How to play Farkle
Farkle is a push-your-luck dice game for two or more players. You need six dice, something to keep score on, and the nerve to stop. It goes by plenty of other names, among them Farkel, Zilch, Ten Thousand, Greed and Hot Dice, and the house rules shift a little from table to table.
The aim
Be the first to bank 10,000 points, the usual target at a kitchen table. Points only count once you bank them, and one bad throw can lose everything you have built up in a turn.
Taking a turn
- Throw all six dice.
- Set aside at least one scoring die or set from that throw. Only a 1, also called an ace, or a 5 scores on its own; every other number needs three of a kind or one of the six-dice hands.
- Now choose. Bank the points you have set aside this turn and pass the dice, or throw the dice you have left to add more.
- If a throw shows nothing that scores, that is a farkle. You lose every point from this turn and the dice pass on.
- If every die has been set aside as scoring, you have hot dice. Pick all six up and keep going.
Sets only count inside a single throw: a 4 you set aside earlier never joins two 4s you throw later.
What scores
| Dice | What it is | Points |
|---|---|---|
| A single 1 | 100 | |
| A single 5 | 50 | |
| Three 1s | 1,000 | |
| Three of any other number: 100 times the number | 400 | |
| Each die past three adds the three-of-a-kind score again | 800 | |
| A straight | 1,500 | |
| Three pairs | 1,500 | |
| Two triplets | 2,500 |
Every combination, with worked examples and a score sheet to print, is on the Farkle scoring chart. Not sure what a throw is worth? Tap it into the score calculator.
Common house rules
Farkle has never had one rulebook, so agree these before the first throw.
| Rule | How tables play it |
|---|---|
| Getting on the board | Many tables make you bank 500 or more in a single turn before your score starts to count. |
| Three farkles | Some tables take 1,000 points off a player who farkles three turns in a row. |
| Four of a kind | Some pay a flat 1,000, others double the three-of-a-kind score. |
| Straights and pairs | Some tables do not score a straight or three pairs at all; others pay more for them. |
| The last round | When one player passes 10,000, everyone else gets one more turn to beat them. |
How Farkle & Sons plays it
Farkle & Sons is Farkle against one opponent: Grimsby, a Yorkshire bookmaker with a lot to say. You race him to a target of 1,500 points in round 1, and the target rises by 250 every round. Every point you bank pays a shilling into your purse, and between rounds you spend it on items and dice that bend the rules. Before any throw you can back your own farkle at the board's odds.
There is a new card every day too: 8 rounds on the same dice for everyone, with a daily board for players who sign in.
Questions
What is a farkle?
A throw where nothing scores: no 1, no 5, no three of a kind and none of the six-dice hands. It ends your turn and wipes out the points you had set aside in it.
What are hot dice?
When every die you hold has scored, you pick all six up again and carry on with your turn total intact. You can keep doing it for as long as your luck holds.
How often do you farkle?
It depends on how many dice you throw. With six dice it is about one throw in 43; with one die it is two throws in three. The Farkle odds page has every figure and when to bank.
Can I play Farkle online for free?
Yes. Farkle & Sons runs in your browser on a phone or a computer. There is nothing to download and you do not need an account.