How to play Farkle
Farkle is push-your-luck in its purest form: six dice, a growing pile of turn points, and one question after every roll — bank it, or risk it all? Roll nothing scorable and you've farkled: the whole turn evaporates.
- Scoring dice — 1s (100), 5s (50), triples (face × 100, three 1s = 1,000, doubling per extra die), a full straight or three pairs (1,500).
- Your turn — roll, click at least one scoring die to keep, then roll the rest or bank.
- Hot dice — score all six and roll all six again, points intact.
- The race — first to bank 10,000 wins. Emma plays her turns in front of you, holds and all.
Strategy tips that survive the farkle
- Respect the two-dice cliff. Rerolling two dice farkles almost half the time. Below three dice, take good points and run.
- Don't hoard lone 5s. Keeping a single 5 for 50 points costs you a die. Leave it and reroll more dice when the pile is small.
- Chase hot dice only when cheap. Five kept dice with 300 points is a fine place to stop — one die rarely saves the chase.
- Play the score, not the dice. Behind by 2,000 late? Push. Ahead near 10,000? Bank everything that moves.
Frequently asked questions
What are the rules of Farkle?
Roll six dice. After every roll you must set aside at least one scoring die, then either roll the rest or bank your turn points. Rolling dice with nothing scorable is a FARKLE — every unbanked point from the turn is lost. First to 10,000 banked points wins.
How does Farkle scoring work?
Single 1s are 100 and single 5s are 50. Three of a kind scores 100x the face (three 1s = 1,000), and each extra matching die doubles it. A six-die straight (1-2-3-4-5-6) and three pairs each score 1,500.
What are hot dice?
If all six dice end up scoring, you may pick up all six and keep rolling with your turn points intact. Hot dice chains are how monster turns happen — and how they evaporate.
When should I bank in Farkle?
The fewer dice you have left, the more likely a farkle: with one or two dice, only 1s and 5s save you (a two-die farkle chance is about 44%). Most players bank around 300-500 points unless the dice are hot or the game is on the line.
Do I have to keep every scoring die?
No — only at least one. Leaving a lone 5 on the table to reroll more dice is a real tactic, and this version lets you choose exactly which dice to set aside.
More free games
Love the dice? Play Yahtzee against Emma too — or switch to cards with Crazy Eights and Gin Rummy.