SuperFarkleEvery turn in Farkle comes down to one question. Do you take the points, or do you roll again? We worked out the answer for every position in the game, and it fits in one small table.
Farkle odds and the short answer
Look at how many dice you would roll next and how many points the turn holds right now. If the turn holds less than the number in the last column, roll. If it holds that much or more, bank.
| Dice you would roll | Chance of a farkle | Bank once the turn holds |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 2.3% | Always roll |
| 5 | 7.7% | 3,100 |
| 4 | 15.7% | 1,050 |
| 3 | 27.8% | 450 |
| 2 | 44.4% | 300 |
| 1 | 66.7% | 350 |
Say you have 400 points and three dice left. That is less than 450, so you roll. With 500 points and the same three dice, you bank. When the turn holds less than 300 points, you always roll, however many dice are left, because there is too little to lose.
Why one die is worth more than two
The last row looks wrong at first. One die farkles two times in three, and still the table tells you to keep rolling it longer than two dice. The reason is hot dice. When that last die comes up a one or a five, all six of your dice have scored, and you pick up all six again. So one roll in three gives you a whole new turn on top of the points you already hold.
Keep fewer dice than you can
You do not have to set aside every die that scores. Say your roll shows a one, a five and four dice that score nothing. If you keep only the one and roll five dice, the turn is worth 404 points on average. If you keep both and roll four dice, it is worth 311. The five brings you 50 points, but the die you give up for it costs you far more.
The same holds for two ones. Keep one of them and roll five dice, and the turn is worth 404 points on average. Keep both and roll four, and it is worth 347.
What a turn is worth
A player who follows the table scores about 600 points a turn on average. A game to 10,000 therefore takes about seventeen turns for each player. That number is also a good way to judge a lead: 1,200 points ahead means about two turns ahead.
When to break the rule
The table gives you the most points per turn. Three moments in a game ask for something else.
- Many tables ask for 500 points in one turn before your score starts to count. Until you have them, you keep rolling, because a smaller bank gives you nothing.
- When a rival needs only one or two more turns to win and you need more, a small bank will not save you. Roll on and go for a big turn.
- At many tables, once somebody reaches the target, everybody else gets one last turn. In that turn you roll until you pass the leader, because stopping short loses the game anyway.
The odds of the big combinations
On the first roll of a turn, six dice show three pairs 3.9% of the time, four of a kind 3.9%, a straight 1.5% and two triplets 0.6%. Our Farkle scoring chart lists what every combination pays and how often each one comes up.
The scoring behind these numbers
The table uses the scoring most tables play with. A single one is worth 100 and a single five is worth 50. Three ones are worth 1,000, and three of any other number are worth 100 times that number. Four of a kind is worth 1,000, five of a kind 2,000 and six of a kind 3,000. A straight from one to six, three pairs, and four of a kind with a pair are each worth 1,500, and two triplets are worth 2,500. When all six dice score, you roll all six again.
If your table scores differently, the numbers move a little, but the ideas stay the same. Six dice are almost always worth rolling, a single die is worth more than it looks, and keeping fewer dice usually pays. SuperFarkle works the whole table out again for the values your table plays with, so the advice on the screen follows your rules and not these.