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What is Liar's Dice? How to Play
Published: 05/13/2025
Liar's Dice... You know it as a delicious Murphy-Goode Zinfandel, but are you familiar with the game after which it is named?
What Is Liar’s Dice?
Liar’s Dice is a classic bluffing game that combines chance, strategy, and a straight face. Each player rolls five dice in secret and takes turns making bids about how many of a certain number are showing across all the dice on the table. The trick? No one knows what anyone else is holding—so every round is a mix of educated guesses and bold bluffs.
The name of the game says it all: to win, players need to lie convincingly, call out others at the right moment, and keep a little luck on their side. It’s fast-paced, surprisingly competitive, and easy to learn, which makes it perfect for gatherings where the wine is flowing and the stakes are all in good fun.
Here's What You'll Need to Play:
- 2-3 friends
- A cup and five dice for each player (4 cups + 20 dice = 4 player game)
- Skill (be a good liar)
- Luck (you'll need a ton of this)
Rules
To start the game, all players roll the dice in their cups. Each player then places their dice cups upside-down over their dice to conceal them from the other players. Proceeding clockwise, each player must make consecutively higher bids or challenge the previous player's bid.
A bid consists of a number and a value of die. For example, you can bid that their are "Four Sixes" on the table somewhere, or "Seven Fives" or "Three Ones". For your bid to be higher than the one previous, simply pick a higher number. For example, "Three Ones" can be followed by "Four Twos" or "Five Ones" and so forth. When a bid is challenged, all players lift their cups to reveal all the dice on the table. For example, if you bid "Three Ones" and someone calls you a liar, your bid is correct if between all the players there are at least three ones on the table.
Once a bid is challenged successfully, the player who was challenged loses a die. The game then restarts with the challenger bidding first. If the challenger fails, the challenger loses a die and the challenged player bids first.
Now that you know how to play get your friends together for a good time with some Goode wine!
Tips and Tricks: How to Bluff Like a Pro
You don’t have to be a poker champion to hold your own in Liar’s Dice—but a few smart moves can definitely give you an edge. Here are a few go-to strategies that’ll keep your friends guessing (and maybe get you out of pouring the next glass):
1. Start Small, Watch Closely
Early in the game, keep your bids conservative and your eyes open. People tend to show their tells right away—fidgeting, overexplaining, or playing it too cool.
2. Use Ones Wisely
In some versions of the game, ones are wild. That means they can count toward any number, but bidding on them too often can raise eyebrows. Save them for clutch plays when you really need to stretch a bluff.
3. Call the Bluff Sooner Than Later
If a bid seems just a little too confident, don’t wait too long to challenge. The longer the bidding goes, the harder it gets to track what’s believable—and the more likely you are to lose a die.
4. Mix Up Your Behavior
Even if you’re telling the truth, act like you’re bluffing every once in a while—and when you are bluffing, don’t overcompensate. Keeping your tells inconsistent makes you harder to read.
5. Keep It Light
This isn’t high-stakes Vegas. The whole point is to have fun, sip some wine, and maybe talk a little friendly trash along the way.
