GoCampingAmerica.com | Posted March
    4th, 2013

               

    Farkle: Perfect Family Game That’s Low
    Maintenance

               

    Happy Camper Blog

             

             
               
                 

    Farkle is an
    ages-old dice game that has many other names, like Greed, 10,000, Hot Dice,
    Squelch, Zilch, or Zonk. All you need to play is a set of 6 dice and some
    paper for scoring. It’s easy to learn, easy to play, easy to score and can be
    enjoyed by players of all ages. You need at least two players, but the game
    can be played with as many players as you wish – the more players the more
    fun.

    How to
    Play

    Each player rolls one die to determine
    who goes first. The player that rolls the highest die goes first. In case of
    a tie, roll again until a winner is determined.

    Farkle is
    played in rounds. Each player takes turns rolling the dice. In the beginning
    rounds, each player must score at least 1,000 points in a round before they
    can start accumulating points. If no dice can score, the round is over and
    the player has “farkled.”

    After accumulating 1,000
    points in a single round, points are scored by “setting aside” selected dice
    and then rolling the remaining dice for additional points. The player does
    not have to select all of the dice that are worth points. But he must select
    something that is worth points before he can roll again. Play continues until
    the player either gets no points on a roll (farkles), or the player ends his
    turn voluntarily and takes the accumulated points for the round. If all of
    the dice are scored, the player can pick them all up and roll all six dice
    again or end his turn. If a player farkles on 3 consecutive turns, the player
    is penalized 1000 points.

    A game is finished after a player
    reaches (or exceeds) 10,000 points AND the other players have taken one more
    turn to see if they can score a total greater than the first player to reach
    (or exceed) 10,000. After each player takes their turn, the player with the
    higher score is the winner of the game.

    Once one person
    reaches (or exceeds) 10,000 points, the other players get one more turn.
    After that turn, the person with the most points wins. If there is a tie,
    each player that tied gets one more turn to accumulate the most
    points.

    In the event of a tie, the tying players will
    continue with full rounds until one player has a higher score than the
    other(s).

    Scoring

    There
    are only two numbers that can be worth points on their
    own:

    • a 1 is worth 100
      points
    • a 5 is worth 50
      points

    For other numbers, combinations have to
    be made. 1’s and 5’s can also have combinations. The possible point
    combinationis are:

    • Three of a kind is worth 100
      times the number. For example, Three 3’s are worth 300 points. Three 1’s are
      a special roll and are worth 1,000.
    • Four of a kind is
      worth twice what 3 of a kind is worth – Four 3’s are worth 600
      points
    • Five of a kind is worth twice what 4 of a kind is
      worth – Five 3’s are worth 1,200 points
    • Six of a kind is
      worth twice what 5 of a kind is worth – Six 3’s are worth 2400
      points
    • One of each number (1-2-3-4-5-6) is worth 1500
      points
    • Three pairs is worth 500 points – For example,
      1-1-2-2-4-4

    All scores above are based on a
    single throw of the dice. You cannot earn combined points from different
    rolls. For example, if the roller sets aside one die with a 1 and counts 100,
    and then on the next roll comes up with two 1’s, the player cannot count 1000
    for three of a kind (he may set aside the additional as two single 1 spots
    for 200
    points).

    Strategy

    It
    is better to leave yourself with three or more dice for a throw than it is to
    take single scoring dice. For instance, if you have set aside a 2 die
    already, and then throw two single scoring dice (say, a 1 and a 5), then you
    should only take the single 1.

    If you are significantly
    behind, it is better to play aggressively than to play conservatively.
    Conversely, if you are significantly ahead, then it is better to play
    conservatively than aggressively. Some players are always aggressive or
    always conservative, but the adaptive player is the one most likely to
    win.

    Throwing all six dice will almost always lead to at
    least one scoring die. Only the ultra-conservative player will stop rolling
    with all six dice in their hand. An exception to this rule is the first
    round, since scoring the first round is much more difficult than subsequent
    rounds.