🎲 Farkle
22 playsFarkle
Six dice, a running total, and the eternal question of whether to bank or roll once more.
About Farkle
Farkle is a dice game about nerve. Each turn begins with six dice; after every roll you must set aside at least one scoring die — a 1, a 5, three of a kind or better — and then decide whether to bank the points gathered so far or roll the remaining dice for more. A roll that scores nothing at all is a Farkle, and every point from that turn is lost. Score with all six dice and they come back to you for a fresh roll. The game is played to ten thousand against a computer opponent, and whoever crosses the line first must then watch the other player take one last turn to beat them. The arithmetic of risk is always in plain view, which is exactly what makes the choice so difficult.
How to Play
Roll, then select at least one scoring die to set aside: single 1s (100) and 5s (50), three of a kind (face × 100, three 1s 1,000), four of a kind 1,000, five 2,000, six 3,000, and six-dice combinations from 1,500. Bank to keep the turn’s points, or roll the remaining dice and risk a Farkle, which loses them. Score all six dice for hot dice and roll all six again. First to 10,000 wins, after the other player’s final turn.
💡 Tips & Strategy
Know the odds of a Farkle by the number of dice you are about to roll. With six dice the chance of scoring nothing is about 2 per cent; with five, about 8; four, 16; three, 28; two, 44; and with a single die, two chances in three. That table is the whole game. Six and five dice are almost always worth rolling; one and two are almost always worth banking on unless the turn is still small.
A practical banking guide: with one or two dice left, bank at 300 or more; with three dice, at around 400; with four, somewhere near 700; with five or six, keep rolling unless the total is very large. Bend these figures to the scoreboard — take more risk when well behind, and bank earlier when comfortably ahead. And on the final turn, when the other player has reached ten thousand, there is no banking decision at all: roll until you pass them or Farkle.
Do not set aside every scoring die. The rules require only one. If a roll of six dice shows a 1 and a 5, keeping just the 1 and rolling five dice is usually better than banking the extra 50 and rolling four. Single 5s are the cheapest points in the game and the most often worth throwing back.
Mind one house rule in particular: four of a kind scores a flat 1,000, and that includes four 1s. Three 1s already score 1,000 on their own, so with four 1s showing, set aside three and roll the fourth die with the rest — the same points, with one more die working for you. Score all six dice and you have hot dice: the full set comes back, and it should always be rolled.