10,000 Dice Game: The Complete Guide to Rules, Scoring & Strategy

Introduction

The 10,000 dice game — known as Dix Mille in France, Zilch in parts of the United States, and Greed in the United Kingdom — is one of the world’s oldest and most widely played push-your-luck dice games. The concept is beautifully simple: roll six dice, set aside scoring combinations, and decide whether to bank your points or risk everything on another roll. The first player to reach 10,000 points wins.

What makes 10,000 so enduringly popular is the tension at its core. Every roll presents the same agonising choice: play it safe and bank a modest score, or keep rolling for a shot at something spectacular — knowing that a single bad roll will wipe out everything you have accumulated this turn. It is a game that rewards courage and punishes greed in roughly equal measure, creating dramatic swings and unforgettable moments.

The 10,000 dice game belongs to the same family as Farkle, and the two are often treated as interchangeable. While they share the same fundamental mechanic, there are meaningful differences in scoring rules, opening requirements, and regional traditions that give each version its own character. This guide covers the standard 10,000 rules as played across Europe and internationally, with notes on key variants.

What You Need

The 10,000 dice game requires almost no equipment, making it ideal for travel, pubs, camping, or any flat surface. Here is what you need:

• 6 standard six-sided dice — any regular dice will do. Larger dice are easier to read across a table, but standard 16mm dice are perfectly fine.
• Paper and pencil for scoring — or use a scoring app on your phone. You need to track each player’s running total. A simple column for each player with turn scores listed vertically works well.
• A flat surface — a table, bar top, or tray. Some groups use a dice cup for rolling, but this is optional. Rolling by hand onto a felt surface is the traditional method in many regions.

No board, no cards, no special equipment. This simplicity is why the 10,000 game has survived for centuries as a folk game, passed down through families and social groups long before any commercial version existed.

How to Play the 10,000 Dice Game

The game is played in turns. On each turn, the active player rolls dice, sets aside scoring combinations, and faces repeated decisions about whether to bank or continue. Here is the complete step-by-step process:

1. Roll all 6 dice The active player rolls all six dice to begin their turn. Examine the results for scoring combinations: individual 1s (100 points each), individual 5s (50 points each), three-of-a-kind, straights, three pairs, and other special combinations (see the Scoring Table below).
2. Set aside at least one scoring die or combination After each roll, you must set aside at least one die that contributes to a scoring combination. You may choose to set aside more scoring dice if you wish, but setting aside at least one is mandatory. Dice that have been set aside cannot be re-rolled during this turn.
3. Choose: BANK your accumulated points, or roll the remaining dice This is the central decision in 10,000. You can bank — end your turn and add all points accumulated this turn to your overall score. Or you can roll again — pick up the remaining (non-set-aside) dice and throw them, hoping to score more. Each additional roll carries the risk of busting.
4. Hot dice: if all 6 dice score, roll all 6 again If you manage to set aside all six dice as scoring dice across one or more rolls within a turn, you earn “hot dice.” Pick up all six dice and roll them again, continuing to add to your running turn total. There is no limit to hot dice occurrences — extraordinary turns of 5,000 or more points do happen.
5. BUST! If no dice score, you lose all turn points If you roll the remaining dice and none of them form a scoring combination, you have busted (also called “zilch” or “crapping out”). All points from this turn are wiped out. Your overall score stays the same, but you gain nothing. Play passes to the next player.
6. First to 10,000 points triggers the final round When a player banks points bringing their total to 10,000 or more, the endgame begins. Every other player gets one final turn to try to surpass that score. After all remaining players have taken their final turn, the player with the highest total wins.

10,000 Dice Game Scoring Table

The scoring system in 10,000 shares many elements with Farkle but has some distinctive features, particularly in how higher combinations are valued. Here is the standard scoring table:

Scoring Examples

To illustrate how scoring works in practice, consider these sample rolls:

• Roll: 1, 1, 3, 3, 3, 6 — Three 3s = 300 points, plus two individual 1s = 200 points. Total available: 500 points. Five of your six dice score, leaving one die (the 6) to re-roll if you continue.
• Roll: 2, 2, 4, 4, 5, 5 — Three pairs = 1,500 points. All six dice score, so this is a hot dice situation. You must pick up all six and roll again if you want to continue (or bank the 1,500).
• Roll: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 — A straight = 1,500 points. Again, all six dice are involved, so this qualifies for hot dice.
• Roll: 5, 2, 3, 4, 6 (five dice remaining) — Only the single 5 scores (50 points). The 2, 3, 4, and 6 are worthless individually. You must set aside the 5 and decide whether to risk rolling four dice.
• Roll: 2, 3, 4, 6 (four dice remaining) — No 1s, no 5s, no three-of-a-kind. BUST! All points from this turn are lost.

Opening Score Requirement

In most versions of 10,000, a player must accumulate a minimum score in a single turn to “get on the board” and begin building their total. The threshold varies by region and tradition:

• 350 points — common in many European versions, particularly in France and Germany.
• 500 points — the standard in most American versions and Farkle.
• 1,000 points — used in some competitive or house-rule variants for a more aggressive game.
• No minimum — some casual groups skip the opening requirement entirely.

Until you bank a turn meeting the minimum, any scored points do not count toward your running total. The opening requirement forces players to take early risks and prevents ultra-conservative play from being viable. Once you have cleared the opening threshold, you can bank any amount on subsequent turns.

Strategy Tips

Differences Between 10,000 and Farkle

While 10,000 and Farkle are often treated as the same game, there are several notable differences that affect gameplay:

In practice, the games feel very similar. The flat scoring for higher-of-a-kind combinations in 10,000 makes four-of-a-kind less valuable for high numbers (four 6s = 1,000 in 10,000 vs. 1,200 in Farkle) but more valuable for low numbers (four 2s = 1,000 in 10,000 vs. 400 in Farkle). The three-consecutive-busts penalty found in many 10,000 rule sets adds an extra layer of tension — after two busts in a row, the third turn becomes extremely nerve-wracking.

Regional Variants

The 10,000 dice game has been played as a folk game for centuries, and different regions have developed their own traditions and scoring rules. Here are the most notable variants:

Zilch

Zilch (also spelled Ziltch) is the most common American alternative name for the game. “Zilch” replaces “bust” for a non-scoring roll. In some Zilch variants, three consecutive zilches incur a penalty of 500 points deducted from the player’s total. The opening score requirement is usually 500 points. In all other respects, Zilch plays identically to standard 10,000.

Greed

Greed is the British name for the game, widely played in pubs across the United Kingdom. British Greed typically scores three 1s at 300 points (not 1,000), which dramatically reduces the value of rolling 1s and shifts the strategic emphasis. The opening requirement is often 300 points, and some Greed variants cap individual turn scores at 3,000 points to prevent runaway turns. Greed tends to produce tighter, more tactical games than standard 10,000.

Dix Mille (France)

Dix Mille (“ten thousand” in French) is the original French name for the game and remains extremely popular in France, Belgium, and French-speaking Switzerland. French rules commonly include the three-consecutive-busts penalty (−500 points) and score three 1s as 1,000 points. The opening requirement is typically 350 points. Dix Mille is a standard social game played in French homes, cafes, and holiday gatherings.

Mexico (Dice Game)

While not identical to 10,000, the Mexico dice game shares its push-your-luck DNA. Played with just two dice, Mexico uses a hierarchical ranking system (21 is highest, then doubles, then descending two-digit numbers) rather than additive scoring. It is a common bar game in the Netherlands, Germany, and Scandinavia and is worth knowing as a distant relative of the 10,000 family.

History of the 10,000 Dice Game

The 10,000 dice game has no single inventor or clear origin date. It belongs to the vast family of folk dice games that have been played across Europe and the Americas for centuries, evolving through oral tradition rather than commercial publication. Push-your-luck mechanics using simple scoring combinations — where 1s and 5s are the basic scoring faces — appear in gaming records dating back to the 18th century and likely existed informally long before that.

The French name Dix Mille suggests a strong French tradition, and the game is documented in French gaming culture from the 19th century onward. French army troops are often credited with spreading the game across Europe during the Napoleonic era, though this is difficult to verify. What is clear is that by the early 20th century, variations of the 10,000-point dice game were being played under dozens of different names across France, Germany, Scandinavia, the British Isles, and North America.

In the United States, the game circulated under names like Zilch, Zonk, and Farkle. The American version was commercialised in 1996 by Legendary Games Inc. under the Farkle trademark, which brought standardised rules to what had always been a folk game. Despite the commercialisation of Farkle, the 10,000 dice game continues to thrive in its unbranded folk form, played with plain dice and handwritten scorecards in homes, pubs, and cafes around the world.

Today, the 10,000 dice game enjoys renewed popularity through mobile apps, online multiplayer platforms, and the broader tabletop gaming renaissance. Its simplicity — six dice, paper, and pen — makes it a perfect game for travel, camping, and social gatherings. The fact that it has survived for centuries with essentially the same core rules speaks to the power of its push-your-luck design.

Frequently Asked Questions