TWELVEPINS.FIFTY POINTS.
Mölkky is the Finnish throwing game with twelve numbered pins and one wooden stick. Land on exactly fifty and you win. Go past it and you drop back to twenty-five.
Free. No account. Works with no signal.
Everything about Mölkky, in one place
Four guides, each one a full answer rather than a teaser. Start wherever your question is.
What is Mölkky?
Mölkky is a Finnish throwing game played with twelve numbered pins and a wooden stick. First to exactly fifty points wins.
The rules of Mölkky
The complete official Mölkky rules — scoring, the exact-fifty target, three misses, order of play and the common house variants.
The Mölkky app
A free Mölkky app that counts the points, handles the exact-fifty rule and works with no signal. No account, no advertising.
Garden games
The garden games worth owning — Mölkky, kubb, pétanque and the rest — with what each needs, who it suits and how long a game takes.
Stop doing mental arithmetic on a lawn
Adding to exactly fifty, spotting the overshoot back to twenty-five, remembering who has missed twice — that is what the app is for. Add names and start scoring in ten seconds.
- Works with the radio off. No signal needed, ever.
- Handles the exact-fifty rule and the drop back to twenty-five for you.
- Counts three misses in a row, with a friendlier reset option for children.
- Free, no account required, no advertising.
Mölkky questions people actually ask
How many pins are there in Mölkky?
Twelve. They are numbered 1 to 12 and stand in a tight bunch four rows deep, with the low numbers nearest the thrower. A standard set is twelve pins plus the throwing stick, which is also called the mölkky.
How does Mölkky scoring work?
Knock over one pin and you score the number on it. Knock over two or more and you score how many fell, not their numbers — five pins is five points, however high they are numbered.
What happens if you go over 50 in Mölkky?
Your score drops back to 25 and you carry on. You have to land on exactly 50 to win, so a careless big throw late in the game can cost you the match.
How far away do you stand in Mölkky?
About 3.5 metres from the front of the formation. The official rules put the throwing line at 3.5 m; casual games often move it closer for children and further back for experienced players.
Frequently asked questions
Let the app do the counting
Exactly fifty, the drop back to twenty-five, three misses and out. Add names and start scoring in ten seconds — no account, no signal needed.