Liar's Dice Rules for Two Players: Bids, Challenges and Calling Liar

How Liar's Dice works in two sentences

Each player rolls five dice under a cup and bids on how many dice of one face are on the table across both cups. The next player either raises the bid or calls liar, and whoever turns out to be wrong loses a die.

What do you need to play?

Each player needs five dice and a cup that hides the roll from the other. The last player with dice left wins. In Twofold, you tap Reveal, lift the cup to look at your dice, then pass the phone to the next player.

How does a round work?

1. Everyone rolls in secret and looks at their own dice.
2. The first player makes a bid, such as "three 5s". That means at least three dice showing a 5 across every cup on the table, yours and theirs.
3. The next player has two choices. They can raise the bid, or they can call liar on the last bid.
4. A raise has to be bigger. Name more dice of any face, or the same number of dice at a higher face. "Four 2s" beats "three 5s", and "three 6s" beats "three 5s".
5. When someone calls liar, both players lift their cups and the dice are counted.

What do ones do?

Ones are wild. A one counts as every face, so a roll of 5, 5, 1 holds three 5s. Because ones count towards every bid, nobody bids on ones.

What happens when someone calls liar?

Count the dice that match the bid, ones included.

• If there are at least as many as the bid named, the bid was true and the caller loses a die.
• If there are fewer, the bid was a lie and the bidder loses a die.

Everyone rolls again with their remaining dice. The player who lost the die bids first in the next round. A player with no dice left is out, and the last player with dice wins.

Follow Mia and Sam through a round

Mia rolls 2, 5, 5, 1, 3. Sam rolls 4, 5, 6, 6, 2.

1. Mia holds two 5s and a one, so she has three dice that count as 5s. She bids "three 5s", which she knows is true from her own cup.
2. Sam holds one 5, so he can count one die for sure. He raises to "four 5s". He needs three more 5s or ones in Mia's cup, and he is guessing.
3. Mia knows she holds three and needs one more from Sam. She could raise or call liar. She calls liar.
4. Both cups are lifted. Mia's three plus Sam's one make four dice that count as 5s. The bid held, so Mia, who called liar, loses a die.

Mia's call lost because she did not know what Sam held. Sam's bid looked like a stretch and was true.

How likely is a bid to be true?

When you cannot see the other cup, each hidden die shows the face you want or a one with probability 1 in 3. For five hidden dice, the chance that at least k of them match is:

These come from the binomial formula for five dice at 1 in 3, calculated for this page. The computer opponent in Twofold uses the same calculation with its own dice.

How do you choose between raising and calling liar?

1. Count your own dice first, ones included, and bid on the face you hold most of.
2. Add what you expect from the other cup, using the table above.
3. Call liar when the bid needs more matching dice from the other cup than the table says are likely.
4. Raise by the smallest step you can back with your own dice.

Do you need a cup of your own?

Yes. Each player's dice have to stay hidden from the other. At a table that means a cup or any container that hides the roll. On Twofold, the phone cover hides it: tap Reveal to look at your dice, then pass the phone to the next player.

What is "spot on" in Liar's Dice?

In some versions, a player can call spot on instead of liar, claiming the bid is exactly right. The reward and the penalty for this call differ between groups. Twofold plays the version above, with no spot on call.

Can more than two people play?

Yes. Twofold's Liar's Dice takes two to four players, seated in a circle and passing the phone clockwise. Against the computer you can play with one, two or three computer players.

Is there a printable version?

You can print this page to keep the rules beside you. You need your own dice and cups.

Play it on one phone

Twofold plays Liar's Dice for two to four players on one phone. You tap Reveal to see your dice, make your bid, then pass the phone to the next player. Twofold is free to download, and each game is free to play once. After that you can buy a game on its own, or all games in one purchase, including games added later. The App Store shows the price in your currency.

Download Twofold on the App Store

More two-player games on one phone: see all games, chess and Fog of War, Four in a Row.