle?

Six. Some versions use five, but the standard game, and the scoring chart above, uses six dice.

What does farkle mean?

A farkle is a roll with no scoring dice in it. It ends your turn, and you lose all the points you had built up that turn.

What are hot dice in Farkle?

Hot dice means all six dice have scored during your turn. You can pick all six up and roll them again, adding to the points you already have.

How many points do you need to win Farkle?

Usually 10,000. When a player reaches it, everyone else gets one final turn to beat that score.

Do 2s, 3s, 4s and 6s score in Farkle?

Only in combinations, such as three of a kind, three pairs or a straight. On their own they score nothing.

Is three pairs worth 1,500 in Farkle?

On the common scoring chart, yes. Some groups score three pairs at 750, so check your house rules.