Farkle

News

Farkle will make a great, inexpensive gift for friends, family and the office staff. Farkle games have been a big hit as gifts for family and friends! And they are not expensive. We packaged Farkle games for our family members and friends for years. If you have an interest in a Farkle game, let me know.

Farkle may be the number 1 game sweeping the country these days. If you want to have some fun playing a simple game, try it out!

This site was previously found at: http://home.houston.rr.com/
agrant/farkle/farkle.htm but changed when Comcast took over the Houston market.

Introduction

I learned the origin and rules for Farkle from the minister of our church about 15 years ago. He had just returned from a mission trip to Siberia, Russia, with a number of Methodist ministers and the bishop of the Texas Annual Conference. The bishop taught some of the ministers on the plane how to play the game. As the story goes, the game Farkle was derived from the Farkleberry tree, a small tree native to Texas. When the early settlers came to Texas, they discovered the Farkleberry would harden as they dried. The settlers carved these berries into the shape of dice so that they might play games. Thus, the game Farkle got its name. Some have even called the game Farkleberry, though I doubt that the name ever caught on.

While there seems to be several stories about the origin of the game and as many rules, the game is fun and easy to play. Incidentally, there is no such thing as "official rules" for the Farkle game, since it was handed down from one generation to another over the years. Our family, as well as our extended family and many friends, have enjoyed this game for many years. We are noted around the country for holding Farkle tournaments, and the big winner usually is dubbed the "Farkle King/Queen."

The Basics of Farkle

The game is played with six dice. Each roll shows different sides of the dice and certain combinations represent scoring points, some of which are very significant. The game is played to 10,000 points and can be completed within 20 minutes, provided no more than four people are playing. While there is no limit to the number of players, it is best not to exceed 8 players. Teams can be established as well. When teams play, the game goal to win is doubled to 20,000 points.

The rules are simple and very little strategy is required; however, luck plays an important role in this game. When a player fails to make points following any roll of the dice, the rest of the players usually yell "Farkle" and the player loses any points accumulated during his/her turn. I can get you started with this really fun game that is catching on across the country, while it has been around for over 100 years.