Do you like dice games? Liar’s Dice is a classic you surely cannot miss. My detailed Liar’s Dice rules will guide you through the entire gameplay one step at a time.
Liar’s Dice is a classic bluffing game with dice. You can play it for fun or money, and it’s so simple that even smaller kids can learn it quickly.
Most youngsters probably know the game thanks to Hollywood’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, where Liar’s Dice appears as the pirates’ favorite pastime.
If you already know some other dice games like Greed (check Greed rules or some other classic fun dice games), you won’t have any issues learning this straightforward game either.
This Liar’s Dice rules guide will cover the following:
- What is Liar’s Dice?
- What you’ll need to play Liar’s Dice
- Liar’s Dice rules
- How to play Liar’s Dice (video tutorials)
- FAQs
- Other similar games to Liar’s Dice (our guides)
Learn how to play Liar’s Dice with the following step-by-step instructions.
What is Liar’s Dice?
Liar’s Dice is a dynamic game where players bid on the number of specific values hidden under the covered cups with dice.
Since there is no reliable way to calculate the accurate guess, this game is mostly about luck and doesn’t involve much strategy.
Still, a good focus and some intuition can help you catch your opponent’s bluffing and thus get closer to victory with each new round.
Number of Players: 2+
Ages: 7+
Difficulty: Easy
Length of Play: 25 – 45 minutes
Category: Dice bluffing game
Similar to: Greed, Farkle, Dudo
Main Objective: Outbluff your opponents and be the last player with dice in the game.
Why We Love It: Liar’s Dice is a simple and fun dice game for all ages.
What You’ll Need to Play Liar’s Dice
To play Liar’s Dice, you’ll need the following things:
- Dice (five for each player)
- Cups (one for each player)
In my experience, it’s best to get a dice and dice cup set where one fits the other perfectly. But there are also complete Liar’s Dice game boxes with stylish designs and graphics.
Liar’s Dice Rules and Instructions
Liar’s Dice is a simple game you can play whenever and wherever you want to. Two or more players can play it – but I believe it’s best to have at least three opponents.
Even if you or your playmates are entirely new to this type of game, you can learn Liar’s Dice quickly and effortlessly.
First, prepare all the game materials and determine who’s taking their turn first, following the instructions below.
Starting the Game
In Liar’s Dice, each player gets five identical dice and one dice cup. Everyone should sit around the table or another hard surface, which is crucial for the dice to roll correctly.
To determine who takes a turn first, each player puts two dice in their cup and throws them on the table. Whoever has the highest total value on their dice starts the first round.
(Alternatively, you can also play Scissors, Rock & Paper to determine who goes first).
How to Play Liar’s Dice Game
- When you’re ready to play, each player puts their five dice in their cup and shakes it well.
- Carefully turn your cups upside down so the dice fall on the table but remain covered by the cup.
- The players check their dice but make sure only they can see them.
- Now the first player calls their bid on the amount of a selected die value under the cups in total (e.g., “four fives” if you think there are altogether four dice valued five).
- The players bid one by one in a clockwise direction.
- Each player has to surpass the previous bid either by adding more dice (“there are five fives”) or by increasing the value(“there are four sixes”).
- You can also apply both of the criteria mentioned above when making your bid (e.g., “there are five sixes) and go as high with your bid as you want to (…“seven sixes”).
- Ones are wild = they can represent any called value with ONE EXCEPTION: If the first player bids on one, then one can only stand for its real value in that round.
The Bluff
Instead of calling out your bid, you can also challenge the previous player by saying open or liar (these two are freely interchangeable and mean the same). This is called a bluff.
When this happens, all the cups are uncovered. Then there are two possible outcomes:
- The player who looses the round also looses one of their dice(set the die aside, it does not go to the winner of the challenge).
- The bluff challenge can also be called out of turn, but in this case, the stakes are doubled(i.e., the looser loses two dice).
The player who loses the round also loses one of their dice(set the die aside, it does not go to the winner of the challenge).
The bluff challenge can also be called out of turn, but in this case, the stakes are doubled(i.e., the loser loses two dice).
When the round is over, everyone puts their dice back in the cups, and the whole process is repeated. The loser from the previous round opens the new round with their bid.
Liar’s Dice Scoring
In Liar’s Dice, the dice represent a player’s score, i.e., their five points. Players who lose all five dice are excluded from the game.
The last player with a die left wins the game.
How to Play Liar’s Dice Game – Video Tutorials
Liar’s Dice Game Frequently Asked Questions
Can you play Liar’s Dice with two people?
Yes, but the two-player game lacks most of the dynamics and unpredictability of the game.
Alternatively, you can try Common Hand, a two-player version of Liar’s Dice where players call their hands using poker terms like Full House, Two Pairs, etc.
The opponents try to catch each other bluffing, resulting in losing their dice.
Are Call My Bluff and Liar’s Dice the same game?
Yes. Call my Bluff is a commercial version of Liar’s Dice produced by F.X. Schmid and Richard Borg. The game won the 1993 Spiel des Jahre award in Germany.
Where does the Liar’s Dice originate?
The game of Liar’s Dice originated in South America and was presumably invented in the 15th century. Most probably via Spanish conquistadors, the game spread worldwide.
Other Similar Games to the Liar’s Dice (Our Guides)
If you like dice games, you might also enjoy playing other Liar’s Dice alternatives. Check out our guides below:
- Greed Dice Game rules
- Farkle rules
- Yahtzee rules
- 11 games like Yahtzee
- Tenzi Dice Game rules
- How to play Quixx
- LCR game rules
- Christmas dice game rules
- Dudo game (guide coming soon)
