Farkle: Rules and How to Play
Farkle is a 20-minute dice game for 2–4 players. Roll six dice, set aside the ones that score, and bank your points before you push your luck too far. Free in your browser, no sign-up.
Objective
Farkle is a push-your-luck dice game for two or more players, also known as Ten Thousand or Zilch. Each turn you roll six dice, set aside the ones that score, and decide whether to bank your points or roll the rest for more. Roll nothing that scores and you lose everything from that turn. Reaching the target starts a final round, and the highest score wins.
Setup
- Two to four players and six dice. Playing alone, you face the computer.
- Everyone starts at zero. The default target is 10,000 (about 10–35 minutes); 5,000 and 2,000 make shorter games.
- By default there is no opening minimum, so you can bank any score from your first turn. A table can require 500 before a player first banks.
- The standard scoring table is used unless the table picks the fixed table (see Common variants).
How to play
- On your turn, roll all six dice.
- Set aside at least one scoring die or combination. A single 1 is 100 and a single 5 is 50. Three of a kind is the face times 100, and three 1s are 1,000. Four of a kind is double the triple, five is four times and six is eight times. A 1-2-3-4-5-6 straight is 1,500 and three pairs are 1,000.
- Combinations only count within a single roll; dice from different rolls never combine. Every die you set aside must score.
- Then either roll the remaining dice to add more, or bank to add this turn's points to your total and pass the dice.
- Hot dice: if all six dice have scored, you may pick them all up and roll again, keeping the points you have not banked yet.
Winning and scoring
- If a roll has no scoring dice, you farkle: this turn's unbanked points are lost and your turn ends. Your banked total is safe.
- When a player's banked total reaches the target, every other player gets one last turn.
- After that final round, the highest score wins. Equal scores are a draw. A player may also resign.
Common variants
- Fixed table: many printed rule sheets give four of a kind 1,000, five 2,000 and six 3,000, three pairs 1,500, four of a kind with a pair 1,500 and two triplets 2,500. Choose the fixed table to play this way.
- Opening minimum: many tables require a first bank of at least 500 (sometimes more). 500 is available here.
- Three farkles in a row: a common house rule takes 1,000 points off a player who farkles three turns running. It is not used here.
- Final round: some groups skip it, and the first player to reach the target wins at once. Here everyone else always gets one more turn.
Defaults on this site
| Item | Default on this site |
|---|---|
| Players | 2–4 players (set automatically by the party size) |
| Turn time limit | None by default (the host can set 30 or 60 seconds) |
| If someone drops mid-game | Reopening on the same device returns you to your seat. If you do not return, the CPU plays in your place. |
| Draws | In ranked play, a draw counts as halfway between a win and a loss for your rating. |
| Source of the rules | Based on the standard reference rules |
Rules supervised by Qdan, Inc. (based on the standard reference rules)
House rules
Defaults follow the standard reference rules. The party can change these.
| Name | Description | Default | Changeable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoring tableScoring tableA triple is three of the same number, worth 100 times the number (1,000 for ones). Three pairs means three different pairs. In Standard, each extra die of a kind doubles the points, so six of a kind is huge. In the Fixed table those combinations have set values instead, but there are more six-dice combinations and they pay more. | Standard: four of a kind is twice the triple, five is four times, six is eight times, and three pairs are 1,000. Fixed: four is 1,000, five 2,000, six 3,000, three pairs 1,500, plus four of a kind with a pair for 1,500 and two triples for 2,500. | Standard | Can be changed |
| Target score | Reaching this score starts the final round. The times in brackets are a guide for 2–4 players. | 10,000 (about 10–35 min) | Can be changed |
| Opening minimumOpening minimumBanking means adding the points you set aside this turn to your total and ending your turn. With 500, a player still on zero cannot bank until that turn's points reach 500, so they must keep rolling. That raises the risk of farkling early and makes it easier to fall behind. | What a player on zero needs before they can bank for the first time. | None (0) | Can be changed |
| Swap first player on rematch | Play again switches who goes first. | On | Can be changed |
Terms
- Unbanked points
- What you have set aside this turn. A farkle loses all of it.
- Set aside
- Moving scoring dice out of the roll. Dice from different rolls never combine.
- Bank
- Adding this turn's points to your total and ending the turn. Banked points are safe.
- Farkle
- A roll with no scoring dice at all. The turn's unbanked points go to zero.
- Final round
- The one extra turn each other player takes after someone reaches the target.
- Scoring table
- Which combinations are worth what. Pick the standard table (default) or the fixed one; the board's Scoring panel always shows the table in use.
FAQ
Why can I not keep my selection?
Every selected die has to be used by the score. Check whether a non-scoring die slipped in.
Can I combine dice from different rolls?
No. A combination has to come from one roll.
Do I win as soon as I reach the target?
No. Everyone else takes one more turn first, and then the highest score wins.
What is four of a kind worth?
In the default standard table it is twice the triple, so four 2s are 400 and four 1s are 2,000. The fixed table gives 1,000 whatever the face.
Play now with these rules
Last updated 2026-09-21 · Run by Qdan, Inc.