Craps and backgammon only require two dice. Poker dice and Lie dice each require five. But if you want a dice game that really pushes the envelope and makes you learn the odds of any particular combination, you need at least six dice, and a fiendishly habit-forming little game called farkle. Of course, dedicated casino-games fans don’t need any dice at all. iPhone farkle lets you try your luck on your iPhone anytime the mood takes you, wherever you might find yourself. It’s one of the hundreds of casino games now available from mobile casinos that are just a few swipes and taps away.
What Exactly is iPhone Farkle?
iPhone farkle, like the real-life version of the game, is played with six dice and a set scoring table. On any throw of the dice, a single 1, a single 5 or any combo of a pair or stronger are worth a set number of points. The player is allowed to hold any winning combo and throw the remaining dice again, in the hopes of getting another winning combo and adding more points to their turn. Racking up points as fast as possible is important, because the first player to 10 000 points wins. However, a throw that scores no winning combos at all is a “farkle”, which ends the player’s turn and also wipes out any points the player may have been holding during that turn, from winning combos already thrown.
Dice cannot be added to previously held combos, either; each new throw must create a new winning combo or the player has farkled. So, for example, a player holding points from a five-dice combo who throws the single remaining die again must get a 1 or a 5; any other number will lose them all the held points and the dice will pass to the next player automatically. So in the situation outlined above, a player would do better to bank the points from five-dice combo and pass the dice on, rather than risking another throw.
Learning the Odds Takes Practice
Different dice combos score a different number of points, and these will be listed alongside the playing table. Three 2s, for example, are worth 200 points, but three 6s score 600. Depending on the casino you are playing at, a straight (1-2-3-4-5-6) could be worth between 1 000 and 2 500 points. So the player always faces the choice – is the combo they have thrown good enough to bank, and pass the dice one, or should they throw low-scoring combos with the other dice again, in the hope of an even better score for the round? Knowing when to settle for three-of-a-kind and when to throw low-scoring dice again in the hope of a better total becomes intuitive after a while, but it does take hours of practice with a chart of the odds nearby to become this proficient.
That’s where iPhone farkle players score: not only can they connect to a mobile casino whenever they like, but there are plenty of options that let them learn iPhone farkle without risking their own money.
Always a Choice
Whether you play at free casinos, which allow play for credits only, or you wager actual stakes like playing real money pokies, is up to you. Even real-money casinos offer free-play bonuses frequently, however, so it is possible to get plenty of iPhone farkle practice without necessarily risking any money. But whether you play for fun or for real, you’re sure to be playing iPhone farkle a lot!