How to Play Farkle
Six dice, set the scorers aside, roll the rest — or lose it all to a farkle.
Farkle is the dice game of pressing your luck: six dice, and a turn you can stop whenever you like — or lose all at once. Roll, set aside the dice that score, and choose: roll the rest for more, or bank what you have. A roll with nothing in it is a farkle, and the turn’s points are gone. The first seat to bank 10,000 closes the game, and every other seat gets one more turn to pass it. Two to four play, against the computer at three levels or online.
Ways to play Farkle
Two to four at the board
Play Farkle against the computer with one, two or three others at the board. Every seat is filled, so a game always starts.
Online with friends and family
Create a board, share the code, and play together on the same board. Online games count towards your rating and My Stats.
Picked up where you left it
Close the tab mid-game and come back to it — the game is kept in your browser, on the board you were playing.
No ads, ever
No advertising, no interruption, nothing to dismiss. The same promise as every Vanikar™ game.
🎯 Objective
Have the highest total once a seat has banked 10,000 and every other seat has had one more turn.
🎲 Farkle setup
- Six dice on the felt, a tray for the dice you set aside, and the turn’s running points written under the roll.
- Choose how many play, from two to four, and the computer’s level. You roll first; the computer takes the seats you do not.
- Every seat starts at zero. Each seat’s total is shown with the seat, and the seat that is up is lit.
- A 1 is worth 100 and a 5 is worth 50 on their own; everything else scores only as three or more of a kind, or as a six-dice combination.
▶ How to play Farkle
- Roll all six dice.
- Set aside at least one scoring die or combination — every die you set aside must be part of something that scores. The line under the table says what they are worth as you tap.
- Then choose: Keep & roll to roll the dice that remain, or Bank to add the turn’s points to your total and end the turn.
- A roll with nothing in it — no 1, no 5, no three of a kind — is a farkle: everything you had this turn is lost, and the turn passes.
- Set all six dice aside and you have hot dice: roll six fresh ones and keep everything you have scored so far, or bank it.
- The first seat to bank 10,000 or more closes the game; every other seat has one more turn to pass it.
🎬 Watch: How to Play Farkle
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📖 Detailed guide
A turn
- Roll all six. Tap the dice to set aside; the line under the table says what they score, or which die spoils the selection.
- Keep & roll rolls what is left; Bank takes the turn’s points. Both wait until what you have chosen scores.
- You can bank straight from a roll: the chosen dice are set aside first, then the points go to your total.
- Hot dice: all six set aside brings six fresh dice to roll, with the turn’s points still yours.
What scores
- A 1 is 100, a 5 is 50. Nothing else scores on its own.
- Three of a kind score a hundred times the face, except three 1s, which are 1,000. Four of a kind are 1,000, five 2,000 and six 3,000.
- A straight of 1 to 6, three pairs, and four of a kind with a pair are each 1,500. Two triplets are 2,500.
- The game counts a selection the best way it can be split: four 1s are a triplet and a single, 1,100, not four of a kind for 1,000.
Farkle and the last round
- A roll with no 1, no 5 and no three of a kind is a farkle. The turn’s points are lost and the dice pass.
- The first seat to bank 10,000 or more closes the game. Every other seat then has one more turn to pass it.
- The highest total wins; equal highest is a draw.
- A game that reaches 500 rolls is settled on the totals as they stand — a digital cap, so no table runs for ever.
Offline and online
- Offline, choose how many play — two to four — and the computer’s level: Easy, Medium or Hard.
- When the computer plays, its dice tumble, the ones it keeps are ringed before they go to the tray, and the line under the table says what it did.
- Online, create a board, share the code, and two to four sit at it; the result counts towards your rating and My Stats.
- The game is written down roll by roll, so you can close it mid-turn and come back to the same dice.
🏁 How Farkle is won
A 1 is 100 and a 5 is 50. Three of a kind are a hundred times the face — three 2s 200, three 6s 600 — and three 1s are 1,000. Four of a kind are 1,000, five 2,000, six 3,000. A straight of 1 to 6, three pairs, and four of a kind with a pair are each 1,500; two triplets are 2,500. The game always counts a selection the best way it can be split. When the last round is over the highest total wins; equal highest is a draw. A game that reaches 500 rolls is settled on the totals as they stand.
❓ Farkle — frequently asked questions
How many players do you need for Farkle?
Farkle is played by 2–4. Seats you do not fill are taken by the computer, so a game always starts.
Where can I play Farkle?
In your browser at play.vanikar.games, on a computer, a tablet or a phone. Sign in with the same Vanikar™ account you use for the card games.
Is Farkle included in my subscription?
Yes. One Card Games by Vanikar™ subscription covers the card games, Chess & Checkers and the board games, and every game released after them.
Does Farkle have ads?
No. No Vanikar™ game has ever carried advertising, and none ever will.
What is a farkle?
A roll that scores nothing: no 1, no 5 and no three of a kind. Everything you had set aside that turn is lost, and the turn passes to the next seat.
How many points do you need to win Farkle?
Banking 10,000 closes the game, and every other seat gets one more turn. The highest total then wins — not always the seat that reached 10,000 first.
What are hot dice?
All 6 dice set aside in one turn. You roll 6 fresh dice and keep the points you have scored so far — or bank them.
Does Farkle count the best scoring split for me?
Yes. A selection is always scored the best way it can be split: four 1s count as three 1s and a single 1, which is 1,100, rather than four of a kind for 1,000.