Best 10,000 Dice Game Printable Rules and Scoring

One of our favorite games is the 10,000 dice game. It’s a fun and simple dice game that’s simple to play with a group of people but also makes a great two-player date night game. 

Games like that tend to stick around.

Have you ever played 10,000? Some people call it Farkle.

All you need are six dice and the directions. Of course, if you want to add in a dice tray or dice cup, you can.

Big M is 8, and Little M is 6. They both play without much help (we do give Little M a few strategy suggestions, but she makes her own decisions).

I love how much math is involved, even for the players who are not writing out the score.

How To Play 10,000 Dice Game

Six Dice (Regular six-sided dice.)
Pencil and paper for a score sheet
Dice tray (optional)
Dice cup (optional)

Object of 10,000

The player with the highest score greater than 10,000 points in the final round wins.

How to Play 10,000 Dice Game

Decide who goes first by having everyone roll one die. Whoever has the highest number goes first. Play then continues to the left.

The first player rolls all six dice.

The player can decide to keep as many scoring dice as he/she chooses but must keep at least one. (See scoring section). Set the scoring dice aside and reroll the remaining dice. Again the player may keep as many scoring dice as he/she chooses but must keep at least one. Place the scoring dice off the side and roll the remaining dice.

Play continues until:

• The player decides to stop and keep that score OR
• The roll doesn’t have any scoring die and loses their score OR
• The Player has kept all six dice. In this case, the player MUST roll again using all six dice. This new dice roll adds to the previous score.

Note:  You must earn 1,000 to start scoring (meaning you can’t stop with 600). Once you reach a score of 1,000 or more, you are “on the board.” Any turn after you are on the board, you may keep any score you want (even if it is 50 or 100).

The Final Round

When a player reaches 10,000 (or passes 10,000), every other player gets one more roll. The player with the high score wins.

10,000 Dice Game Scoring Combinations

1- worth 100 points
5- worth 50 points
Three of a kind of 1 – worth 1000 points
Three of a kind of 2 – worth 200 points
Three of a kind of 3 – worth 300 points
Three of a kind  of 4 – worth 400 points
Three of a kind of 5 – worth 500 points
Three of a kind of 6 – worth 600 points
For each number over three of a kind, you double the amount (example 3 2s =200, 4 2s =400, 5 2s =800, 6 2s=1,600).
Pairs and Straights. When a player rolls 1,2,3,4,5,6, when all dice are rolled, this is a Straight. When a player gets three sets of pairs when rolling six dice, this is Pairs. Pairs and Straights are worth 5oo points the first time they are rolled by any player in the game. They are worth 1,000 points the second time they are rolled by any player in the game. They are worth 1,500 points the third time. This resets back to 500 for the fourth time.

Note: Three of a kind must all be rolled together. Rolling one and then rolling another one and another one is 300. Rolling 3 1s at a time is worth 1,000.

What are the rules to the dice game 10,000?

How many dice does it take to play 10,000?

It takes 6 Dice to play 10,000. There is a variation for playing with a different number of dice below.

Can you play 10,000 with 5 dice?

A variation from the comments: “One thing we do differently is we play with only five dice… One of which is always a different color and that one is the most important… “the double dice” so if the red (we always use four white and one red) is a one and one white die is a one it’s 1,000. It’s the way I was taught so I’ve never actually played with six dice or with straights.”

If you’re stuck because you only have five dice, you could add a mark or sticker to create a “red” die.

If you have a variant to share, add it to the comments.

How many points is a straight in the dice game 10,000?

When a player rolls 1,2,3,4,5,6, when rolling all six dice, this is a Straight. Straights are worth 5oo points. Straights are worth 5oo points the first time they are rolled by any player in the game. They are worth 1,000 points the second time they are rolled by any player in the game. They are worth 1,500 points the third time. This resets back to 500 for the fourth time.

Do you have to get exactly 10,000 in Farkle?

10,000 and Farkle are very similar games. Whether you have to reach exactly 10,000 or not is a “house rule.” It’s only important that everyone playing understands how the game will end.

When using the “must score exactly 10,000 points to win the game” rule: If a player’s score adds up to more than 10,000 points, then all points scored that turn are lost, and the play moves to the next player.

When using the “must score 10,000 or higher” rule: when a player reaches a minimum of 10,000 (or passes 10,000), every other player gets one more turn. They roll the dice until their turn ends with a high score, or they get nothing. The player with the highest score wins.

If I roll three 5’s, do I score them as both three of a kind (500 points) AND three fives (150)? Or just three of a kind?

You have to choose how you want to use the roll, only one score counts. In this example turn, I would choose the 500 points!

So, let’s say I roll 3 4’s on 1st roll. Does rolling another 4 on second roll result in any score? Or does it have to be strictly a 1 or a 5?

You don’t add to 3 of a kind with additional rolls. In this case, the 4 on the second roll would not count as four of a kind.

How much to get on the board?

The amount it takes to get on the board can vary. We play that 1,000 gets you on the board. You can play 750 to get on board. If you’re playing with younger kids that might get frustrated with a long wait time, you could start with everyone on the board.

New Game Playing Idea

We did something fun this summer. Because my family is spread out around the US, we try to use games to connect virtually.

We had great success with playing 10,000 over text.

The number of players varied with almost every game, but we got even the quietest in our group involved. I think they liked not having to talk while playing.

Everyone needs access to dice. My husband kept his with him in his work truck, my son had his in his room. For our family, we needed three sets of six dice. My parents shared theirs. My sister found a way to roll dice on her phone.

I kept score. I sent a screenshot of the total score a few times per game. This allowed everyone to know what the scores were… and check my totals were correct.

I think I’ve explained it well enough, but feel free to ask in the comments if you need me to clarify.

TIP: You also buy Tensi Dice; everyone would then have different colors.

I have also been loving this Rainy Day Activity pack for my kiddos recently. It’s been a great way to keep them entertained for a few hours when I do not have time to play games like this with them.

10,000 Dice Game Tray

One of the reasons we love 10,000 so much is that it’s portable. We have played on airplanes, while camping, at baseball games, while waiting at restaurants, and in many delivery rooms.

What makes it so easy to play anywhere is having a dice tray (we have one that was leftover from a terrible game that ended up in the trash).

There is something special about our dice tray because it has an area to put the dice that have been set aside. Since I don’t recommend you buy that yucky game just to get a dice tray, I went in search of a different option for you.

Make your own dice tray.

It was really easy (and free) to make this dice tray. I used an old shoebox lid and a piece of thin cardboard (a cereal box would be perfect for this). Cutting a strip long enough to stretch across the box and fold along the sides worked pretty well, but making sure I had another strip to glue to the bottom of the box made it really sturdy. I used a hot glue gun to glue the strip in place. EASY!

Buy a dice tray

Dice Tray with Lid (affiliate link)
Folding Dice Tray affiliate link)

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