Ten Thousand

Quick Pitch

A push-your-luck dice game where you keep rolling to rack up points — but if you roll nothing scoreable, you lose everything you built that turn. First to 10,000 wins.

Hook

Roll six dice, pocket whatever scores (1s, 5s, three-of-a-kinds), then decide: bank your points and pass the dice, or roll the remaining dice and push for more? Bank 300 points safely, or go for 600 and risk losing everything to a bad roll? The real cruelty is when all six dice score — "hot dice" — and you get to roll all six again. Players who understand hot dice chains play aggressively and build massive turns; players who don't stop too early and fall behind.

Equipment Needed

• 6 standard six-sided dice (d6)
• Paper and pencil — one scorecard per player, or a shared running tally

Improvising

• Any set of 6 matching dice works. Mismatched dice are fine too.
• A phone scorekeeper app works in place of paper.

Setup

1. Each player gets a scorecard (paper and pencil work fine)
2. Set a target score — 10,000 is standard; 5,000 for a quicker game
3. Determine play order and roll

Rules

Objective: Be the first player to reach the target score.

On your turn:

1. Roll all six dice
2. Set aside any dice that score points (see scoring below) — you must set aside at least one scoring die before rolling again
3. Decide: bank your points and end your turn, or roll the remaining dice to go higher
4. If you roll and nothing scores — that's a zilch (or farkle). You lose all points from that turn
5. If all six dice score in one roll, you get "hot dice" — reroll all six and keep going

Scoring:

Ending the game: When someone reaches the target score, every other player gets one final turn to try to beat it.

Example Turn

Roll: 1-1-5-5-4-2 → set aside both 1s (200 pts) and one 5 (50 pts) = 250 pts banked, 3 dice left. Roll remaining 3: 5-6-2 → set aside the 5 (50 pts) = 300 pts total, 2 dice left. Roll remaining 2: 1-4 → set aside the 1 (100 pts) = 400 pts total, 1 die left. Bank 400, or risk the last die?

Tips

• With younger players, drop "three of a kind" scoring and just play ones and fives — it's simpler and still fun.
• A target of 5,000 makes for a good 20–30 minute game.

🎲 The Real Game Every roll is a gamble between what you have and what you might get. The key insight is that the risk isn't just about the dice — it's about your opponents. When someone else is close to winning, you have to roll aggressively even with a good score in hand. When you're ahead, stop early and make them do the gambling.

🎲 Watch For Hot dice chains are where games are won and lost. If all six dice score, you reset to six dice — which means another chance at hot dice. Players who understand this push through hot dice aggressively and build explosive turns of 2,000+ points in a single roll sequence. Players who don't understand it bank too early and fall behind.

Variations

• Soft zilch: If at least one die scores, you keep those points even if the rest zilch — less punishing, good for younger players
• Different targets: 5,000 for a quick game, 15,000–20,000 for a long one
• Straight scores higher: Some groups play straights at 2,000 or 2,500
• Team play: Partners share a score and alternate turns