Bone · dice game rules
How to play Farkle — rules & scoring
Zilch, Greed, 10,000, Hot Dice
Farkle is the classic push-your-luck dice game: set aside the dice that score, reroll the rest, and bank before a bad roll wipes out your turn. First to 10,000 points wins.
- Players
- 2 to 8
- Length
- ≈ 30 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- What you need
- 6 standard 6-sided dice.
Rules
How to play
Roll all 6 dice. Each roll, you MUST set aside at least one scoring die. Then choose to bank (keep your points) or reroll remaining dice. If none of your dice score on a roll, it's a FARKLE: you lose all points accumulated this turn.
Scoring
- A single 1 = 100 points.
- A single 5 = 50 points.
- Three of a kind = face value × 100 (three 4s = 400), except three 1s = 1,000.
- Four of a kind = three of a kind × 2.
- Five of a kind = three of a kind × 4.
- Six of a kind = 3,000.
- A 1-2-3-4-5-6 straight = 1,500.
- Three pairs = 1,500.
Hot Dice
If all 6 dice score on the same roll, you must reroll all 6 and continue your turn (Hot Dice). Your points accumulate.
Winning
First player to reach 10,000 points wins. All other players get one final turn to try to beat them.
Farkle scoring chart
| Combination | Points |
|---|---|
| Single 1 | 100 |
| Single 5 | 50 |
| Three 1s | 1,000 |
| Three 2s / 3s / 4s / 5s / 6s | 200 / 300 / 400 / 500 / 600 |
| Four of a kind | Three of a kind × 2 |
| Five of a kind | Three of a kind × 4 |
| Six of a kind | 3,000 |
| Straight 1-2-3-4-5-6 | 1,500 |
| Three pairs | 1,500 |
FAQ
- What is a Farkle?
- A roll where no die scores. You lose every point collected that turn and the dice pass to the next player.
- How many dice do you need for Farkle?
- Six standard 6-sided dice, plus pen and paper, or Bone to keep score.
- What happens when all 6 dice score?
- That's Hot Dice: pick all six back up and keep rolling, keeping the points you already made this turn.
- Do you need 500 points to get on the board?
- Not in the basic rules. Many tables add a house rule requiring 500 points in one turn to open your score; agree on it before you start.
