# How to Play Liar’s Dice: Rules, Bids and Calling Liar Learn Liar’s Dice in five minutes: hide your dice under a cup, make bids about what everyone is holding, and call Liar when you do not believe the last bid. Source: https://pips.club/liars-dice - Players: 2 to 6 - Dice: 5 dice and a cup for each player - Type: Bluffing - Level: Easy - Time: 20 minutes ## At a glance ### Bluff about dice you cannot see In Liar’s Dice everyone has a cup with five dice under it, and only you can see yours. Players take turns making a bid: a claim about how many dice of one number there are among everyone’s dice together. You can raise the bid, or call the last bidder a liar. Lose a challenge and you lose a die. Be the last player with a die left to win. ## Setup ### A cup and five dice each Each player has an opaque cup and five dice of their own. Two to six can play; four or five is best, because there is more to bluff about. ## The first roll ### Shake, peek, hide Everyone shakes their dice in the cup, then slams the cup upside down on the table. Peek under your own cup so that only you can see your dice, and keep them hidden. You have 2, 4, 4, 6 and 1. Two 4s, and no one else can see. ## A turn ### Make a bid The first player says a number of dice and a face, such as three 4s. It means there are at least three dice showing 4 among all the players’ dice together, including yours. North bids three 4s. You hold two 4s yourself, so this seems fair. ### Raise it, or call Liar Going to the left, the next player must either raise the bid or call Liar. A raise means a higher number of dice (four 4s) or the same number of a higher face (three 5s). You may raise both. West bids three 5s. East bids four 5s. It is your turn: do you believe it? You say Liar! ## Calling Liar ### Lift the cups and count When someone calls Liar, everyone lifts their cup and shows their dice. Count all the dice that match the last bid. The bid was four 5s. North has one 5, West one, East one and you none: only three. East bid too high. ## Losing dice ### The loser loses a die If the bid was right (there were at least that many), the player who called Liar loses one die. If the bid was wrong, the bidder loses one die. Take it out of the game for good, and start a new round. The loser of the challenge starts the next bid. East bid too much and loses a die. East now has four dice. ## Winning ### The last player with dice wins When a player has no dice left, they are out. Play on until only one player has any dice left. That player wins. Rounds get quicker as the dice disappear, and the bluffing gets harder. ## Variants and house rules - **Ones are wild**: Dice showing 1 count as any number, which makes bids easier to meet. Bids on ones themselves are treated separately in most versions. - **Spot on**: A player may instead call exactly right: if the count matches the bid exactly, every other player loses a die. - **Starting with fewer dice**: Start with three dice each for a shorter game. ## Tips - Use your own dice as evidence. If you hold three 6s, a bid of five 6s is believable. - Count roughly one in six of all dice for each face. With 20 dice on the table, expect about three of each. - Bluff sometimes, but not every time. A player who is never caught is a player nobody believes. ## Quick answers **How do you win Liar’s Dice?** By being the last player with any dice left. Each lost challenge costs a player one die. **What does a bid mean in Liar’s Dice?** A bid such as three 4s claims that at least three of all the dice on the table, yours and everyone else’s, show 4. **How do you raise a bid?** Say a higher number of dice (four 4s after three 4s) or the same number of a higher face (three 5s after three 4s). **Are ones wild in Liar’s Dice?** Not in these rules, but in many versions ones count as any number. Agree it before you start. If ones are wild, a bid on ones is counted separately. **Can you call Liar on the first bid?** No. The first player has no bid to call yet, so they must make an opening bid.