Dice games
Perudo (Liar's Dice)
- players
- 2–6
- minutes
- 30
- years
- 8+
In the box
30 dice in 6 colours · 6 cups
Box details
- Origin
- Traditional game, with no specific designer or publisher
- Mechanics
- Betting and BluffingDice RollingPlayer Elimination
Where to buy it
Near you and online
In a shop
Within 50 km.
Online
Affiliate link: Marquoir may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
The basics
Each player hides five dice under their cup, and you bid on how many dice of a given value there are around the table, the ones, called Paco, being wild. On your turn, raise the bid by increasing the quantity or the value, or call Dudo: all cups are lifted, and whoever was wrong, the bidder or the doubter, loses a die. The last player with dice left wins the game.
Checked against the official rules · October 2026
The rules, step by step
Setup
5 dice per player, 1 cup each, Secret hand
- Five dice and an opaque cup per player; a lid in the middle of the table collects the lost dice.
- Everyone rolls their dice under their cup and looks at their hand without showing it.
- The first player is chosen at random.
How to play
Raise the bid, Or doubt: Dudo, Wrong: lose 1 die
- The first player announces a quantity and a face, for example three Fours: they claim there are at least three Fours on the table, all cups combined.
- The next player, on their left, must raise the bid: increase the quantity and keep the face, or keep the quantity and increase the face, never both at once.
- They can also challenge (Dudo): all cups are then lifted and the dice counted.
- If the bid was right or exceeded, the challenger loses a die. Otherwise the bidder loses one.
- Whoever has just lost a die opens the next round; if they are out, the player on their left does.
Scoring
Paco are wild, Switch to Paco: ÷2, 1 die left: Palifico
- The 1s, called Paco, are wild and count towards every face.
- You cannot open a round on Paco, except in a Palifico round.
- To switch to Paco, halve the quantity, rounding up. To switch back, double it and add one.
- When a player drops to a single die, the next round is a Palifico, which they open: Paco are no longer wild and the face bid can no longer change. Only that round is affected, not the following ones.
End of the game
No dice left: out, Last player with dice
- A player who loses their last die is eliminated.
- The last player with dice left wins the game.
House rules and pitfalls
Calza, an optional rule: before the next player speaks, anyone except the bidder can claim that the quantity…
- Calza, an optional rule: before the next player speaks, anyone except the bidder can claim that the quantity is exactly right. If they are right, they get back a die they had lost; if not, they lose one. Either way, they open the next round.
- Bluffing pays mostly at the start of a round, when nobody has reliable information yet.
Going further
Variants · Frequently asked questions · Rules on video · In the same family
Variants
Dice per player
5 dice (usual)
6 dice (long game)
House variant: the rules use 5 dice.
3 dice (short game)
House variant: the rules use 5 dice.
Calza
With Calza
Optional rule: calling the exact quantity wins back a die (+1); getting it wrong costs one (-1).
No Calza
You can only raise the bid or challenge it.
choose them when you start a game: the scorer adapts
Frequently asked questions
How do you raise a bid in Perudo?
By increasing the quantity — four Threes after three Threes — or by keeping the quantity and raising the face: three Fives after three Threes. Never both at once, and you never go back down to a lower face, except to switch to Paco.
How do Paco work?
The 1s count towards every face. To bid Paco, halve the current quantity, rounding up; to switch back, double it and add one. You cannot open a round on Paco, except in a Palifico round.
What is a Palifico?
The round that follows a player losing their second-to-last die, and which that player opens: Paco are no longer wild, and the face bid cannot change for the whole round. You can only increase the quantity.
What is Calza?
An optional rule: claiming that the quantity is exactly the one just bid. Anyone except the bidder may call it, before the next player speaks. If right, you get a die back — up to the starting maximum. If wrong, you lose one.
Who loses a die after a challenge?
If the bid is confirmed or exceeded, the challenger. Otherwise, the bidder. Nobody else ever loses anything.
How do you track a game in the counter?
Everyone starts with five dice. Enter -1 for the player who loses one, +1 after a successful Calza; a player on zero is eliminated, and the last one standing wins.
Rules on video
- Rules video 1 · Meyklar, conseiller ludique
- Rules video 2 · Ludovox
- Rules video 3 · Meyklar, conseiller ludique
Videos in French, hosted on YouTube.