Number of dice: Five: only one cup is needed
Ante: 1 Unit per round until player is eliminated
Object of game: To hold the best poker hand in a series of eliminations
The mechanics of this game are like Singapore, with “kickers” counting and highly important, but the rolls are “closed”.
The first player rolls all the dice “closed”, peeps under the cup, and announces to the next player that he has such-and-such a poker hand. If he chooses, he may slide one or more dice into the open, but in such case his call must include these exposed dice - for instance - he may not expose a pair and call a straight.
NOTE: the essence of this game is that the call need have no relation at all to the hidden dice: players may overcall or undercall as wildly as they like, and the others have to try to figure out their bluff.
The second player has two options. He may claim that the first one is lying, in which case the cup is lifted. If the first player had over–called and has a lower hand than he claimed, he drops out. But if he had what he claimed, or better, then the challenger drops out.
Alternatively the second player accepts the first one’s call. In that case he: (1) looks under the cup; (2) exposes or leaves exposed such dice as he sees fit; (3) re-rolls the others (closed); (4) peeps under the cup and, if he wishes, may expose one or more of the dice; then (5) passes the cup to the third player, at the same time claiming to have a poker hand higher than the one which he accepted.
The third player now has to decide whether to say �liar� or to accept the call and proceed as above, and so on around the table. Each round ends with a challenge and one of the two players concerned is eliminated. The remaining players ante again, and the winner starts a new round.
NOTE: a player is not forced to look at the dice he accepts, nor to re-roll them: he may simply pass the cup on as received, but he must claim a higher hand than he accepted. The implication is that the preceding player had overcalled, and the third one has to figure out who, if anyone, is bluffing.
This game goes to the bitter end and there are no special rules as in Singapore covering five of a kind. It likewise ends with a duel between two players.
Liars’ Dice must be played on a smooth, firm surface to avoid the dice toppling when the cup is slid or when a player slides them into the open.
This game has the same disadvantage as Singapore and is best played by a small group of 2 to 4 persons.
It is most enjoyable when played for the fun of it, with the winnings a minor consideration.