Tap dice from your roll to set them aside, then roll the rest or bank. Keys: R roll · B bank · P best pick · 1–6 pick dice.
How to play Farkle online
Farkle is the classic push-your-luck dice game, also known as 10,000. Roll six dice, set aside the ones that score, and decide: bank your points and stay safe, or roll again and risk losing the lot to a farkle. In this free browser version you race the computer to 10,000 points — no downloads, no signup, and your stats save locally.
Farkle rules
The race. You and the computer take turns; the first player to bank 10,000 points triggers the endgame. The other side then gets exactly one final turn to beat that total — the higher score wins. You roll first.
Your turn. Roll all six dice. After every roll you must set aside at least one scoring die or combination. Then choose: roll the remaining dice to build your turn total, or bank it.
Farkle. If a roll contains no scoring dice at all, that's a farkle — your turn ends instantly and every unbanked point from the turn is lost.
Hot dice. If all six dice end up set aside as scorers, they all come back and the turn keeps going with your total intact.
One roll at a time. Combinations must come from a single roll. Two 4s kept earlier plus a 4 rolled later do not make three of a kind.
No minimum to open. There's no minimum score to get on the board — you can bank your very first 50 points.
Farkle scoring table
Dice
Points
Single 1
100
Single 5
50
Three 1s
1,000
Three of a kind (2s–6s)
face × 100
Four of a kind
1,000
Five of a kind
2,000
Six of a kind
3,000
Straight 1-2-3-4-5-6
1,500
Three pairs
1,500
No other combinations score: 2s, 3s, 4s and 6s are worthless outside a three-of-a-kind, straight or three pairs. So three 2s are 200 points, three 6s are 600, and a lone 2 is never a legal keep. A few rulings this game applies:
The highest reading always counts. Four 1s score 1,100 (three 1s plus a single 1) because that beats the flat 1,000 for four of a kind. The selection read-out and "Best pick" always use the top interpretation.
Three pairs must be pairs. 2-2-3-3-3-3 splits into three matching pairs, so it scores 1,500. But 4-4-4-5-5-5 has no third matching pair — it scores as two triples, 400 + 500 = 900.
Straights and three pairs use all six dice from one roll — there are no partial straights.
Farkle strategy and tips
Respect the odds. One die farkles about 67% of the time, two dice 44%, three dice 28%. With one or two dice left and 300+ on the table, banking is usually right.
Don't keep every 5. A lone 5 is worth 50 but costs a die. Rolling 1-5-2-2-3-4, keeping just the 1 and re-rolling five dice usually beats keeping both.
Press hot dice. A fresh set of six farkles barely 2% of the time — when all six come back, rolling again is almost always worth it.
Play the scoreboard. Bank early to protect a lead; press harder when you're behind or when the computer is closing in on 10,000. Steady 300s lose to one big turn.
The final turn is different. If the computer banks 10,000 first, banking less than its total is worthless — keep rolling until you pass it or farkle trying.
About Farkle
Farkle is a folk dice game with centuries of history and a dozen names — 10,000, Zilch, Hot Dice, Greed — played with nothing but six dice and nerve. Nobody knows exactly where it started; versions of the "keep scoring dice, dare another roll" idea appear in dice games across Europe going back to the middle ages. Commercial boxed versions appeared in the 1980s, but the game has always spread the old way: someone teaches you at a kitchen table, and you lose your first 500 points to greed. Its blend of simple scoring and brutal push-your-luck decisions makes it one of the best pure dice games ever devised.
Frequently asked
What is a farkle? A farkle is a roll where none of the dice you just rolled score anything. Your turn ends immediately and you lose every point collected that turn — banked points are always safe.
How much are three pairs worth in Farkle? Three pairs in a single six-dice roll score 1,500 points. Four of a kind plus a pair also splits into three pairs, so 2-2-3-3-3-3 is worth 1,500.
Do points carry over between turns in Farkle? Only banked points carry over. Points set aside during a turn are lost if you farkle, and dice combinations must all come from a single roll — you can't build a triple across rolls.
Is there a minimum score to get on the board? No. This version has no opening minimum — you can bank your very first 50 points. Some house rules require 500 to open; here every bank counts from the start.
Is Farkle free to play? Yes — no signup, no downloads, no installs. It runs right in your browser and your stats save locally.