Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 2: Playing Liar
• Method 2 of 2: Possible playing variations
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

Liar (also known as "bluffing" or "lying") is a multiplayer card game involving courage, deceit and getting rid of all the cards you have in your hand. It's a lot of fun, as long as you don't get caught up in a lie! If you want to learn how to play the Liar game, go through the following steps.

To step

Method 1 of 2: Playing Liar

1. Shuffle and deal a deck of 52 cards. Each player must receive the same number of cards. To make sure the game doesn't get too complicated or take too long, it's probably best to play with 3 to 6 people, even though you can play the game with 2 to 10 people. Some people may receive one card more or less than the rest of the players, but that does not affect the outcome of the game. Remember in advance that the object of the game is to get rid of all your cards first.
2. Decide who starts. This can be the dealer, the person with the ace of spades, the two of clubs, or the person with the most cards (if the deal was not quite even). This person puts one card (or more) on the table and tells the other players which card he just used. The person who starts should always be the first to put down one or two aces.
3. Play clockwise and always place the cards in consecutive ascending order. For example, if the first player puts down one or more aces, the next player should put down one or more twos, the third one or more threes, etc. When it is your turn and you put your cards on the table, say: " One ace "," two twos "," three threes ", etc. You don't necessarily have to have the cards to put down - the nice thing is that you can pretend.
   • If you don't have the necessary card (s), you better not pretend to put three on the table; and certainly not four. If you say you discard three cards when you don't have those cards, chances are another player has at least two of those cards. That person will then know that you are lying and will be "liar!" say.
   • You can also love the dumb. Let's say it's your turn to put women on the table, and you have two in your hand. Then say, "Where are we now?" and look confused as you look through your cards before putting anything on the table. The goal is for people to believe you when you lie, and to doubt you when you tell the truth.
4. Say "liar" to anyone you suspect is lying. If you know someone is lying because you have the cards in your hand that they claim to have, because someone else has few cards left, or because you just feel like someone isn't telling the truth, you're calling "liar" after that person has put their cards on the table and said which cards they are. This accusation forces the person who just played to flip over the cards they just placed on the table so that everyone can see which cards they really put down.
   • If the cards don't match what the person said, and so the player who said "liar" was right, the lying player must take all the cards in the stack on the table and add them to the ones he still has in his hand.
   • If the player didn't lie and the accusing player was wrong, all cards already in the stack on the table go to the accuser. If two or more people question the player in question and they are wrong, the pile on the table is divided among all the accusing players.
5. Continue playing after "liar" is called. After someone shouts "liar", a new round starts with the last person who played. As the game continues, it will become increasingly difficult to get away with a lie, especially when you have fewer and fewer cards in your hand. At the end it becomes more a matter of luck and depends on how good your poker face is. Don't do risky things or call out "liar" unless you are pretty sure the person playing really lied about their cards.
6. You win the game by losing all your cards. If one person no longer holds any cards, that person has won. Obviously most people will yell "liar" on the last round, but you can get around this by being very subtle and quick on your last time, or by saying "liar" to the person in front of you, hoping you will be the next round then may begin. The game "liar" is very much about strategy and the more you play it the better you will get at it.
   • If someone has already won, you could keep playing until there are two or three people left. It just depends on what you mutually agree on.
   • Don't say in advance that you only have one card left or that you are about to win.
   • You can also go for the cheeky approach. If you only have one card left, you can pretend you're counting down and say, "Oh great! I only have one three!" Even though the chances of success are not very high, it can be fun to fool your fellow players.

Method 2 of 2: Possible playing variations

1. Play with two different card games at the same time. This is especially nice if you are playing with five people or more. The game will then take longer and it will be more difficult to determine who is bluffing.
   • You can also use card decks with cards that are missing or duplicated. This is a good way to keep using decks that are not suitable for normal card games.
2. Change the order. Instead of playing in ascending order, you play in descending order. Start with twos, then aces, kings, queens, etc. You can also go for the card that comes after or for the card of the person who came before you. For example, if that person puts down a nine, you can put down a ten or an eight.
   • You could also agree that the next player puts down "the same" card as the player in front of him or her, or the leading or consecutive card. This makes it easier for each player to put down the card he or she is holding.
3. You can also choose to have players put down more cards than they said they had. It is best to arrange this before the game starts to avoid accusing each other of cheating. For example, if this rule is in effect, a player could say to put down three cards, while secretly putting down four. You can still say "liar" to this person to make sure he has actually put down the correct number of cards; if it turns out that he lied, he must take the deck of cards from the table.
4. Allow players to put down cards when it is not their turn, but not the last player. Follow the same rules, but anyone can play anytime if another player's turn takes too long.
5. Allow people with all four cards of the same rank to discard them face up when it is their turn. This helps to make a shorter game. For example, if you have 3 nines, shout "Liar" when someone puts the nine down.

Tips

• If you've lied and got away with it, you can say "popcorn," "peanut butter," or "sucker," or howl like a cow to show that you've been putting sand in the eyes of your fellow players. This is of course not necessary, but it can make the game even more fun.
• You don't need to fan your cards, especially when victory is near. Keep the number of cards you have left to yourself.
• It's not necessarily bad if you get caught and you have a lot of cards in your hand - now you probably have many different types of cards and you have little to lose. Now you can tell the truth a lot, or lie a lot because you already have a lot of all the cards.
• Distracting the other players when it is your turn is a good tactic. It is absolutely permissible to divert other players' attention from what you are doing, and it helps.
• This may seem logical, but ALWAYS call out "liar" to the player who puts down his last card (s). Usually there is a lie about the last card (s). If you are wrong, that person wins anyway, but if you get it right, you can keep playing and that player is more likely to lose.

Warnings

• One game can take quite a long time, especially if you play with a lot of participants.
• Always be sporty, even if someone catches you in a lie. This game can get out of hand if people are too serious or if they refuse to admit they lied.

Necessities

• Standard deck with 52 cards
• 3 or more participants