Farkle Scoring Rules

Farkle is a dice game for two or more players. You roll six dice, set aside scoring dice, and decide whether to bank your points or risk them on another roll. This page covers what each combination is worth, the rules most tables argue about, and the common variations.

There is no single official rulebook. The scoring below is the version we use as the “Classic” setting in Hot Dice. Where tables differ, we say so.

How a turn works

1. Roll all six dice.
2. If nothing scores, that is a Farkle: you score zero for the turn and play passes on.
3. Otherwise set aside at least one scoring die or combination, and add it to your turn total.
4. Choose: bank the turn total, or roll the remaining dice to try for more.
5. If all six dice have scored, you have hot dice: pick up all six and keep rolling, keeping your turn total.

The first player to reach the target (often 10,000) triggers the final round: every other player gets one last turn, and the highest total wins.

Farkle scoring table (Classic)

Only 1s and 5s score by themselves. A 2, 3, 4 or 6 scores only as part of three or more of a kind, or in a six-dice combination such as a straight.

Simple scoring (the easy-to-remember version)

Simple keeps the same single dice, three-of-a-kind values and six-dice combinations, with two changes:

• More dice double the value. Four of a kind is 2 times the three-of-a-kind value, five is 4 times, and six is 8 times. Four 2s is 400, five 2s is 800, six 2s is 1,600.
• No entry minimum and no penalties. You can bank any score on your first turn.

It is quicker to teach and a good choice for families and new players. In Hot Dice, this is the Simple preset.

The rules tables disagree about

Three 1s: 1,000 or 300?

Both Hot Dice presets use three 1s = 1,000. Some tables use 300 (three 1s as just 3 × 100). The 1,000 rule rewards luck and speeds the game up. The 300 rule keeps ones in line with other dice.

Four, five and six of a kind

Many tables use one of two systems: fixed values (1,000 / 2,000 / 3,000 in Classic), or doubling for each extra die (Simple). Some groups also score “four of a kind” as simply three of a kind plus a single. Agree before you roll.

Entry minimum (“getting on the board”)

In Classic, you cannot bank until you reach 500 or more in a single turn. Until you do, your score stays at zero. Some tables use 300, 350 or 1,000, or have no minimum at all. A higher minimum makes the early game swingy and slower.

Three-farkle penalty

Roll three Farkles in a row and you lose points, 1,000 in Classic. The streak resets once you bank. Some tables use 500, and some groups play with no penalty. It stops a player from coasting on a bad run and adds tension to rolling again.

Must you use all scoring dice?

Many tables let you set aside only the dice you choose, as long as at least one scores. Some groups require taking every scoring die. Pick one.

Target score and final round

Many tables play to 10,000, and some groups play quick games to 5,000. In the final round, everyone else gets one more turn to beat the leader’s total. Many tables break a tie with another round between the tied players.

Strategy in brief

• With 1 or 2 dice left, rolling again is risky. The chance of a Farkle on a single die is 2 in 3, and on two dice it is 4 in 9. (These are probability math for fair dice, not a rule of the game.)
• With 5 or 6 dice, you are very unlikely to Farkle on the first roll, so continue unless you already have a high total.
• Entry-minimum tables: keep rolling until you pass the minimum. Banking 300 is worth nothing if you need 500.

Keep score without arguments

Most Farkle fights are about the math, or “wait, what were the rules?” Writing a house-rule card helps. A scorekeeper app helps more.