How to play Farkle

Objective

Be the player with the highest score after someone reaches 10,000 points and every opponent takes one final turn. You score by setting aside certain dice, but every extra roll risks losing all unbanked points from the current turn.

This page follows PlayMonster’s six-dice rules, including a 500-point opening threshold, hot dice and the full combination table below. Farkle has many local score sheets, so compare tables before the first roll.

Setup

Use six ordinary six-sided dice, a cup and a score sheet. Write every player’s name in turn order. Everyone rolls one die; the highest roller starts (reroll ties), and play moves clockwise.

Everyone begins at zero. A player must bank at least 500 points in a single turn to enter the score sheet. Once entered, that player may bank any positive turn score on later turns.

Scoring

Only the following dice score. A single 2, 3, 4 or 6 scores nothing outside a listed combination.

Dice from one roll	Score
Single 1	100
Single 5	50
Three 1s	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 one pair	1,500
Two triplets	2,500

Combinations must appear in a single roll. Dice kept from separate rolls do not merge into a new three-, four-, five- or six-of-a-kind, straight, three-pair or two-triplet combination. Score each roll before rolling again.

Turns

Roll all six dice. After every roll:

1. Set aside at least one scoring die or scoring combination.
2. Add its value to the unbanked score for this turn.
3. Either bank the turn score and pass the dice, or roll every die not set aside.

You may keep more than one scoring group from a roll. You may not set aside a non-scoring die, and dice already set aside remain out of the next roll.

If a roll contains no scoring die or combination, you farkle. The turn ends immediately and you score zero for the whole turn, including points collected on earlier rolls that turn. Your banked total from previous turns is safe.

Hot dice

If all six dice have scored during the turn, you have hot dice. Add their points, pick up all six dice and either roll them again to continue the same turn or bank. A farkle after hot dice still loses every unbanked point accumulated in that turn.

Worked example

Your first roll has one scoring 5, which you set aside for 50 points. Roll the other five dice. The next roll contains a single 1 and three 4s; set those four dice aside for 100 + 400 = 500 more.

Your turn total is now 550. That clears the 500-point entry threshold, so you may bank 550. You could instead risk the one remaining die, but only a 1 or 5 would score; any other result would be a farkle and the entire 550 would disappear.

Winning

When a player banks a total of 10,000 or more, finish that turn and give every other player exactly one final turn. Those players may still overtake the leader.

After the final player banks or farkles, the highest total wins. A player who had not yet reached the 500-point entry threshold must still meet it in one turn before any score can be recorded, even during the final round.

If the top totals are tied, use an agreed tie-break such as one additional turn for the tied players. PlayMonster gives no tie-break, so agree one beforehand.

Common mistakes

• Adding dice across rolls into a combination. A set, straight or pair pattern must appear in one roll.
• Keeping a non-scoring die. Every die set aside must score on that roll.
• Losing old banked points after a farkle. Only the current turn’s unbanked score is lost.
• Recording 450 as an opening score. The first banked score must reach at least 500 in one turn.
• Stopping hot dice automatically. Scoring all six lets you roll all six again, or bank.
• Ending the game instantly at 10,000. Every opponent receives one final turn.
• Using a familiar house table without comparing it. Combination values differ between editions and groups.

Variants

Some tables omit the 500-point entry threshold or use a different minimum. Targets of 5,000 or 20,000 change game length. A three-farkle penalty may subtract points for three consecutive scoreless turns, and some games let a player begin from the previous player’s unbanked dice.

Scoring sheets sometimes omit the straight, three pairs, four-of-a-kind plus a pair or two triplets, or give them different values. Other versions build larger sets across several rolls. Those are real Farkle variants, but the primary table above includes every listed PlayMonster combination and requires each combination to occur in one roll.

Final-round rules can also vary: some opponents get one chance to beat the first player past the target, while other groups keep playing until every player has had the same number of turns. This page uses one final turn for every opponent.

Common questions

How many points are three ones worth in Farkle?

In the PlayMonster rules used here, three ones score 300 points. Some other Farkle tables give a different value, so agree on the score sheet before playing.

Can you combine dice from different rolls in Farkle?

No. A scoring combination must appear in a single roll. A 1 kept from an earlier roll cannot join two new 1s to form three of a kind.

Do you lose all your points when you farkle?

You lose only the current turn’s unbanked points. Points banked on earlier turns remain safe, even if you farkle after rolling hot dice.