If you’ve ever played any social games throughout your life, you must have had contact with dice on at least a few occasions. Packs of dice are often used as side components in popular games, while in many instances, they play the central role.

One game where everything revolves around dice is Liar’s Dice — a game that became even more popular after it was used in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise. Although Liar’s Dice has many other names, such as Dudo, Doubting Dice, Perudo, Call My Bluff, and others, the one players worldwide often go for is Pirates Dice.

If you loved the movie, you know how interesting this game is. However, even if you haven’t followed captain Jack Sparrow on his adventurous voyages, you should still read our guide and learn how to play dice like a pirate.

Game Rules

Liar’s Dice is a game for at least two players that requires a set of five classic dice and a cup for each player. Before the game starts, each player rolls two dice to see who will start, and the player whose sum is highest plays first. Players can also use other methods to determine who will initiate the first round.

You can play this game in two different ways, and below you can learn the details of the variant played in the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

Single Hand

Single Hand Liar’s Dice consists of more than one round. Each player needs a set of dice and a cup. The game starts with all players using the cup to shake their dice, roll them on the table, and hide them from other players after checking out their combination.

Once the rolling is over, the bidding rounds start. Each player has the right to make a bid and try to guess the total number of dice on the table with a certain face. For instance, a player can state that there are three 4s in total, meaning that he believes there are at least three dice with the number four out of all the dice rolled on the table.

After the first player makes a bid, gameplay continues clockwise. The next player can either increase the previous player’s bid or challenge them.

Since every bet consists of an amount and a number, the player can increase either or even both. On the other hand, any player can also challenge the previous bet on their turn.

When a challenge is made, all players must reveal their dice. If the number of selected dice on the table doesn’t match or exceed the bid, the challenger wins. On the other hand, if the bidder guessed the number of the respective dice faces, the challenger loses. The loser has to give up one of their dice and start the next round.

Common Hand

Another version of Liar’s Dice is called Common Hand, and it uses poker hand rankings as inspiration. In case players are up for some real bets, they can include chips or tokens into this poker dice game.

Players roll the dice, but instead of guessing the total number of a particular dice face, they announce a poker hand combination. The combination may be the one they actually got, a lower one, or a higher one. Once again, the next player in line can either accept or challenge the previous hand.

However, this is a story for some other time and requires a bit of poker knowledge, too. So, before you dive into the rules of Common Hand Liar’s Dice, gather a group of friends and have fun mastering the standard version of this popular dice game.