Liar's Dice
Everyone has five dice under a cup. Bid on how many dice on the whole table show a number, or call Liar! on the last bid. Lose all your dice and you're out.
How to play Liar's Dice
How to play
You play against two computer players on Easy and three on Medium and Hard, five dice each. Only you can see your own dice. In turn, each player raises the bid, a guess at how many dice among all the dice on the table show one number, such as four 5s. A raise is more dice, or the same number of dice of a higher number: after four 5s you may bid four 6s or five of anything. Instead of raising you can call Liar! on the bid before you. All cups lift and the dice are counted: if there are at least that many, the bid stands and the caller loses a die; if not, the bidder loses one. The loser opens the next round (if they are out, the next player does). Lose your last die and the game is over; outlast everyone to win. Pick a number, set the quantity with − and +, then press Bid (keys: 1 to 6, arrows, Enter to bid, L for Liar!, N for the next round).
Wild 1s
1s are wild: they count as every other number, so with a 4 and a 1 you hold two 4s. A bid on 1s counts only the 1s, and because 1s are rarer they count double in the bidding: to switch to 1s you may halve the quantity, rounded up: after four 5s, two 1s will do, and after five 5s, three 1s. To switch back from 1s you need double plus one: after two 1s, bid five of a number. Any bid may be on 1s, the first one too.
Tips
Count the dice you can't see: each one shows a given number or a 1 one time in three, so among ten hidden dice you can expect about three. Add your own matching dice and you have a fair guess at the true total. Call Liar! when a bid needs far more than that, and raise on numbers you hold. The hint works out the exact chance from your own dice. The computer players only see their own dice, the dice counts and the bids: they never peek. Easy players count the odds loosely and call Liar! too readily; Medium players count them properly and bluff now and then; Hard players also read what the others have bid and bluff more often.
Questions
How do you play Liar's Dice?
Everyone shakes five dice under a cup and looks only at their own. Players take turns raising a bid on how many dice on the whole table show a number, like four 5s, until someone calls Liar!. Then all dice are shown: if the bid was too high the bidder loses a die, otherwise the caller does. The last player with dice wins.
Are 1s wild in Liar's Dice?
In this game, yes: 1s count as every other number, unless the bid is on 1s itself. A bid on 1s needs only half as many dice, rounded up, as a bid on another number, and to move from 1s back to another number you bid double plus one.
What are the odds in Liar's Dice?
Each die you can't see counts for a bid on 2 to 6 one time in three (the number or a wild 1), and for a bid on 1s one time in six. So with 15 dice on the table, the ten you can't see hold on average about three that count for a bid on 4s, plus whatever you hold yourself. The hint gives the exact chance from your own dice.
How many dice does each player get?
Five dice each. With two computer players there are 15 dice on the table at the start; with three there are 20. Every round one player loses one die, so the table shrinks as the game goes on.
Is there a daily Liar's Dice game?
Yes. The daily is a Medium game against three computer players. Every die comes from the date, the round number and its place under the cup, so everyone starts with the same dice, and the computer players always make the same choice in the same position: play like a friend did and you will see the same game.