Liar’s Dice Rules and Instructions
Setup
Players
3-6
Materials
5 6-sided dice per player
A cup per player
Objective
The objective of Liar’s Dice is to correctly predict the number of dice showing a certain value
Gameplay
Play begins with every player shaking their dice in their cup, then putting it down on the table so the dice are hidden. Everyone then looks at their own dice.
One person begins “bidding” by announcing how many dice they think are showing a certain value out of all the dice on the table. For example, the first person could bid there are “5 ones,” meaning they think at least five ones were rolled among all the players. It’s a game of probability, but remember you know what you have for an easy bid.
Going clockwise, the next player can either raise the bid or challenge the previous player’s bid. To raise the bid, the next player must either announce a higher quantity of the same face value (i.e. 6 ones) or any quantity of a higher face value (i.e. 1 two). If they challenge the previous bid (usually by calling the player a liar), all of the cups are lifted to reveal all the dice. If the bid is valid, the challenger loses one of their dice. If the bid is invalid, the bidder loses one of their dice.
The lost dice are set to the side and a new round begins. Once a player loses all their dice, they are eliminated.
Endgame
The game ends when there is only one person left with any dice in their cup.
Liar’s Dice Variations and Alternate Rules
Dead Man’s Chest: In the movie, the players aboard the Flying Dutchman play a variation where instead of guessing the total number of dice showing a certain value, they bid how many of a certain value they have in their “hand” alone. For example instead of predicting how many 1’s were rolled total, you bluff about how many 1’s are in your cup. The rules about increasing the bid are the same.
Alternate Bidding Rules: The rules for increasing bids can also be changed to make the rounds go faster. Such rules include that the next bid must increase the quantity and the face value of the previous bid. This can quickly lead to some tricky situations!
As a Drinking Game: If you want to add another layer to this game, when someone loses a die, they can also take a drink.
2 Player: Called “common hand,” this variation can be played with two people. Both players roll their dice and examine them. The first caller declares what they have in a manner similar to poker/Yahtzee (pair, two pair, low straight, three of a kind, full house, high straight, four of a kind, five of a kind) where a low straight is 1,2,3,4,5 and a high straight is 2,3,4,5,6. The next player can either call a higher hand or call their opponent’s bluff. If the bluff is called, the hands are revealed and a winner determined.
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