How to play Liar's Dice
Liar's Dice is a game of guessing and bluffing for two to six players. Everyone hides five dice under a cup, so you know your own dice and nobody else's. Players take turns making a bid about all the dice on the table, each bid higher than the last, until someone thinks the last bid is too high and calls Liar! You play against one to five computer players.
A round
- Everyone shakes their cup and rolls at the same time, then peeks at their own dice.
- The first player makes a bid: a number and a face, such as "four 5s". It means "there are at least four dice showing 5 under all the cups together".
- Ones are wild. Every 1 counts as whatever face is being bid. That is why nobody bids on 1s.
- The next player must bid higher or call Liar! Higher means more dice of any face ("five 2s" after "four 5s"), or the same number of a higher face ("four 6s" after "four 5s").
- To bid, choose the face, set the number with the minus and plus buttons, and tap Bid.
Calling Liar!
- When someone calls Liar!, all the cups come up and the dice are counted: every die showing the face of the bid, plus every 1.
- If there are at least as many as the bid said, the bid stands and the player who called Liar! loses one die.
- If there are fewer, the bidder loses one die.
- The player who lost a die starts the next round. Everyone rolls again with the dice they have left.
- A player with no dice left is out. The last player with dice wins.
How to guess
Any die you cannot see shows a given face or a 1 about one time in three. So a good guess for any face is the number you hold yourself plus a third of the hidden dice. With fifteen dice under the other cups and three 4s of your own, expect about eight 4s on the table. Bids well above that are risky; bids well below are safe.
Tips
- Bid on what you hold. Your own dice are the only ones you know for sure, and the 1s help every face.
- Raise a little. A small raise keeps the bid believable. A big jump hands the next player an easy Liar!
- Listen to the bids. A player who keeps bidding 6s probably has some. Count them in your guess.
- Call when the numbers say so. If a bid needs most of the hidden dice to match, it is very likely too high.
Points
At the end of a game you score 10 points for every player you outlasted, plus 1 for each die you still have. Winning a four-player game with three dice left is 33 points. Your game ends as soon as you run out of dice.
Today's game
The Daily Game is you against three computer players, and everyone starts with the same dice. Play it through and compare your points with everyone else's today. Your first try of the day is the one that counts.
Questions
Can I bid on 1s? Not here. In this classic version the 1s are always wild, so every bid is on a face from 2 to 6.
Is there a "spot on" call? Some tables let a player say the bid is exactly right. That is a house rule; the game here uses only Liar!
How strong are the computers? Easy guesses and bids almost at random. Normal works out the odds from its own dice. Sharp also reads what the others have bid and plays the odds closely.
Can I play with my family? Playing with friends over a link, each on their own phone, is coming soon. For now you play the computers.
Do I need an account? No. Your game is saved in this browser, so you can close the page and come back.