Farkle

How to play farkle online

1. Open the Players select and choose You vs 1 computer (the default), You vs 2 computers, You vs 3 computers, or one of the pass-and-play options for 2, 3 or 4 players on one device.
2. Open Target score and choose Play to 10,000 (the default) or Play to 5,000.
3. If you want the harder rules, set Minimum to get on the board to On board: 500 needed and Three Farkles in a row to 3 Farkles: -1,000. Changing the first four selects starts a new game.
4. Press Roll 6 dice to start your turn.
5. Tap each die you want to set aside. Selected dice lift and get a gold outline, and the line below the table shows the points they are worth.
6. Press Set aside and roll to roll the remaining dice, or press Bank to add the turn points to your score.
7. After a Farkle, press Next player.

Press Hint to see which dice the computer would set aside, shown with a blue outline, and whether it would roll again or bank. On a keyboard, keys 1 to 6 select dice from left to right, and R, B, H, N and F act as Roll, Bank, Hint, New game and Fullscreen. There is no Undo, and New game starts a new game at once without asking you to confirm.

What are the farkle rules?

Each turn you roll all six dice. You must set aside at least one scoring die or combination, then either roll the remaining dice again or bank the turn points. Every die you set aside has to be part of a scoring combination, so a selection that includes a lone 2 is refused and nothing changes.

Within one roll, combinations count only from the dice you select in that roll. A triple must be rolled together in one roll, and dice you set aside earlier do not combine with dice from a later roll. The game chooses the best way to score the dice you select.

What is farkle scoring?

A single 1 is worth 100 and a single 5 is worth 50. Three of a kind is worth 100 times its number, so three 1s score 1,000 and three 6s score 600. Four of a kind scores 1,000, five of a kind 2,000 and six of a kind 3,000. A straight from 1 to 6 scores 1,500, three pairs 1,500, four of a kind plus a pair 1,500, and two triplets 2,500.

Extra 1s and 5s on top of a set count as singles, so 1-1-1-1 is 1,100 and 5-5-5-1 is 600. These examples show how the rules apply:

• Dice 1, 1, 1, 1, 5, 5 score 1,500 (four of a kind plus a pair).
• Dice 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4 score 1,500 (three pairs).
• Dice 5, 5, 5, 1 score 600.
• Dice 1, 1, 1, 5, 5, 5 score 2,500 (two triplets).
• Dice 2, 2, 3, 4, 6, 6 score 0, so that selection is not valid, because the 2, 3 and 4 do not score.

When do you lose your points in farkle?

A Farkle is a roll with no scoring die. When it happens, the points for that turn are lost and the turn ends. The chance of a Farkle rises quickly as you have fewer dice to roll: 2.3% with 6 dice, 7.7% with 5, 15.7% with 4, 27.8% with 3, 44.4% with 2 and 66.7% with 1.

What is hot dice in farkle?

Hot dice happens when all six dice have been set aside after scoring. You then roll all six again and keep the turn points you have built up, or you can bank them instead.

Can you bank a small score in farkle?

With the default option, you can bank any turn total, even 50 points. With On board: 500 needed, you cannot bank until you have banked once, unless the turn total is at least 500. Below that, the game refuses the bank and you must keep rolling.

How does a farkle game end?

The first player to bank to the target score (10,000 or 5,000) or more starts the last round. Every other player then gets exactly one more turn, and players may pass the target further in that round. The highest score wins, and equal top scores are shown as “It’s a tie”.

What are good farkle strategy and tips?

Bank before your dice run low, because a Farkle with only two or three dice is far more likely than with five. Setting aside a single 1 or 5 leaves more dice to roll, which keeps the Farkle chance lower. The computer banks at 2,000 with five dice, 1,000 with four, 400 with three and 300 with two or one, so those figures are a reasonable guide for your own decisions.

Remember that a triple has to come from one roll: set it aside in the roll where it appears, because dice set aside earlier never join a later triple. If you are unsure, press Hint to see the computer’s choice, then decide for yourself.

Frequently asked questions

Is farkle free, and do I need to sign up?

Yes, the game is free to play in your browser. You do not need an account or a sign-up, because the game has no accounts.

Can I play farkle on a phone?

Yes. The layout fits 320-pixel-wide phones without sideways scrolling, and the six dice share the width of the screen. Scoreboard tiles show two per row on phones, and dark mode is supported.

Is my farkle game saved?

Your game is saved in your browser after every action, so a reload resumes it, including a computer’s turn or the end dialog. The save is kept on this device only. Selected dice are not saved, and if the saved data is invalid or the options differ, a new game starts.

Can I undo a move in farkle?

No. The game has no Undo, so check your selection before you press Set aside and roll or Bank.

Can I play farkle online with friends in different places?

No. The game has no online multiplayer. You can play with up to three other people on one device by choosing one of the pass-and-play options.

Does the computer follow the same rules as me?

Yes. It uses the same scoring, only sets aside valid selections, and decides to roll or bank from its turn total and the dice left. It always plays the same way with the same dice, and it has no skill levels to choose from.

Can I play the same dice again?

Yes. Adding ?seed=123 to the page address makes the dice reproducible, so you can replay the same rolls.

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