Farkle scoring, explained
Farkle scoring starts simple: 100 for a 1, 50 for a 5, and 100 times the number for three of a kind. After that, every group’s chart is a little different. Here’s the chart most groups use, where groups change it, and how to count a roll, with examples.
What every chart agrees on
Nearly every Farkle chart starts with these:
| The dice | Example | Points |
|---|---|---|
| A single 1 | 1 | 100 |
| A single 5 | 5 | 50 |
| Three 2s | 2, 2, 2 | 200 |
| Three 3s | 3, 3, 3 | 300 |
| Three 4s | 4, 4, 4 | 400 |
| Three 5s | 5, 5, 5 | 500 |
| Three 6s | 6, 6, 6 | 600 |
Three of a kind is 100 times the number, with one exception: three 1s (see Three 1s: 1,000 or 300). 2s, 3s, 4s and 6s don’t score on their own, only as part of a combination.
The usual scoring chart
This is the chart printed in the Farkle box, which most rule sites copy, with the one value groups split on most marked.
| The dice | Example | Points |
|---|---|---|
| A single 1 | 1 | 100 |
| A single 5 | 5 | 50 |
| Three 1s | 1, 1, 1 | 1,000 or 300 |
| Three 2s to three 6s | 4, 4, 4 | 200 to 600 |
| Four of a kind | 4, 4, 4, 4 | 1,000 |
| Five of a kind | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 | 2,000 |
| Six of a kind | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 | 3,000 |
| A straight, 1 to 6 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 | 1,500 |
| Three pairs | 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4 | 1,500 |
| Four of a kind and a pair | 4, 4, 4, 4, 2, 2 | 1,500 |
| Two triplets | 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3 | 2,500 |
Three 1s are 300 in the box and 1,000 on most rule sites and apps. Four, five and six of a kind, three pairs and the straight are the other values groups change most. Whatever your group plays, write it down where everyone can see it. Our free printable scoring chart has a column for your group’s own numbers.
How to count a roll
- Only dice from the same roll make a combination. A 5 set aside, then two more 5s on the next roll, is 150 (three single 5s), not 500.
- You don’t have to take every scoring die. Set aside at least one, and leave the rest to roll again if you like.
- Count it the way that scores more. Some dice can be read two ways (see four 1s).
- Every score is a multiple of 50, so totals go up in 50s.
- 1, 1, 5, 3, 3, 3: three 3s (300), two 1s (200) and a 5 (50) make 550. All six dice score, so that’s hot dice too.
- 2, 2, 4, 4, 6, 6: three pairs, 1,500. Where three pairs is 750, it’s 750, and where three pairs doesn’t score, it’s a farkle.
- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6: a straight, 1,500. Without a straight on your chart, the 1 and the 5 still score 150.
- 5, 5, 5, 5, 2, 3: four of a kind, 1,000.
- 2, 3, 3, 4, 6, 6: no 1s, no 5s and no three of a kind, so it’s a farkle. (A rare house rule gives 500 for six dice that score nothing.)
Scoring a turn, step by step
- Count each roll. Each 1 is 100, each 5 is 50, three of a kind is 100 times the number, and bigger combinations score by your group’s chart. Only dice from the same roll make a combination.
- Set aside what you keep. Set aside at least one scoring die or combination, and add its points to the turn.
- Bank or roll on. Bank the turn’s points, or roll the dice that are left. With all six set aside, it’s hot dice: roll all six again.
- Write it down. The scorekeeper writes the points banked, or 0 for a farkle, and adds them to the player’s total.
- Check your house rules. A player’s first bank usually has to be at least 500, and some groups take points off for three farkles in a row.
Three 1s: 1,000 or 300
This is the value groups split on most.
- 1,000 is what most rule sites and phone apps teach, and most of them call it standard.
- 300 is what the rule sheets in the boxed Farkle sets say. Rule sites sometimes call this version Pocket Farkle.
So the number most people learn is 1,000, while the box on the shelf says 300. Many groups play the box chart but count three 1s as 1,000. Either works: just agree before the first roll.
Four, five and six of a kind
No rule varies more from group to group. Here are the ways groups count them, with 4s as the example:
| How it’s counted | Four 4s | Five 4s | Six 4s |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed: the same for any number | 1,000 | 2,000 | 3,000 |
| Adding: each extra die adds the three of a kind again | 800 | 1,200 | 1,600 |
| Doubling: each extra die doubles it | 800 | 1,600 | 3,200 |
| No bonus: extra dice add nothing | 400 | 400 | 800 |
Fixed values are the most common printed rule, and the one in the Farkle box. Adding and doubling are common in phone apps; with doubling, six 1s are 8,000 when three 1s are 1,000. With no bonus, six of a kind counts as two three of a kinds, so six 6s are 1,200, and extra 1s and 5s still score as singles, so four 5s are 550.
A few lists go higher still, such as 2,000 for four of a kind, and a few groups have a special rule for six of a kind, such as 5,000 for six 1s, or winning the game on the spot.
If your chart has three 1s at 1,000 and four of a kind at 1,000, four 1s are worth more as three 1s plus a single 1: 1,100. Count it the higher way. Farkle Circle’s scoring chart lists four 1s at 1,100 when this applies. Five 1s go the other way: 2,000 as five of a kind beats 1,200 as three 1s and two singles.
Straights, three pairs and the rest
| Combination | Most common | Also seen |
|---|---|---|
| A straight, 1 to 6 | 1,500 | 1,000 in some phone apps; 2,500 or 3,000; or nothing. One boxed set counts it only on a turn’s first roll. |
| Three pairs | 1,500 | 750 in many phone apps; 500; or nothing |
| Two triplets | 2,500 | 3,000; or just the two three of a kinds added up |
| Four of a kind and a pair | 1,500 | Counted as three pairs, or not at all |
| A short straight, 1 to 5 or 2 to 6 | Doesn’t score | 500 or 750, as a rare house rule |
| Six dice that score nothing | A farkle | 500, as a rare house rule |
Three charts groups play
Most groups’ charts are close to one of these three. They’re also the three charts a group can start from in Farkle Circle.
| The dice | Box rules | Classic | Phone-app style |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three 1s | 300 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| Four, five and six of a kind | 1,000 / 2,000 / 3,000 | 1,000 / 2,000 / 3,000 | Doubling: four 4s are 800 |
| A straight, 1 to 6 | 1,500 | 1,500 | 1,000 |
| Three pairs | 1,500 | 1,500 | 750 |
| Four of a kind and a pair | 1,500 | 1,500 | 1,500 |
| Two triplets | 2,500 | 2,500 | 2,500 |
- Box rules are exactly the chart in the Farkle box. They go with 500 to get on the board, 10,000 with a final round, and no penalty for three farkles in a row.
- Classic is the box chart with three 1s at 1,000, the way most rule sites teach it.
- Phone-app style is how many phone Farkle games score. It usually comes with a penalty for three farkles in a row, often 1,000 (sometimes 500), and sometimes a minimum on every turn, such as 300 or 350.
Singles and three 2s to three 6s are the same on all three.
Getting on the board and three farkles
Two common rules change the score sheet without changing the chart:
- Getting on the board. In most groups, a player’s first bank must be at least 500 in one turn, and a smaller turn can’t be banked until then. Some groups use 1,000, a smaller number, or no minimum.
- Three farkles in a row. The box has no penalty. A popular house rule, common in phone apps, takes 1,000 off a player’s total for three farkles in a row; some versions take 500. Rule sheets don’t say whether a total can go below zero, so agree on it. In Farkle Circle, it can, and the count starts again after each penalty.
More on both in How to play Farkle.
Keeping score on paper
One player keeps score for the table. For the scorekeeper, every turn is one number: the points the player banked, or 0 for a farkle. Write it down and add it to that player’s total.
| Turn | Denise | Larry | Joyce |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turn 1 | Farkle | 550 | 600 |
| Turn 2 | 750 | 200 | Farkle |
| Turn 3 | 300 | Farkle | 1,050 |
| Total | 1,050 | 750 | 1,650 |
Denise farkled on Turn 1, so Denise got on the board with 750 on Turn 2. Larry’s 200 on Turn 2 was fine, because Larry was already on the board. A farkle scores 0 but still counts as a turn, which matters if your group plays a penalty for three in a row.
Our free Farkle score sheet has each turn’s points and a running total for up to 6 players.
Questions people ask
How much are three 1s worth in Farkle?
1,000 on most rule sites and phone apps, and 300 on the rule sheet in the Farkle box. Both are common, so agree on one before you start.
Do 2s, 3s, 4s and 6s score on their own in Farkle?
No. Only 1s (100 each) and 5s (50 each) score alone. Other numbers score as three of a kind or as part of a bigger combination.
How much is a straight worth in Farkle?
1,500 is the most common value for a 1-to-6 straight. Some phone apps use 1,000, and other charts use 2,500 or 3,000.
How much are three pairs worth in Farkle?
1,500 in the Farkle box and on most charts. Many phone apps use 750, and some groups don’t score three pairs at all.
Can dice from two rolls make three of a kind?
No. A combination only counts if all its dice come up in the same roll. A 5 set aside and then two more 5s are 150, not 500.
Is there a Farkle scoring chart I can print?
Yes. Our free printable Farkle scoring chart has dice pictures and a column for your group’s own values.
Your group’s chart, in Farkle Circle
Your organizer starts your group’s scoring chart from Classic, Box rules or Phone-app style, then can change any roll’s points or leave a roll out. Scorekeepers can look it up mid-game. After each turn, the scorekeeper types the points banked, or taps Farkle, and Farkle Circle keeps every total and whose turn it is. The app never adds up dice: your table counts them the way it always has.
Now on Google Play, coming soon to the App Store. Free for every player to join, RSVP, keep score and see where to sit. The live scoreboard, season standings, winners log and stats are an optional subscription, per person.
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