Game Rules
Liar's PokerYour bill, your lie, your risk

No deck of cards needed — just banknotes. Bid, bluff, expose. The original Wall Street game.

Players2 – 10
Duration10 – 20 min
DeckBanknotes
LevelMedium
I · The idea

Bluffing with
real money

I

Liar's Poker isn't played with cards, but with the serial numbers on banknotes. Each player holds a bill face down — and bids on how often certain digits appear across all the bills.

Bid too high and you're out. Expose a bluff correctly and you win. Famously played by traders on Wall Street in the 80s.

II · Preparation

Before the
game begins

II
1
Hand out the bills
Each player takes one banknote — face down. Nobody shows their bill.
2
Count the digits
Everyone secretly counts the digits on their own bill.
3
Starting player
Any player opens with a bid.
III · Card values
How to bid
and how to bluff
III
n
Quantity
How many
A bid names a quantity and a digit. Example: “three fives” means — at least three 5s across all bills.
↑
Raising
Higher or more
Each bid must either raise the quantity or, at the same quantity, name a higher digit.
?
Challenging
Reveal
Whoever doubts calls “Liar!” — all bills are revealed and the digits are counted.
✓
It holds
Bidder wins
If there are at least as many as bid: the challenger loses a bill.
IV · Gameplay

Bid by
bid

IV
1
Place a bid
Name a quantity and a digit. “Four sevens” — four 7s should be across all the bills.
2
Raise
The next player raises the bid or challenges.
3
Call Liar!
Whoever doubts calls “Liar!” — all bills are revealed.
4
Count
All digits on all bills are counted. Does the bid hold? Or not?
5
Losing
Whoever is wrong — bidder or challenger — loses a bill. Anyone out of bills is eliminated. The last player holding a bill wins.
V · Tips & tricks

What really
matters

V
Strategy tips
+

Count your own digits precisely at the start — they are the only certain information you'll have all game.

+

Bid early on digits you hold multiple times yourself — that lowers your risk if someone challenges later.

+

Watch other players' hesitation on high bids — a bid made too quickly often signals a strong hand.

+

Bail out when a bid gets unrealistically high for the number of players — better to lose one bill than to lose for sure.

Common mistakes
–

Miscounting or forgetting your own digits — that leads to needlessly risky bids.

–

Calling Liar on every bid instead of roughly working out the odds.

–

Forgetting that the total number of bills shrinks with every eliminated player — making high bids less and less likely.

–

Hesitating too long and giving away information — opponents read the strength of your hand from your hesitation.

Berlin Hold'em · Matching decks
Get the right deck

For Liar's Poker all you need is cash — but our decks are perfect for the next round after.

View all designs →
20s Playing Cards – Double Pack For larger groups and long game nights. View product Viking Playing Cards – Double Pack Two decks, ideal for 5+ players. View product
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