1Object of the game
Finish with the highest score after someone reaches 10,000 points. Each turn you decide how far to press your luck. Stopping early locks in smaller scores; rolling on can build big turns but risks a Farkle that erases every point you've collected that turn.
2Setup
- Grab 6 dice and a score sheet with a column for each player.
- Each player rolls one die; the highest roll goes first. Play passes to the left.
- Agree on the house rules before you start: most importantly, whether three 1s score 1,000 or 300, and whether you need 500 points in one turn to get on the board. The PlayMonster box requires 500 to get on the board.
3The play
- Roll all six dice.
- Set aside at least one scoring die or combination. You must keep at least one scoring die from every roll, but you don't have to keep all of them.
- Add the kept dice to your running total for the turn. Then choose: bank the running total and pass the dice, or roll the remaining dice to try for more.
- If you roll again and none of the dice score, that's a Farkle. You lose all points from this turn and pass the dice to the left.
- If all six dice end up scoring (hot dice), you may pick up all six and keep rolling, adding to the same running total.
4End of a hand
A turn ends when you bank your points or when you Farkle. There are no rounds in the usual sense; play simply rotates around the table. Once a player banks a total of 10,000 or more, every other player gets exactly one more turn to beat that score, and then the game ends.
5Scoring
Only dice from a single roll can form a combination. You can't combine a 3 you kept on your first roll with two 3s from your second roll to make three of a kind. These values follow the PlayMonster box table, except three 1s, where most tables use 1,000.
| For | Points |
|---|---|
| Single 1 | 100 |
| Single 5 | 50 |
| Three 1s | 1,000 (box: 300) |
| 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 |
| Four of a kind plus a pair | 1,500 |
| Two triplets | 2,500 |
Three of a kind scores 100 times the number showing, so three 4s are 400. 2s, 3s, 4s, and 6s score nothing on their own. The official PlayMonster rules list three 1s at 300, which follows the 100-times pattern; most home games and Wikipedia's standard table use 1,000. Decide before the first roll.
The farkle score calculator will do the adding up at the table. More detail: farkle scoring: chart, odds, and worked turns.
6Winning
When a player banks 10,000 or more, every other player takes one final turn. The highest total after those last turns wins. If a player passes the leader during the final turns, the leader doesn't get another turn. If two players tie for the top score, most groups play one extra turn each to break it.
7A worked hand
It's your turn and you roll 1, 3, 3, 3, 6, 2. The 1 is worth 100 and the three 3s are worth 300, so you set aside four dice for a running total of 400. The 6 and the 2 don't score. Now you decide: bank 400, or roll the two leftover dice. You roll them and get a 5 and a 4. The 5 scores 50, so you keep it and your running total is 450. You now have only one die left, and a single die has just a 1 in 3 chance of showing a 1 or 5. The odds of a Farkle are high, so you bank 450 and pass the dice. If you had rolled that last die and it came up 2, 3, 4, or 6, you would Farkle and score nothing for the turn. And if you were still under the 500 needed to get on the board, you'd have to keep rolling, since 450 wouldn't count yet.
8House rules
The rules above are the version most US players use. These are the variations you are most likely to run into; settle them before the first deal.
- Three 1s = 300 or 1,000
- The PlayMonster box scores three 1s at 300; most home games and Wikipedia's standard list score them at 1,000. Pick one before you start.
- 500 to get on the board
- The box rules require a single turn of at least 500 before you can bank for the first time. Some groups use 350 or 1,000, and some play with no minimum.
- Doubling for extra dice
- Some tables score four of a kind as double the three-of-a-kind value, five as four times, and six as eight times, instead of the flat 1,000/2,000/3,000.
- Three Farkles penalty
- A common house rule takes away 500 points from a player who Farkles three turns in a row.
- Must score to win
- Some groups require the final score to be exactly 10,000, or require the final-turn player to pass the leader rather than tie.
9Mistakes people make
- Combinations only count within a single roll. Dice kept from earlier rolls can't be added to new dice to make three of a kind.
- You must set aside at least one scoring die after every roll before you can roll again or bank.
- Hot dice means all six dice have scored during the turn, and you roll all six again, keeping your running total. It doesn't bank automatically.
- When someone reaches 10,000, the game doesn't end on the spot. Every other player gets one last turn.
10Playing better
- You don't have to keep every scoring die. With 1, 5, 5, 2, 3, 4, keeping just the 1 and rolling five dice is often better than keeping all three and rolling three.
- With two or fewer dice left, bank unless you are far behind. Your chance of a Farkle with one die is about 67 percent.
- With four or more dice left and a modest total, rolling on usually pays off.
- Play the score, not just the odds. If an opponent is near 10,000, you may need to take bigger risks to catch up.
- On your final turn after someone passes 10,000, keep rolling until you beat their score. Banking less than that is worthless.
Farkle: questions people ask
- How much are three 1s worth in Farkle?
- It depends on the rules you use. Most tables and the standard scoring on Wikipedia count three 1s as 1,000 points. The official PlayMonster Farkle box lists three 1s at 300, following the same 100-times-the-number rule as other triples. Settle it before you start, since it changes the game a lot.
- What is hot dice in Farkle?
- Hot dice happens when all six dice have been set aside as scoring dice during one turn. You pick up all six and roll them again, adding to the running total you've already built. You can keep going or bank, but a Farkle on the new roll still costs you the entire turn's points.
- Do you need 500 points to get on the board in Farkle?
- Under the PlayMonster box rules, yes: you need at least 500 points in a single turn before you can bank for the first time. Many families use this rule, though some play with no minimum or use a different threshold such as 350 or 1,000. After you're on the board, any amount can be banked.
- What happens when you Farkle?
- A Farkle is a roll where none of the dice score. You lose all the points you built up during that turn, and the dice pass to the next player. Points you banked on earlier turns are safe. Some house rules add a 500-point penalty for three Farkles in a row.
- How many points is a straight in Farkle?
- A 1-2-3-4-5-6 straight on one roll of six dice scores 1,500 points in the PlayMonster rules. Since all six dice score, you also get hot dice and may roll all six again. Short straights such as 1 through 5 don't score as a straight in the standard rules, although the 1 and 5 still score individually.
- How do you win Farkle?
- The first player to bank 10,000 points triggers the end of the game. Each other player then gets one more turn to beat that total. After everyone has had that last turn, the highest score wins. If you're taking a final turn, keep rolling until you pass the leader.
- Is three pairs worth points in Farkle?
- Yes. Three pairs rolled together on six dice, such as 2-2-4-4-6-6, score 1,500 points on the PlayMonster table. Four of a kind plus a pair also scores 1,500, and two triplets score 2,500. All of these use all six dice, so they give you hot dice as well.
Sources
Checked by Morgan Hale against the sources below. Last reviewed September 28, 2026.
- Farkle Rules, PlayMonster. Read September 28, 2026.
- Farkle, Wikipedia. Read September 28, 2026.
Also on the table: Yahtzee, Bunco, Backgammon, Phase 10.