General
liar's poker
What does liar's poker mean?
A bluffing game traders play on the desk using the eight-digit serial numbers on dollar bills. Each player treats their bill's digits as a hidden hand and bids on how many of a given digit are present across everyone's bills combined. You either raise the bid or call the previous player a liar. Famously the favoured pastime of Salomon Brothers bond traders in the 1980s.
"After the close they'd pull out hundred-dollar bills and play Liar's Poker until someone got cleaned out."
Origin
Popularised by Michael Lewis's 1989 book Liar's Poker, recounting the game as played on the Salomon Brothers trading floor.
Frequently asked questions
What is Liar's Poker?
Liar's Poker is a bluffing game played by bond traders using the serial numbers on dollar bills.
How do you play Liar's Poker?
Players bluff about the digits in the serial numbers on dollar bills, betting on how many of a given number are in play across all the bills.
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