How many points in Mölkky? Exactly 50, back to 25, three misses

How it works

Mölkky is a Finnish skittles game: twelve wooden pins numbered 1 to 12, and a throwing stick, the Mölkky, thrown underarm from a line drawn 3.5 m away. At the start the pins stand tightly in formation: 1 and 2 in front, then 3, 10 and 4, then 5, 11, 12 and 6, and at the back 7, 9 and 8. The big numbers are the furthest away.

Players throw in turn. After a throw, the fallen pins are stood up where they came to rest, upright on their base, number facing the players: they are never put back in formation. As the game goes on the pins scatter across the pitch, and the game changes character: at first you knock down clusters, at the end you aim at an isolated pin.

You can play individually, 2 to 12 players, or in teams of two to four, the teams throwing in turn and the teammates taking turns within the team. A game lasts fifteen to thirty minutes, less with the 25-point variant.

The value of a throw

The maximum for one throw is therefore 12, in two ways: the 12 pin alone, or all twelve pins at once, which only happens on the first throw and more or less never. Every number from 2 to 12 can be scored in two ways, the pin with that number or that many pins; 1 can only be scored with the 1 pin.

That is the arithmetic trap of the game: knocking down lots of pins earns little. Three pins including the 12 and the 11 are worth 3 points, not 23. The big scores come from isolated pins, which is why the pins are never put back in formation.

Exactly 50, and back to 25

The winner is the first to reach exactly 50 points. A throw that takes you past 50 earns nothing: the player drops back to 25. On 42, the 8 pin wins, but the 9 or the 12 send you back to 25. It is the rule that makes the whole endgame.

Two consequences to keep in mind. First, below 50 you no longer aim for “as many points as possible” but for a precise number: on 45 you need 5, either the 5 pin alone or five pins. Second, a cluster of pins is a safe target when you are close to 50: three fallen pins are worth 3 whatever their numbers, whereas a single pin can be worth up to 12 and take you over.

There is no limit to the number of returns to 25: a player who goes over twice drops twice. Whoever reaches 50 wins immediately, even if not every player in the round has thrown.

Three misses in a row

A throw that knocks down no pin is a miss. Three consecutive misses eliminate the player, who throws no more in that game. As soon as a pin falls, the miss count goes back to zero: two misses, then a 1-point throw, then two more misses is not three in a row.

If every opponent is eliminated, the last player standing wins, without needing to reach 50. A pin that falls but does not count (leaning on another) is a miss: nothing was scored.

In teams, misses count for the team, not for each player: three empty throws in a row by three different teammates eliminate the team. Many family tables soften the rule, see the variants: the player drops to 25 instead of being eliminated, or nothing happens.

In teams

Teams throw in turn, and within each team the players follow one another in an order fixed at the start: with two teams of two, Emma then Nico for the first, Pat then Lea for the second, the throwing order is Emma, Pat, Nico, Lea, Emma… The score is the team’s, and so are the misses.

In competition, a match is played best of three rounds; the team that wins two rounds takes the match. At one round each, the winner is the team with the most points over the two rounds, and if that is tied the mölkkout decides: five pins (6, 4, 12, 10, 8) lined up one Mölkky-length apart, each player throws one to three times depending on team size, and the team with the most points wins.

The counter handles team mode: each player is attached to a letter, the next thrower is shown with their team, and misses are counted per team.

Counting as you play

On the pitch you count out loud: the thrower calls their score (“twelve”, “three pins”), someone keeps the sheet and calls the new total. The total line is the only one that matters; the throw’s points are there to find a mistake. Always write both.

Three moments need attention. Going over: call “54, back to 25” and cross it out, rather than writing 54. Misses: a small cross per miss, rubbed out at the first point scored, so you can see who is on two misses. And the finish: below 50, tell each thrower what they need (“you need 8: the 8 pin or eight pins”), which is both good manners and a way to avoid arguments.

The counter does all of that: you tap the fallen pins on the map, it gives the score, the new total, the return to 25, the number of misses and, as soon as the finish is within reach, the pin to aim for.

Example of a three-player game

Emma, Nico and Pat, target 50, official rules. In each column, what fell and then the new total.

In round 5 Nico is on 39: he needs 11, the 11 pin or eleven pins. He aims at the 11, clips the 12 next to it, and drops back to 25: the throw costs him 14 points and two rounds. Emma, on 42, needs 8; her miss in round 6 costs her only the turn (and one recorded miss), and she finishes the next round with the 8 pin. Pat, trailing, knocked down six pins in round 5 for 6 points: the most spectacular throw of the game and the least profitable.

Variants

• Back to 25 instead of elimination: after three misses in a row, the player drops to 25 and stays in the game. The rule of the family boxes; elimination is the official rule.
• No miss penalty: for playing with children: misses do not count, only going over 50 is penalised.
• Game to 25: the short game: exactly 25, and going over drops you to 12. Two or three rounds per player.
• Game to 100: the long game, often in teams: exactly 100, going over drops you to 50.
• Pins reset in formation: after each throw, the pins go back into the starting formation. Easier for small children, but you lose the isolated pins that make the game.
• Finishing the round: when a player reaches 50, the remaining players in the round still throw; with several on 50, the mölkkout decides. The official rule stops the game at the first 50.
• Best of three rounds: in competition: two winning rounds, points added up then a mölkkout in case of a tie.

Common mistakes

• Adding up the numbers of several pins: the 12 and the 11 down together are worth 2 points, not 23. Only a single pin scores its number.
• Putting the pins back in formation: a pin is stood up where it came to rest. That is what creates the isolated pins and the big scores.
• Counting a leaning pin: a pin resting on another or on the Mölkky has not fallen. It stays as it is for the next throw.
• Forgetting the return to 25: on 45, the 12 pin does not make 57 or 50: it sends you back to 25. Calling the return out loud avoids ghost totals.
• Resetting the misses at the new round: the three misses are consecutive for the player, from one round to the next. Only a fallen pin clears the run.
• Carrying on throwing after the 50: the first to exactly 50 has won and the game stops, unless the “finish the round” variant was agreed before playing.

Frequently asked questions