Farkle

About this board game

Farkle is a traditional press-your-luck dice game for 2–6 players, with an estimated play time of 30 minutes. Listed with a release year of 1930, it challenges players to reach 10,000 points by balancing cautious scoring with risky rerolls.

On a turn, roll five or six dice, depending on the version being played. Remove any dice that score, then choose whether to bank the points and end the turn or roll the remaining dice in search of more.

The danger is simple: if a reroll produces no scoring dice, the player scores nothing for the current turn. When all dice have been used to score, the player may pick them all up and continue rolling, creating another opportunity to build a larger total—or lose the turn’s points.

• Score specific numbers, including 1s and 5s.
• Score sets of the same number.
• Choose between stopping safely or pressing your luck.
• Continue rolling when all dice have scored.

Farkle belongs to a family of dice games that includes Dix Mille, 5000, Cosmic Wimpout, and other similar designs. The game was reported as originating in the 1930s, although it also has playful fictional origin stories involving Sir Albert Farkle and the supposed Farkleberry tree.

In 1996, Charlie and Mary Potter, known as “Mr. and Mrs. Farkel,” created a copyrighted scoring system and lodged various trademarks. Their Original Pocket Farkel began as a dining-room-table production before becoming a commercial hit, while Patch Products launched a version spelled Farkle in 2007.