10000 Dice Game Rules (with 5 or 6 Dice)
Nov 7, 2026 · The Editors
How to play 10,000, the push-your-luck dice game: the scoring chart, getting on the board, hot dice, busting, the final round — and how it differs with five dice or six.
10,000 — also called Ten Thousand, Zilch or Dix Mille — is the dice game behind Farkle. You roll, set aside scoring dice, and decide each time whether to bank your points or push your luck. The first to 10,000 points sets off the final round.
What you need
- Six dice (or five — see below).
- A pen and paper.
- Two or more players.
Scoring
Only certain dice score:
| Dice | Points |
|---|---|
| Each 1 | 100 |
| Each 5 | 50 |
| Three 1s | 1,000 |
| Three 2s | 200 |
| Three 3s | 300 |
| Three 4s | 400 |
| Three 5s | 500 |
| Three 6s | 600 |
| Straight 1-2-3-4-5-6 | 1,500 |
| Three pairs | 1,500 (many groups play 750) |
Scoring combinations count only within a single roll. A 1 kept from your first roll and two more from your second are not three 1s.
Many groups add: four of a kind doubles the three-of-a-kind score, five of a kind doubles again, and so on. Agree before you start.
A turn
- Roll all six dice.
- Set aside at least one scoring die — you must keep something that scores.
- Choose: stop and bank your turn's points, or roll the remaining dice for more.
- If a roll has no scoring dice at all, you have busted — you lose every point from this turn, and play passes on.
Hot dice
If all six dice score — you have set aside every one — you have hot dice: pick them all up and roll all six again, adding to your total for the turn.
Getting on the board
Most groups require a minimum to open: you must score at least 500 in a single turn (some say 350, some 1,000) before you can bank anything at all. After that, you can bank any score.
Winning and the final round
When a player reaches 10,000, every other player gets one last turn to beat them. Highest score wins.
10,000 with 5 dice
The older game is played with five dice. Straights become 1-2-3-4-5 or 2-3-4-5-6 (usually 1,500 for the first and 1,000 or 1,500 for the second, depending on the house), and there is no three-pairs score. Everything else is the same, but busts come sooner — five dice give fewer chances to score.
10,000 and Farkle
Farkle is the same game with a commercial name and a slightly different scoring sheet. If you know one, you know the other. Our Farkle rules guide has its full chart.
Strategy
- Bank early with few dice left. With one or two dice remaining, the chance of a bust is high: about two in three with one die.
- Keep only what you need. Setting aside a single 1 and rerolling five dice is often better than keeping 1-5-5 and rolling three.
- Push harder when behind — late in the game, a cautious player rarely catches up.
A cup and six dice are everything the game needs. A felt-lined cup keeps the rolling quiet, which everyone in the house will appreciate by about the fortieth turn.
