Learn to play Liar's Dice - Cacho/Dudo.

The game can be played by two or more players, each with a cup containing five dice. The game begins with all players rolling a single dice; the one who rolls the highest number starts the game. This person has the freedom to determine the direction of play, either to the right or to the left. Turns consist of shaking the dice inside the cup and then turning them over onto the table, keeping them hidden from the other players. The main objective is to guess how many dice show a certain face, or “pinta,” across the whole table, knowing only your own results. Each player must make a guess about the total number of dice of each “pinta” in play, taking into account their own dice and speculating about the hidden dice of the others.

For example: the first player may say aloud, “there are two dice showing 3,” or, in the traditional jargon of the game, “two trains.” The next player must either raise the bid, change it to a higher denomination, or call a bluff. For instance, they could respond by raising the number of dice: “there are three trains,” or by raising the face value to “two fours” (two dogs), “two fives” (two quinas), or “two sixes” (two cenas). However, it is not allowed to say something like “two twelves,” since a bid can only be raised either by increasing the number of dice or by raising the face value.

That player may also “doubt” the bid by saying it out loud instead of raising the “pinta.” After this, all players reveal their dice. If there is an equal or greater number of dice matching the bid, the player who doubted loses one die. On the other hand, if there are fewer dice than stated, the player who made the bid loses a die.

There is also the possibility of “hunting” the bid, which means the number of dice must be exactly equal to what the previous player declared. If this happens, the player who “hunted” the bid gets one die back. If the count is different, however, that player loses a die.

The “aces” (ones), besides being a face of their own, also serve as wildcards and take on the value of the number currently in play. When betting on “aces” as a face, the number of dice can be reduced to half plus one (rounding up if the number is odd). For example, if the bid is “seven trains,” it can be lowered to “four aces,” but if it is “eight trains,” it can be lowered to “five aces.” Likewise, if the bet is currently on “aces” and a player wants to change to another face, they must bid double plus one. For example, to change the bid from “two aces” to “trains,” the correct bid would be “five trains” or more.

The player who gains or loses a die starts the next round. When a player is left with only one die, that round is played “blind,” which means only the players with a single die may look at their results, while the others must continue making their bids without seeing them.

Important: according to the saying “fallen die, lost die,” if a player drops a die from the table, they lose it. The last player left with dice is crowned the winner.

Now that you’ve learned the rules, become a professional by also learning the traditional Colombian jargon!:

• Face or “pinta” 1: “As” (Ace)

• Face or “pinta” 2: “Pato” (Duck)

• Face or “pinta” 3: “Tren” (Train)

• Face or “pinta” 4: “Perro” (Dog)

• Face or “pinta” 5: “Quina” (Quina/Five)

• Face or “pinta” 6: “Cena” (Dinner/Six)