How to Play Liar's Dice
Liar's Dice is the bluffing game played with cups in bars from Lima to Shanghai. kawu plays the common four-player version with wild ones, no money involved.
The rules
- Four players, five dice each, rolled in secret under a cup. You see only your own.
- The opener bids: a number of dice and a face, meaning "across the whole table there are at least that many dice showing this face". Ones are wild and count for every face, unless the bid is on ones.
- The next player must raise (more dice, or the same number of a higher face) or challenge.
- On a challenge every cup is lifted and the dice are counted. If the bid holds, the challenger loses a die; if not, the bidder does.
- The loser opens the next round. A player with no dice is out; the last player with dice wins.
Playing on kawu
Set a number and a face with the controls, then Bid, or Challenge the current bid. Bids this round are listed in the middle; after a challenge all dice are shown. Hint suggests a bid or a challenge based on the odds. Losing your last die ends the game.
Next, read the Liar's Dice strategy.
Frequently asked questions
How do ones work?
Ones are wild: they count toward any face bid. The exception is a bid on ones themselves, which counts only actual ones, so it's a much stronger claim.
Can I bid a lower number of a higher face?
No. A raise must name more dice, or the same number of dice with a higher face. Six 4s can be followed by six 5s or seven 2s, not by five 6s.
What's the minimum opening bid?
At least as many dice as there are players still in. With four players the first bid of a round names four or more dice.
Last updated 2026-10-20