Farkle Rules and Scoring: How the Six-Dice Game Works

Farkle is a push-your-luck dice game for two or more players, played with six ordinary dice and a score sheet. On each turn you roll, set aside dice that score, and decide whether to bank your points or roll the rest again. Throw nothing that scores and you "farkle", losing everything gathered that turn. The first player past 10,000 points usually takes the game. The rules below are a widely used version; families and clubs tweak the scoring, so agree on a table before the first roll.

What you need

• Six standard six-sided dice
• A pencil and paper for running totals
• Two or more players (there is no fixed upper limit, though the wait between turns drags with eight or more)
• A shallow box lid or tray, so dice stay on the table

How a turn works

1. Roll all six dice.
2. Set aside at least one scoring die or combination. You choose which scoring dice to keep; you are not obliged to keep all of them.
3. Bank or continue. Either write down the points collected this turn and pass the dice on, or throw the remaining dice to try for more.
4. Repeat until you bank or farkle.

Combinations only count when they appear within a single throw. Three 4s collected one at a time over separate rolls are worth nothing, because a lone 4 does not score.

Hot dice

If all six dice end up set aside as scoring dice, you have "hot dice". You may scoop up the full set and keep rolling, adding to the same turn total. It is also the moment many players choose to bank, since the next throw restarts the risk with every die back in play.

A common Farkle scoring table

Combination	Points
Single 1	100
Single 5	50
Three 1s	1,000
Three of any other number	100 × the number (three 4s = 400)
Four of a kind	1,000
Five of a kind	2,000
Six of a kind	3,000
Straight (1-2-3-4-5-6)	1,500
Three pairs	1,500
Four of a kind plus a pair	1,500
Two triplets	2,500

Older house rules often value three 1s at 300 and leave out the six-dice combinations, which makes games slower and swingier. Some groups double a triple's value for each extra matching die instead of using flat numbers. None of these versions is wrong; what matters is that everyone scores from the same sheet.

Getting on the board and winning

Many groups require an opening turn worth at least 500 points before a player's score counts at all. Until you bank 500 or more in a single turn, you are not on the board. The rule stops cautious players from banking a lone 50 on their first go.

The usual target is 10,000. Once someone banks past it, every other player gets one final turn to beat that total, and the highest score after those turns wins.

A popular optional penalty: three farkles in a row cost 1,000 points. It discourages reckless rolling and adds tension late in the game.

How risky is the next roll?

The chance of farkling depends on how many dice you still have to throw. Using the scoring table above, it works out roughly like this:

Dice left to roll	Chance of a farkle
6	about 2.3%
5	about 7.7%
4	about 15.7%
3	about 27.8%
2	about 44.4%
1	about 66.7%

The pattern is plain: throwing five or six dice is cheap, throwing one or two is expensive. That is why the choice of which scoring dice to keep matters. Say you roll 1-5-3-3-6-2. You could keep both the 1 and the 5 for 150 and face four dice, or keep only the 1 for 100 and throw five dice again. The second option gives up 50 points but makes the next roll about half as risky. These figures come from counting every possible outcome, the same method behind the two-dice probability chart.

Common mistakes at the table

• Keeping every scoring die by reflex. Fewer dice left means a higher farkle risk on the next throw.
• Combining across rolls. A triple only counts if all three dice land in the same throw.
• Forgetting the opening threshold. Points from turns banked before you reach the board do not carry over.
• Pressing too early. When an opponent is close to 10,000, a bigger risk can make sense; early in the game, steady banking keeps you in contention.

Farkle questions

How many people can play Farkle?

Two is the minimum. Four to six keeps turns moving; with a larger group, consider lowering the target to 5,000.

Can Farkle be played with five dice?

Yes. Some older versions use five dice and drop the straight and three-pair scores. Lower the winning total to match.

Do you have to keep a 5 if you roll one?

No. You must set aside at least one scoring die per roll, but you decide which. Leaving a 5 in play to throw more dice is a normal tactical choice.

Farkle sits comfortably beside other kitchen-table classics. For a bigger, louder group, Bunco's table-hopping rounds need no decisions at all, while the classic draw game in dominoes rewards a slower kind of planning. Farkle is played for points, not money; if a group of adults ever adds small stakes, keep them token and check what the rules on home games say where you live.