House Of DecksGame rules
Liar's Dice (Dudo)
Be the last player with dice left.
Deck
Five dice and a cup per player (three in the quick game)
Players
2 to 8 players
How each round starts
Everyone shakes their cup at the same time and looks at their own dice without showing them. Nobody sees anyone else's dice until someone doubts or calls it exact.
Whoever opens the round makes the first bid: a quantity and a face, for example "four threes". It means that, counting every player's dice, there are at least four dice showing a three.
Ones are wild
Ones count as any face: if the bid is on threes, every one on the table counts as a three. That is why a round cannot be opened by bidding on ones.
You can bid on the ones themselves. Switching to ones only needs half the previous quantity, rounded up (from "five fours" to "three ones"). Switching away from ones needs double plus one (from "three ones" to "seven" of any face).
Your turn: raise, doubt or call it exact
Raise: make a higher bid. That means a larger quantity on any face, or the same quantity on a higher face. "Four threes" can be raised to "four fives" or "five twos", but not to "four twos".
Doubt ("Dudo!"): you think the previous bid is a lie. Every cup is lifted and the dice of that face (plus the ones) are counted. If there are at least as many as were bid, the doubter loses a die; if there are fewer, the bidder loses one.
Exact: you think there are exactly that many, not one more or less. Get it right and you win a die back (never above what you started with); get it wrong and you lose one.
The next round is opened by whoever lost the die. If they ran out of dice, the next player opens; after a correct exact call, the caller opens.
Palifico
When a player drops to a single die, the next round they open is a palifico: ones stop being wild and nobody can change the face of the bid, only raise the quantity. The opener can still pick any face, ones included.
Each player gets a single palifico per game, and it is not played when only two players are left. It can be switched off in the room options.
Ending
A player who runs out of dice is out. The last player with dice left wins.
Tips and strategy
The count you need to know
On average, a third of the dice you cannot see show the face you are after (that face or a one). With 20 dice on the table and 5 of yours, expect about 5 among the 15 you cannot see. Add your own and you have the "normal" number: bidding below it is safe; above it, every extra die is a risk.
For ones the count is halved: only a sixth of the hidden dice is a one. That is why switching to ones at half the quantity is often a harder bid than it looks.
The table tells you how many of the chosen face you hold and how many to expect overall. Use it for your first games until the count comes naturally.
Reading everyone else's bids
Hardly anybody bids a face they do not have. If two players have been raising fives, between them they probably hold several: keep that in mind before you doubt.
On the other hand, someone who suddenly switches face is often escaping a bid they do not like. That is a good moment for the next player to doubt.
When to doubt and when to call exact
Doubt when the bid is clearly over the normal number and you have no comfortable raise. Raising a bid that is already doubtful only passes the problem to your neighbour... with one more die of risk for you.
Call exact rarely. Hitting the exact number is much harder than hitting "at least", and missing costs a die. It is worth it when the bid sits right on the normal number and you are missing a die or two.
With few dice on the table everything tightens: at the end of the game, one die either way is the difference between winning and going out.
Frequently asked questions
Are ones wild?
Yes, except in a palifico round. A one counts as the face of the bid (if the bid is on fours, ones count as fours).
How do you switch to bidding on ones?
With half the previous quantity, rounded up: after "five sixes", "three ones" is valid. To switch back to another face you need double plus one.
What does calling exact mean?
Saying there are exactly as many as were bid. Get it right and you win a die back; get it wrong and you lose one.
What is palifico?
The special round of a player who drops to a single die: ones are not wild and the face cannot change. Each player gets one per game.
How long does a game take?
With four players and five dice, about ten minutes. With three dice per player, half that.
Liar's Dice (Dudo), against the computer
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