Farkle Strategy: When to Roll and When to Bank
The core of Farkle strategy is knowing the odds: with 6 dice a Farkle is only about 2% likely, with 5 dice about 8%, with 4 about 16%, with 3 about 28%, with 2 dice 44% and with 1 die 67%. So keep rolling while you have 4 or more dice, and with 2 or fewer, bank unless your turn total is still small. Don't keep every scoring die: setting aside fewer dice (just a 1 instead of a 1 and a 5) gives you more dice to roll and safer turns.
The odds of a Farkle
| Dice you roll | Chance of a Farkle | In plain words |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 2.3% | About 1 roll in 43 |
| 5 | 7.7% | About 1 in 13 |
| 4 | 15.7% | About 1 in 6 |
| 3 | 27.8% | More than 1 in 4 |
| 2 | 44.4% | Nearly half |
| 1 | 66.7% | 2 in 3 |
Everything else follows from this table. Rolling six or five dice is almost free, four is a fair risk, and two or one is a coin flip you usually lose. Keep it in your head every time you decide.
Keep fewer dice, roll more
You must set aside at least one scoring die each roll, but you don't have to set aside all of them. Often the best move is to keep just one: the most valuable single die, usually a 1. That leaves more dice for the next roll, which means a lower chance of a Farkle and a better chance of a big set.
The exception is when keeping everything gives you hot dice: if all six dice score, set them all aside and roll six again.
When to bank
A simple rule that works well for most players:
| Dice left to roll | Bank when the turn is at least… |
|---|---|
| 6 | Never: always roll |
| 5 | about 2,000 |
| 4 | about 1,000 |
| 3 | about 400 |
| 2 | about 300 |
| 1 | about 300 |
These are starting points, not laws. The bigger your turn total, the more you have to lose, so the more cautious you should be. And the score situation matters even more, as the next sections show.
Play the scoreboard
- Behind? Take bigger risks. A safe 300 won't catch a player 3,000 ahead; you need big turns.
- Ahead? Bank smaller turns and let the others take the risks to catch you.
- Close to 10,000? Bank the moment you pass it if you're the first; everyone else then has to beat you in one turn.
The final round
Once someone reaches 10,000, everyone else gets one more turn. In that turn, the thresholds above don't matter at all: you must pass the leader, so keep rolling until you do. Banking 800 when you needed 1,200 is exactly the same as a Farkle.
If you're the leader, there's nothing to do but watch. That's why, when you're near the end, it can pay to roll past 10,000 by a healthy margin before banking.
Hunting for hot dice
With two dice left, the odds of a Farkle are bad, but if both dice score you get all six back. With one die left, a 1 or a 5 (one chance in three) does the same. Early in a turn, with a small total, that gamble can be worth it. Late in a turn with 1,500 on the line, it rarely is.
Practise with Teach me
Switch on Teach me in Farkle on GameLake and Hops tells you which dice to keep and whether to roll or bank, with the chance of a Farkle each time. Hops' Hard level plays for the win: it keeps fewer dice to roll more and changes its banking with the dice left and everyone's scores, so it's a good opponent to learn from. For the basics, see the Farkle rules and the scoring chart.
Frequently asked questions
What are the odds of a Farkle?
About 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.
When should you stop rolling in Farkle?
Usually when you're down to 2 or 3 dice with a few hundred points or more. With 4 or more dice, keep rolling unless your turn is already very large.
Should you always keep every scoring die?
No. Keeping only your best die, like a single 1, leaves more dice to roll and lowers your chance of a Farkle.
What is the best strategy at the end of Farkle?
If someone has reached 10,000, keep rolling until you've passed them: anything less loses. If you're about to reach 10,000 first, try to pass it by a margin.