Players
2 or more
Equipment
6 six-sided dice
Length
20 to 40 minutes
How to play, step by step
- Throw six dice. Identify every scoring die in the throw using the chart.
- Keep at least one scorer. Set aside one or more scoring dice. Non-scoring dice cannot be kept.
- Press or bank. Roll the remaining dice to build your turn total, or bank it into your permanent score.
- A Farkle wipes the turn. Throw no scoring dice and you lose everything from that turn.
- Hot dice reset. Score with all six dice and you may re-roll all six while keeping your turn total.
- First to 10,000. Reaching 10,000 triggers a final round for everyone else.
Standard Farkle scoring
| Each 1 | 100 |
| Each 5 | 50 |
| Three of a kind (1s) | 1,000 |
| Three of a kind (2s–6s) | Face value × 100 |
| Four of a kind | 2× the triple value |
| Five of a kind | 4× the triple value |
| Six of a kind | 3,000 |
| 1-2-3-4-5-6 straight | 1,500 |
| Three pairs | 1,500 |
| Two triplets | 2,500 |
Farkle risk, by dice remaining
The chance of Farkling is what should drive every decision: about 2% with six dice, 8% with five, 16% with four, 28% with three, 44% with two and 67% with one. Multiply the risk by your turn total and compare it against the average gain from another throw — roughly 250 to 300 points.
In practice: with four or more dice, roll. With three dice and 350+ banked this turn, stop. With one die and anything meaningful at stake, always stop.
Playing Farkle online with friends
Online Farkle keeps the same chart but automates the two things groups argue about: what counts as a scoring combination, and whose turn it is. The good implementations show every player's turn total live, which changes strategy — you can see exactly how hard you need to press to catch the leader.
The catch with most free multiplayer Farkle apps is that they are single-table and ad-supported. If what you actually want is real opponents and real stakes, a peer-to-peer dice format gives you the same press-your-luck tension with money on the line instead of an ad break.
House rules to agree first
- Entry threshold: many groups require 500 or 1,000 in one turn before you can bank at all.
- Whether three pairs and two triplets score, and for how much.
- Whether you must hit exactly 10,000 or simply pass it.
- Whether a Farkle carries a penalty (some sets deduct 500).
Frequently asked questions
Is Farkle the same as Zonk?
Yes — Farkle, Zonk and 10,000 are the same game with regional name and minor scoring differences.
When should you stop rolling in Farkle?
Broadly, bank once you have 300 or more with three or fewer dice left. Keep rolling with four or more dice in hand.
Can you play Farkle online with friends?
Yes — multiplayer versions exist in browsers and apps, and they enforce the scoring chart automatically.
Keep playing
Roll six dice with friends, or browse the full dice game rules library and our free dice tools.