OBJECTIVE OF LIAR’S DICE: Make wise bets and get drunk with your friends!
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 to 8, but best played with 3+ players
MATERIALS OF LIAR’S DICE: Beer, table, 5 dice per player, 1 opaque cup per player
TYPE OF GAME: Drinking game
AUDIENCE: Adults
OVERVIEW OF LIAR’S DICE
Liar’s Dice is a drinking game that consists of wagering drinks in a similar mechanism to Texas Hold’Em, in that players place bets based on what they think their opponents have rolled. This fun game is known by many names, including Doubting Dice, Dudo, Call My Bluff, Deception Dice, and more.
At its core, Liar’s Dice is a social game that involves both deception and strategy. While the game is simple in theory, not being able to see the other players’ dice will really screw you over in this game! But that’s okay – it’s a drinking game, after all!
So, are you ready to play this awesome dice drinking game and win and lose challenges? Here are the official rules for Liar’s Dice.
SET UP FOR LIAR’S DICE
Before we officially begin the game, let’s set up Liar’s Dice. You’ll need the following to play:
- Beer, obviously!
- 5 dice per player
- 1 opaque cup per player
And finally, you’re going to need a table large enough for everyone to gather and play around.
Now, it’s time to start the game. All active players must sit or stand around the playing table and roll two of their dice. The player who rolls the highest total score starts the game by betting first.
HOW TO PLAY LIAR’S DICE: LIAR’S DICE RULES
Once you have set up the game and have determined who will go first, it’s time to jump into the rules of how to play Liar’s Dice!
Players begin by shaking each of their 5 dice in their cup and then turning the cup upside down so that the cup covers all their dice completely. Players examine their own dice, making sure no one else can see their dice! Note that if any of your dice have landed on top of another dice, you must roll again.
THE FIRST BET
The player who rolled the highest score prior to starting the game now takes their first bet. Bets are made up of the quantity of dice and the face value of the dice. For example, if you bet “three 4’s,” you are saying that there are at least three dice between all the players that are a 4.
Note: 1s are special and are considered wild. You cannot bet on a 1. Instead, 1’s count towards the quantity of any dice number being bet on.
INCREASING THE BID OR CALLING A BLUFF
The player sitting to the direct left of the player who placed the first bet may now increase the bid or call a bluff.
INCREASE THE BID
If you want, you can raise the bid if you think there are more dice than the previous player thinks. You can increase the bid with a higher quantity of dice, higher face value of the dice, or a higher quantity AND face value. You can either base your bid off of the dice you have under your cup or bluff. Even if you do bluff, don’t worry; there’s a chance the other players may have those numbers!
Here are the three options players have when raising:
- They may place a bet with an equal number of dice but increase their face value. For example, if the previous player said “three 4’s,” they may increase the bid to “three 5’s.”
- They may bet with an increased number of dice but the same face value. For example, if the previous player says “three 4’s,” they may increase the bid to “four 4’s.”
- They may bet with an increased number of dice as well as an increased face value. For example, if the previous player said “three 4’s,” they may increase the bid to “five 5’s.”
Note that players can raise the amount in any increment; it doesn’t have to simply increase by one. For example, a player can raise from two dice to five dice if they are so inclined.
The bid continues to pass to the left until someone challenges.
CALL A BLUFF
If you believe the last bid is wrong, instead of raising, you can challenge the previous bid. To do this, say “Liar!”, “Challenge!”, or “Call!” when it’s your turn.
If the player challenges, all players lift their cups and reveal their dice. There are two outcomes:
- If the challenged bet is equal to or greater than the number and value of the dice, the bettor has won and the player who challenged them must take 3 drinks and lose a dice (for the remainder of the game).
- If there are fewer dice than the bet, the challenger wins. The bettor takes three drinks and loses one die for the remainder of the game.
For example: Player 1 bet six 5’s. Player 2 challenges the bet. At the reveal, it is shown that there are seven 5’s, Player 1 wins.
Continue the game with the loser of this round starting the next round with the first bid after everyone rolls their dice within their cups as normal. If you lose all your dice, you are out of the game!
Once you get to the point where there are only 2 players left with 1 die each only, you should bet on the sum of the 2 dice. For example, the two players can get “7” or “12.”
END OF GAME
Continue playing rounds until there’s only one player left who has dice. This person is the winner of the game!
Looking for other deception games to play? Try your hand at Bullshit, a shedding deception card game!
TWO-PLAYER VARIATION OF LIAR’S DICE RULES: COMMON HAND
Here’s the thing: While you can certainly play Liar’s Dice with just two people, it is much better with 3 or more players. But if you only have two players for a game of Liar’s Dice, don’t despair. We’ve got you covered with a 2-player poker variation of Liar’s Dice called Common Hand.
To play Common Hand, you’re going to need the following:
- Poker chips
- 5 dice
- 1 opaque cup
ROLL THE DICE
To start, determine which player goes first by each player rolling the five dice. The player with the larger total gets the first turn.
The first player then rolls all 5 dice in an opaque cup to keep them hidden from the other player. Then, the first player can peek inside the cup to see what is rolled. Then, they can either tell the truth or lie about the combo they have inside the cup.
LIAR’S CUP HAND RANKING
To play this two-player variation of Liar’s Dice, you’re going to need to understand Poker Dice rules and hands, which are as follows:
- 5 of a kind: For example, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
- 4 of a kind: For example, 5, 5, 5, 5, 2
- Full house: 3 of a kind + a pair. For example, 4, 4, 4, 2, 2
- High straight: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
- Low straight: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
- 3 of a kind: For example, 4, 4, 4, 1, 6
- 2 pair: For example, 4, 4, 2, 2, 5
- 1 pair: For example, 4, 4, 2, 1, 6
- Highest single die
So, if the player rolled a 4, 4, 4, 2, 5, they can either tell the truth and say they have a 3 of a kind or lie or lower OR they can say they have a low straight, high straight, or something better.
CHALLENGING THE ROLL
If the second player does not believe the first player, they can challenge the roll. When this happens, the first player must reveal the dice. If the challenger was right and the actual hand ranking is lower than what was said, the first player must put a chip into the pot and take a drink.
However, if the challenger was wrong and the hand is equal to or lower than what was said, the challenger must put a chip into the pot and take a drink.
CONTINUING THE ROLL
If the second player believes the first player, the first player must pass the dice to the second player. The second player now gets a chance to peek at the dice. At this point, if the first player bluffed, the second player will immediately know if they bluffed or not.
At this point, the second player can roll any of the dice again and declare exactly how many of the dice they are rolling (you cannot lie or bluff at this stage!). Then, with the new roll, the second player must announce a hand ranking that is higher than the previous roll.
For example, if the previous roll was a three of a kind, and the player rerolls two of the dice, they can announce they have a full house.
Continue passing the dice back and forth in this manner until someone challenges.
The first player to lose all of their chips loses the game!
SIMILAR GAMES TO LIAR’S DICE
Are you a big fan of Liar’s Dice? Well, in that case, you’ll probably want to get to know some similar games. We highly recommend checking out Perudo for one, as it is basically Liar’s Dice but Spanish. Perfect for those looking to brush up on their Spanish skills!
Another similar game we strongly recommend is Mia. Mia is most similar to the Common Hand variation of Liar’s Dice. In this game, you must try to roll high-value dice combinations; if you don’t, you have to bluff!
Finally, if you’re a big fan of deception games like Liar’s Dice, check out the official rules for the card game Coup!
FAQ
Can You Play Liar’s Dice with 2 People?
While you can certainly play Liar’s Dice with 2 people, this game is best played with 3 to 8 players. So, try to grab another player to play with you if you’re only two!
Is Liar’s Dice Played in Casinos?
Nope! Liar’s Dice is not a casino game. It is a casual drinking game players play at home.
Why Is It Called Liar’s Dice?
A drinking game variant of poker dice, liar’s dice may be named so because bluffing plays a huge part in the game.
- 23 SUPER FUN 4TH OF JULY GAMES - April 23, 2024
- 30 FUN DATE NIGHT GAMES FOR COUPLES - April 18, 2024
- 200+ INSANE “KISS MARRY KILL” QUESTIONS TO ASK - April 16, 2024