How to Play Liar's Dice
Liar's Dice is a game of probability, psychology, and deception. Each round, players make increasingly bold claims about dice they can't see—until someone calls a bluff.
What You Need
- 2-8 players
- 5 dice per player (30-40 total for a full game)
- A cup or container per player to hide dice
- Or just download LiarsDice.ai!
Game Setup
- Each player starts with 5 dice
- Everyone shakes their dice and reveals them only to themselves
- One player is chosen to start (usually the host or last winner)
How to Play
Making a Bid
The first player makes a bid claiming there are at least a certain number of dice showing a specific face value across all players' dice combined.
Example: “I bid three 4s” means you believe there are at least three dice showing 4 among all players.
Raising the Bid
Each subsequent player must either:
- Raise the quantity: Bid a higher number of any face value (e.g., “four 2s”)
- Raise the face value: Bid the same quantity of a higher face value (e.g., “three 5s” after “three 4s”)
- Call “Liar!”: Challenge the previous bid
Calling Liar
When a player calls “Liar!”, all dice are revealed and counted:
- If the bid was accurate or exceeded: The caller loses a die
- If the bid was wrong: The bidder loses a die
Wild 1s (Optional Rule)
When this rule is enabled, dice showing 1 count as any value when totaling. This makes bids more likely to succeed and adds unpredictability.
Example with Wild 1s: A bid of “four 5s” is met if there are three 5s and one 1, or two 5s and two 1s, etc.
Winning the Game
Players are eliminated when they lose all their dice. The last player with dice remaining wins the game.
Quick Strategy Tips
- Start conservative—you don't know what others have
- Count your own dice of each value to estimate totals
- Watch for patterns in other players' bidding
- Remember: with 5 dice, each face appears ~0.83 times on average
- Bluffing is powerful, but getting caught costs a die
- Call early rather than late—bids compound quickly