Alternative Rules

Since the advent of electronic versions of the game, more and more alternative rules have surfaced.

One of the common new rules is: if you roll 4 of a kind, your score doubles.  So, it would break down like this if you were rolling Fives:

  • 3 Fives = 500
  • 4 Fives = 1000
  • 5 Fives = 2000
  • 6 Fives = 4000

Some people play that 3 pair = 750

Some people play that a straight = 1500

We are purists and play by the original rules, but many people like to break the rules now days.  In fact, I’ve heard that some people don’t use 6 Wooden Dice or even eat Tostitos® Chips and salsa while they play.  Can you believe that?  Wow!


 

40 thoughts on “Alternative Rules

  1. Al lawless

    The instructions do not specifically state if a Farkle player can set aside non-scoring dice in the hopes the next roll will yield a good score. Example: withhold a non-scoring pair of sixes (along with a scoring one or five). If the next roll spits out a six, then collect 600 additional points. Is this OK?

    Reply
    1. Gary Ambrose

      It is totally up to the group playing and what they agree on before hand. There is no right or wrong way as long as your having fun. Therefore you may want to bend a rule such as how many points you need to get on board. I use 500 as a rule so it doesn’t take so long to get game going. Great game, have fun.

      Reply
      1. dacy Post author

        In the original rules only 3 twos are counted. The other two don’t count. Some alternative rules double the points for each extra two.

        Reply
  2. robin

    we play that to coattail on to someone else to score, you put up 500 points. Is there a rule that if you Farkle after the first role is successful that the 500 points would not be deducted?

    Reply
    1. dacy Post author

      That is not part of the official rules so as long as you decide before you play what your alternative rules are, its up to you.

      Reply
  3. Pam Warda

    I understood that on the first roll, if I threw 3 5’s, it was only worth 50 pts. per die. But any other roll, if I threw 3 5’s, it would count as 500 points. Is this the official way. or am I dreaming?

    Reply
    1. dacy Post author

      In the original rules it would be 1100. 1000 for the 3 ones and 100 for the extra one. If you are playing alternative rules, then the answer depends on which alternative rules that you are playing. Some people double the points for every extra one. So, it could be worth 2000.

      Reply
  4. JK

    Those “new rules” regarding doubling scores have been around for at least 30 years, so newer than the original, but not so very new. This is how I learned to play long before I knew it was called Farkle. But the original scoring is easier to remember, especially for kids just learning the game.

    That being said, I love the website, and love you spreading the joy of Farkle!

    Reply
  5. PJ

    If I roll a pair on the 1st rol (re: 2 5’s or 2 1’s} and then 2 more pairs on the 2nd roll does that count for 3 pairs?

    Reply
    1. dacy Post author

      I personally don’t play with “doubles” since they aren’t part of the original rules but I believe when you do play with them, the pairs have to be rolled in one roll.

      Reply
  6. sirish

    I wondered about the pairs rule….if it’s not a pair of 5’s or 1’s there shouldn’t be an opportunity to keep them because a pair of 3’s in itself is not points… and therefore isn’t kept to allow another roll

    Reply
  7. Suzanne

    How much would the score be for rolling two sets of 3 of a kind in one roll? Just the two seperate 3 of a kind scores added together or a special score?

    Reply
    1. dacy Post author

      In the original rules, 3 of a kind only count if they are 5’s or 1’s. If you roll 3 5’s and 3 1’s, that is 1500 plus you have to roll again.

      Reply
    1. dacy Post author

      In the original rules, 3 sixes are worth 600. The additional 2 sixes are worth nothing.

      Some people have changed the rules over time and double the 600 with each additional 6 making it 2400. Other’s just add another 600 which would make the total 1800. This is why I suggest deciding on the rules before you start playing.

      Reply
  8. Marlys `

    After someone reaches 10,000 and every else gets another roll-if some beats the 1st person–does the first person get to roll again also?

    Reply
  9. John J Fasano

    We played Farkle in the 70’s w 7 dice. A Royal Farkle was a 7 dice Farkle. You took 2500 and passed.

    Reply
  10. Kandaroooo

    I have played a very similar game since I was a small child. We played with 5 dice and called it “Greedy” or just plain dice. The only differences were that we used 600 points to get on the board. we did the 3 of a kind was the number x100 with 3 1’s being 1,000. the only main difference that we had was that if someone rolled all 5 of the same thing in one roll – it was an automatic win. We also had a “team” version – only one member of the team had to “open” then both members could build on it in their turn. We had a big family that spent summers at the lake house playing, so we kept a special spiral notebook to be able to look back and the games to settle any memory lapses that people had when talking about their great games 🙂 I have tons of fond family memories!!

    Reply
  11. Crystal

    What happens if you roll a 1000 and all you need is a 1000 to go out? Do you have to reroll?

    Thanks
    Crystal and markus

    Reply
  12. Ashley

    If you set aside a 5 or 1 on the first roll and on the second roll you roll a combination 2,3,4,5, 6 OR 1,2,3,4,6, do you count that as a straight? Or no?

    Reply
  13. Cheryl Rush

    We need a ruling, OK two rulings. Are baked an acceptable alternative? Secondly are the dice rolls cumulative in points? Example: 1st roll gives you two 5’s and one 1. You roll the remaining three dice and get two more 5’s. Do you now have four of a kind for 1000 points or just 200 points? And finally, Bob wants to know how the H_ _ _ anyone gets 1000 points to enter the game………we had to cut to 500 or just hae a lot of Farkle and no scoring.

    Love this game and the fun it brings in playing with others!!!

    Reply
    1. dacy Post author

      Sure, baked works. 🙂 No, for 3 of a kind, you must roll them all in the same roll. Some people get 1000 points in their first 2-3 rolls. Others, it takes more. Sometimes 9-10.

      Reply
  14. Aaron Krass

    Me and my family have come up with a set of rules that we like and have tested numerous times… We even added some signature moves to the game. Here’s what we have so far:

    KRASS FAMILY FARKLE RULES
    1 = 100 POINTS :: 5 = 50 POINTS :: 300 POINTS TO START
    YOU MUST HIT A 1 OR 5, A STRAIGHT, 3 PAIR, 2 TRIPLES OR ANY MULTIPLES
    TO CONTINUE ROLLING. POINTS ARE CUMULATIVE TILL YOU ARE DONE ROLLING.
    * ON A SINGLE ROLL: 1 TO 6 STRAIGHT : 1500 POINTS
    3 PAIR : 500 POINTS
    2 TRIPLES : FACE VALUE + 500 POINTS
    RE-ROLLS AS LONG AS YOU HIT POINTS TILL YOU FARKLE.
    3 FARKLES IN A ROW: -1000 POINTS OR ZERO WHICHEVER IS LOWER. POINTS WILL NEVER GO BELOW ZERO.
    MULTIPLES: 3 1s: 1000 :: 4 1s: 2000 :: 5 1s: 3000 :: 6 1s: 4000
    3 2s: 200 :: 4 2s: 400 :: 5 2s: 600 :: 6 2s: 800
    3 3s: 300 :: 4 3s: 600 :: 5 3s: 900 :: 6 3s: 1200
    3 4s: 400 :: 4 4s: 800 :: 5 4s: 1200 :: 6 4s: 1600
    3 5s: 500 :: 4 5s: 1000 :: 5 5s: 1500 :: 6 5s: 2000
    3 6s: 600 :: 4 6s: 1200 :: 5 6s: 1800 :: 6 6s: 2400
    1000 POINT BONUS FOR 6 OF A KIND IN 1 ROLL.
    HIT 10000 POINTS AND WIN, BUT EVERYONE ELSE HAS ONE CHANCE TURN TO BEAT THE WINNER.
    FARKLE ON FIRST ROLL IS A SHELLEY. STRAIGHT ON FIRST ROLL IS AN AARON. ROLL 3 2s AND A 5 OR 1, KEEP THE 5 OR 1 AND SACRIFICE THE 2s IS A MIKE. KEEP THE LOWEST NUMBER AND RE-ROLL ALL THE OTHER DICE IS A SHELBY.

    thank you Dacy!!!

    Reply
  15. Craig

    We play Christmas Farkle with 3 green dice and 3 red dice. Each player is assigned a color. If a player rolls three of a kind of their respective color then their score value doubles. If a player rolls three of a kind of their opponents color then the score value doubles and the opposing player steals the turn. If three of a kind are rolled mixed colors then the score value is normal.
    Example
    1 x 3 mixed color dice = 1000
    1 x 3 same color dice = 2000
    I find this variation of play adds an extra level of strategy because you are trying to eliminate your opponents color dice from play as you roll your turn, so that you don’t roll three of their dice and lose your turn.

    Reply

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