Farkel is a popular dice game that is easy and quick to play, with simple rules that rely on luck, but allow for significant elements of strategy and skill as well.
Since Farkle (sometimes spelled "Farkel") is a traditional game, played by different groups under different names around the world, there are no "official" rules. Here are the basic rules used by most commercial Farkel games:
The game is played by two or more players, using six six-sided dice. A dice cup is often used to hold and then toss the dice, though of course your hand may work just as well.
The object of the game is to be the player with the highest score over 10,000 points.
Players take turns rolling the dice. To begin a turn, a player rolls all six dice at once. Points are earned for various scoring combinations. If no points are scored during that roll, that's called a "Farkle" and you lose your turn, and score no points.
If any points are scored during that roll, you have the option of either banking the points, and relinquishing your turn, or pressing your luck and rolling again, using the dice that were not scored during the preceding roll(s). You can keep rolling, and keep racking up points, until you either bank your points, or roll a Farkle and lose all the points from that round. If you manage to score all six dice (whether in one roll or multiple rolls), start the next roll with all six dice again.
Here are the points awarded to various rolls:
| Roll | Points | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Single "1" | 100 |
1
|
| Single "5" | 50 |
5
|
| Three 1's | 300 |
1
1
1
|
| Three 2's | 200 |
2
2
2
|
| Three 3's | 300 |
3
3
3
|
| Three 4's | 400 |
4
4
4
|
| Three 5's | 500 |
5
5
5
|
| Three 6's | 600 |
6
6
6
|
| Four of a Kind | 1000 |
4
4
4
4
|
| Five of a Kind | 2000 |
5
5
5
5
5
|
| Six of a Kind | 3000 |
6
6
6
6
6
6
|
| Straight (1-2-3-4-5-6) | 1500 |
1
2
3
4
5
6
|
| Three Pairs | 1500 |
1
1
2
2
3
3
|
| Four of one number, Pair of another number | 1500 |
4
4
4
4
2
2
|
| Two Triplets | 1500 |
1
1
1
2
2
2
|
To get on the board for the first time, you must score at least 500 points on a single turn. (In other words, your first bank must be at least 500 points.) After that, you may bank as many or as few points as you like during a turn.
Then the first player reaches a score of 10,000 points, each player has one last turn to try and come out on top. The player with the final score at the end of that last round wins the game!
As you can see, each roll requires a decision – do you settle for what you have, or go for more points and risk losing them all? This element of strategy can make for a tense, but fun, game, and is one of the reasons that Farkle has remained a popular dice game for generations.
Farkle Score Sheets
FarkleRules.com has some sample score sheets that you can print out and use (albeit with slightly different score tables compared to the one above).
Farkle Alternate Names and Related Games
Other names for Farkle include: 1000/5000/10000, Greed, Hot Dice, Wimpout, Squelch, Zilch, and Zonk (among others).
Farkle is also related to dice games such as Kismet and Yahtzee, which use some of the same gameplay elements and strategies.
Farkle Rule Links
To learn more about the game of Farkle, consult one of the many fine web sites below, which provide additional rule and strategy guides.
- FarkleRules.com
Provides the "definitive guide" to the dice game Farkle / Farkel, including various options, history, and current information. - OfficialFarkleRules.com
Dacy and Amy's Official Rules of Farkle, including a history of the game. - Patch Products Farkle Rules
These are the rules included with the commercial version of Farkle from Patch Products. Patch also provides rules for Farkle Frenzy, a version of the game in which everyone plays simultaneously. [PDF] - Wikipedia Farkle
Information about the game of Farkle, from the free online encyclopedia, with rules, variations, and probabilities.
See also: Other Dice Game Rules, Buy Farkle Games
