Farkle

Farkle is the dice game where you roll dice to score points, but every roll carries the risk of “farkling” (rolling a score-zero combination) and losing everything you scored that turn. Sometimes called Greed, Zonk, 10,000, or other names depending on region. The push-your-luck mechanic — keep rolling for more, or stop and bank — drives the strategy.

How to play

• Roll 6 dice.
• Set aside scoring dice (1s, 5s, triplets, straights).
• Re-roll remaining dice for more points.
• If a roll has NO scoring dice = FARKLE = lose all points this turn.
• Bank your points or keep pressing your luck.
• If you set aside ALL 6 dice, you get a “hot dice” — roll all 6 again.
• First to 10,000 wins.

Scoring

• 1: 100 each.
• 5: 50 each.
• Three 1s: 1000.
• Three 2s: 200. Three 3s: 300. Three 4s: 400. Three 5s: 500. Three 6s: 600.
• Four of a kind: double the triplet value.
• Five of a kind: triple.
• Six of a kind: quadruple.
• Straight (1-6): 1500.

Beginner strategy

• Bank early when ahead. 300+ points = decent bank.
• Push when behind. Risk needed to catch up.
• Farkle probability rises with each roll. 6 dice = small risk. 1-2 dice = high risk.
• Triplets are valuable. 1000 from three 1s = huge swing.
• Hot dice = re-roll all 6. Don’t miss this opportunity.

Push-your-luck math

• 6 dice: chance of farkle ~3%.
• 4 dice: ~16%.
• 2 dice: ~44%.
• 1 die: 66% (only 1s and 5s score).
• Expected value: compute (probability × current bank) before each roll.

FAQ

• Q: When do I “farkle”? A: When a roll produces no scoring dice. Lose all points this turn.
• Q: Minimum to bank? A: Often 500 minimum to enter scoring (varies by house rules).
• Q: Hot dice rule? A: When all 6 dice score, you can re-roll all 6 for more.
• Q: First to 10,000? A: Standard target. Some variants 5,000 or 15,000.

For other dice games, try Yahtzee, Backgammon, Coin Flip, or Higher Lower.