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wikiHow to Play 10000

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10,000 (also known as Farkle or Zilch) is a fun family dice game with the aim to score 10,000 or more points. 10,000 can be played by anywhere from 2-20 (or more) people. Players try to reach 10,000 points through various scoring combinations. The longer a player keeps rolling, the greater amount of points s/he scores, but the higher the risk that s/he'll wind up empty-handed. See Step 1 below to start learning how to play this awesome game.


  1. 1
    Decide who is going first. You can do this, for instance, by having each player roll three dice and starting with whoever gets the highest combination. Play proceeds clockwise from this player.
  2. 2
    Roll all six of the dice. If the roll has no scoring combinations, 1's or 5's, the player's turn ends. If the roll has scoring dice, the player may choose to roll all six again or keep any of his/her scoring dice and roll the others to create lucrative scoring combinations. 
  3. 3
    Check to see if any rolled dice create winning combinations. Various combinations of numbers score points in 10,000. See below for a list of scoring combinations:
    • Any die that shows '1' is worth 100 points
    • Any die that shows '5' is worth 50 points
    • A Three-of-a-Kind is worth a hundred times the number on the dice, with the exception of three '1's, which is worth 1000 points.
    • Any additional matching numbers past three of a kind double the point worth (i.e. 4+4+4=400 while 4+4+4+4=800).
    • Three pairs is worth 1000 points.
    • A five-dice straight (1+2+3+4+5 or 2+3+4+5+6) is worth 500 points.
    • A six-dice straight (1+2+3+4+5+6) is worth 1500 points.
    • A six-of-a-kind of 1's automatically wins!
  4. 4
    "Lock" any dice you want, provided they in a scoring combination. After your first six-dice roll, if you wish, you can roll smaller numbers of dice to continue scoring points. When you decide to stop rolling, record the points you've made during your turn on a score table.
    • Note: Any dice set aside can not be used to make a combination with any rolled dice, i.e., setting aside two '5's and then rolling another '5' only gains you 150 points instead of 500.
  5. 5
    Rolling a non-scoring combination causes you to lose all points gained in your turn. If, at any point during your turn (including your first roll), a roll doesn't contain any scoring dice, your turn ends and you make no points. This is what makes continued rolling risky - the possibility of making more points must be weighed with the risk of losing everything you've earned so far during your turn.
  6. 6
    Continue from player to player until one person achieves 10,000 or more points. Once a player reaches 10,000 points, the game isn't over! At this point, everyone has one turn left to try to beat the leading player's score before the game ends. If no one can, she/he wins!

Community Q&A

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  • How much do dice that are not scoring dice count?
    wikiHow Contributor
    Five equals 50, one equals 100. Any other number must be a three of a kind. Three 3's = 300, three 4's = 400, etc.
  • How many points do I receive if I roll three ones (1)?
    wikiHow Contributor
    You could play it so that if you roll three of a kind regardless of whatever number, you get 1000 points.
  • What is five of a kind worth?
    wikiHow Contributor
    Four times the three of a kind point value. For example, rolling three 6's = 600 pts. Rolling four 6's is double the amount = 1200 pts. Thus, rolling five 6's is quadruple original = 2400 pts.
  • How many rolls do I get in one turn?
    wikiHow Contributor
    As many before you roll a set with no scoring combination -- aka farkling, busting, crapping out.
  • If I am on my last thing to get to 10,000 and I roll three ones and I keep to ones and roll again, is that legal?
    wikiHow Contributor
    Yes, you may keep any combination of dice you prefer. In most variations you do not have to get exactly 10,000 but you can go over to win.
  • Do you need a certain amount to get on the board?
    wikiHow Contributor
    You need at least 1,000 points to get on the board, and after that, the minimum is 350.
  • On first roll I took one and one the second row I rolled five ones, how much is that in points?
    wikiHow Contributor
    That would be 2,100 points because 4 1s is 2,000 and then the extra 1 which is 100.
  • What are the points for four ones in the same roll?
    wikiHow Contributor
    Every additional number to a set doubles the value. In this case 3 ones is 1000, so 4 ones would be 2000 and 5 ones is 4000 (must be in the same roll). 6 ones of course is an instant win.
  • What if I rolled three 4's in the first roll then another 4 in a second roll. Is it still only 400?
    wikiHow Contributor
    Yes, because you set those dice aside. However, if you did not roll a scoring combination on the second roll, you would lose the 400 points.
  • What should we do if there is a tie?
    wikiHow Contributor
    You should do a roll off. Each person rolls one more turn until they bust out. The highest amount of points they rolled before busting out is the amount of points the other person have to beat in order to break the tie.
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  • There are several optional rules which you can use:
    • Rolling a six-of-a-kind allows you to immediately win the game.
    • Rolling three nonscoring combinations in a row causes you to lose 500 points.
    • A player has to score over 250 to be able note down his score.
    • Rolling four or more '2's causes you to lose all of your points.
  • The following player may choose to start with a fresh roll or chance continuing rolling the reminding dice from the previous players roll to steal the points. If no additional points are score the players turn is over.

Things You'll Need

  • 6 dice (minimum)
  • Notebook
  • Pen

Article Info

Categories: Games of Chance

In other languages:

Español: jugar 10000, Português: Jogar 10.000, Русский: играть в "10 000", Italiano: Giocare a 10000, Deutsch: 10.000 spielen

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