How to Play Farkle
Farkle is a classic push-your-luck dice game played with 6 dice. The goal is to be the first player to accumulate 10,000 points across multiple rounds. Each turn, you roll all available dice and set aside scoring combinations — then decide to either bank your points or roll again to try for more.
Basic Rules
- Roll all 6 dice on your first roll each turn
- You must keep at least one scoring die per roll
- Set aside your kept dice, then choose to roll the remaining dice or bank
- If no dice score — that's a Farkle! You lose all points from that turn
- If all 6 dice score (Hot Dice), you may roll all 6 again
- You need 500 points to get on the scoreboard for the first time
- First player to reach 10,000 points wins
Farkle Scoring Chart
| Combination | Points |
|---|---|
| Single 1 | 100 |
| Single 5 | 50 |
| Three 1s | 1,000 |
| Three 2s | 200 |
| Three 3s | 300 |
| Three 4s | 400 |
| Three 5s | 500 |
| Three 6s | 600 |
| 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 |
Farkle Strategy Tips
When to Bank
As a general rule, bank when you have 300+ points and only 2 dice left to roll. The odds of Farkling with 2 dice are roughly 44% — not worth it unless you're desperate.
Exploit Hot Dice
When you hit Hot Dice (all 6 score), always roll again. You keep all accumulated points AND you're rolling 6 fresh dice — statistically favorable.
Opening Move Threshold
Since you need 500 to get on the board, take more risks early. Rolling 4 dice with 300 points banked won't help — you need to push for that 500 minimum.
Risk vs Reward Late Game
When you're close to 10,000, let opponents take bigger risks. Lead with a bank-heavy strategy and let them Farkle chasing you.
About Farkle
Farkle has been a family staple since the 1980s, though its exact origins are debated. The game was commercially popularized by Legendary Games Inc. in 1996. The name "Farkle" is said to come from early motorcycle terminology — a "farkle" being an accessory that's purely decorative and serves no real function. In the game, it describes that gut-punch moment when your dice are worthless.
Farkle vs. Yahtzee: While both use 6 dice, Farkle is a press-your-luck game where the key decision is whether to keep rolling. Yahtzee uses fixed categories on a scorecard — you fill 13 slots over 13 rounds. Farkle is more chaotic and high-stakes; Yahtzee is more strategic and structured.
Popular Variations: Zilch, 10,000, Cosmic Wimpout, and Greed all share Farkle's core push-your-luck mechanism. Zilch is nearly identical to Farkle; 10,000 adds a requirement that you score at least 1,000 points to bank.