Liar Dice - Rules

I'm a big fan of the game Liar's Dice, published by several game companies through the years. (It's one of my favorite dice games.) This game, Liar Dice, is a nice two-player cousin of that game.

Players

2 players.

Equipment 10 six-sided dice. 2 dice cups (optional). 1 screen (or other similar object) to place between the players.

Goal

To out-think and/or out-roll your opponent.

Setup

The screen is placed between the players so that neither can see what the other rolls. Each player rolls his five dice on his side of the screen.

Choose a player to make the first claim.

Gameplay

The first player claims a Poker hand (see "Hand Ranks" below for legal calls). When making a claim, a player says what all five dice are, not just the name of the hand. For example, a player should say, "I have a full house: three 4s and two 5s," not simply "I have a full house."

A player does not need to actually have the hand he claims.

His opponent then has a decision to make. She can do one of three things: Claim a higher hand; Roll again (up to two times) and claim a higher hand; or Challenge and lift the screen.

Claiming a Higher Hand

If a player claims a higher hand, her opponent must then choose from one of the three options above.

Rolling Again

A player is entitled to a total of three rolls in a round. After the first roll and before the second, he may set aside any number of dice. (Any dice which are set aside are not revealed to his opponent.)

When a player chooses to rolls again, he must then also claim a higher hand.

After rolling the third time, a player's only choices are to claim a higher hand or lift the screen.

Challenging and Lifting the Screen

When a player challenges a claim and lifts the screen, the round comes to an end. If the challenged player has as good a hand as she claimed, or better, she wins the round. Otherwise, the player making the challenge wins.

EXAMPLE: Anna claims a full house, 6-6-6-5-5. Ben challenges her and lifts the screen. Anna has a full house, but it's only 5-5-5-6-6. Because her hand is less than she claimed, Anna loses this round.

EXAMPLE: Cecil claims a high straight, 6-5-4-3-2. Danielle challenges him and lifts the screen. Cecil has four of a kind, 1-1-1-1-2. Because his hand is better than he claimed, Cecil wins this round.

Hand Ranks

The possible hands are ranked as follows: Five of a kind, e.g. 4-4-4-4-4 Four of a kind, e.g. 2-2-2-2-6 Full house, e.g. 6-6-6-1-1 High straight, 6-5-4-3-2 Low straight, 5-4-3-2-1 Three of a kind, e.g. 5-5-5-2-1 Two pairs, e.g. 3-3-2-2-4 One pair, e.g. 4-4-5-3-1 Runt, e.g. 6-5-3-2-1

If two players claim the same hand, ties are broken in the same manner as in Poker.

Winning

See "Challenging and Lifting the Screen" above.

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