Complete Liar's Dice rules: from shake to showdown
Liar's Dice is a classic game of bids and nerve. Two to six players each hold five dice and see only their own. Players take turns pushing the table bid higher — and whoever stops believing calls the showdown.
1. Players and goal
Two to six players per table, five dice each at the start. There is only one goal: be the last player with dice left.
2. Shaking each round
At the start of every round, all surviving players shake their cups and look at their own five dice. Your dice are yours alone; everyone else only hears the numbers you bid.
3. How bidding works
Starting with the first player, bids go around in a quantity + face format. A bid of three fours means the whole table holds at least three fours.
- Each bid must be higher than the previous one: more dice, or the same quantity with a higher face.
- After three fours you may bid four twos (quantity up) or three fives (face up), but not three threes or two sixes.
- The first bidder is the host in round one, then the previous round's loser. If that player is out, the next surviving player starts.
4. How wild ones work
Until anyone bids ones, every one counts as any face. If you bid three fives, all ones on the table count toward those fives.
But as soon as anyone bids any number of ones, ones lock for the rest of the round and count only as ones. Bidding ones is a double-edged sword: it kills everyone else's wilds and removes one layer of protection from your own hand.
5. Challenging and showdown
If you think the last bid is a bluff, hit Challenge. Every cup is revealed and all dice matching that face are counted (ones count too while wild):
- Actual count is at least the bid: the bid stands and the challenger loses a die.
- Actual count is below the bid: the bidder was bluffing and loses a die.
Simple rule: after the showdown, whoever judged wrong loses a die.
6. Losing dice, elimination, and victory
Each challenge settles once and the loser loses one die, leaving fewer dice to shake next round. Players with no dice are out and the rest keep playing.
When only one player still has dice, the game ends and that player wins.
7. Playing online
Liar's Dice online runs in your browser with no download or signup. The page opens straight into the lobby; create a table to get a 4-letter room code and send it to friends. AI players fill empty seats, and a reconnecting player returns to the same seat automatically.