Buck 'em Card Game

Buck ’em is a trick-taking gambling card game

OBJECT OF THE GAME
The goal is to win at least two tricks. If a single player wins at least two tricks, that player wins the whole pot. If two players win at least two tricks they split the pot and each take half the pot. Any player that fails to take two tricks is "burned" and pays an amount equal to the pot. If multiple players are burned they all must match the pot.

PLAYERS AND CARDS

The game is best when played with seven players. Any number from two to eight can play, but the game is most ideal with five to seven players.

A standard 52-card deck without jokers is used. The cards rank: A(high)-K-Q-J-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2.

ANTE AND DEAL
All players must contribute an ante into the pot prior to each deal. The exception being during a burn. Burned player(s) provide the ante for everyone.

The dealer deals out cards face-down one at a time, starting with the player to their left and continuing clockwise until each player has five cards. The top card of the remaining desk is turned face up and the suit of that card indicates the trump suit for the round. The dealer remains the same until there is a re-ante from all players such as a split-pot or raked-pot. A re-ante/dealer change is the only time a player can join or leave the table.

PLAY OR FOLD
Each player must decide to play or fold for this round. Starting with the player to the dealer’s left, each player in clockwise order must declare whether they want to stay in or be out. Each player will make this choice knowing they have the option to trade for up to three new cards. Once the number of players who are staying are established those active players in a clockwise fashion ask for and discard 0, 1, 2 or 3 cards. The dealer deals that number of cards to each player totaling their new five card hand.

THE PLAY
The opening lead for this round is made by the first active player to the dealer’s. In clockwise order, all other active players must follow suit if they have it. If unable to follow suit, players may play any card including trump. Once everyone has played a card the trick is won by the player who played the highest card of the suit led, or if the trick contains trump, by the highest trump card. The winner of the trick leads the next trick. At the end of the round, players that won at least two tricks collect their winnings. If only one player takes at least two tricks they collect the entire pot. If two players collected at least two tricks they split the pot 50/50. Players that fail to win two tricks are burned and must match the pot, giving all other players a free play.

RAKERS

In the event only one player stays, "rakers" are used to determine if that player's hand is worthy of raking a portion of the pot. There is no redraw for rakers and only trump is taken into consideration. Rakers are ”high/low” meaning the player must have at least two trump cards with at least one of them being a face-card. As well as having the ace of trump or “bare ace”. If the player does have rakers they can collect one round of ante from the pot. The raking player collects all of a single pot, half of a double pot, a third of a triple pot, etc. As long as there is still money in the pot after the rake players do not re-ante and the dealer does not change. If the player who stays does not have rakers, or if no one stays the dealer re-deals for the next round.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

In the event that five or more players stay and no player wins at least two tricks then the pot remains and each player that stays is burned and must match that pot.

In an eight-player game it is possible to have the dealer run out of cards before all the players who wish to stay for the round have been served with replacements for their discards. In that case, the dealer gathers up all the discarded cards only from the folded hands. These cards are shuffled and used to continue dealing cards to replace any remaining discards.

SUMMARY
All players ante into the pot. Deal five cards to each player. The top card of the deck is trump. All players decide if they are going to stay in or be out. Players who stay in can trade for 0-3 new cards. Play starts with the first active player to the dealer’s left and all players in for the round must follow suit. The winner of the trick starts the next. The player(s) that won at least two tricks collect their winnings. Players that fail to get two tricks are burned and must match the pot.

*VARIATIONS*

BONUS CARD / PEEK

Players get to preview their first draw card. The dealer deals out five cards and reveals the trump card as normal. Then a bonus 6th card is dealt face down on the table in front of each player. Players can view/peek at their bonus card but it must stay face down on the table. This bonus card is the first of their up to three draw cards. 

For players that stay in and draw: 

-0 cards, they must keep the five cards from their hand and discard the bonus card. 

-1 card, they must discard one card from their hand and pick up the bonus card. 

-2 or 3 cards, they must discard two or three from their hand and request one or two more cards on top of their bonus card. 

SIMULTANEOUS DECLARE
All players make their decision on if they are going to stay or be out for the round. Once all players are ready, each player holds out their cards face down in an outstretched arm over the table. After a countdown from three, players that are out will drop their cards, and everyone still holding their cards remains in for the round.

SCARE CARDS
During the deal, the dealer turns one card from each player’s hand face up. When the dealer reveals the trump card, anyone who's face up card matches the suit of the trump card is required to play that round. After establishing which players are forced to play because of scare cards the game continues as normal and the rest of the players have a chance to join the players that were scared in. Using scare cards is the dealer's choice, but the group should decide prior if they do not want to allow scare cards after the pot has become higher than a certain amount.

BEAVIS
A variation of scare cards which allows players to choose their own scare card. Deal out the cards normally (all cards face down), but before trump is revealed everyone chooses their own scare card. All players simultaneously show their card. The dealer then turns up the trump card. At this point, the same rules from scare cards apply.

OUT FOR NOW

As a means to defend against the rake you may consider this variant. When deciding to play or fold one player can elect to go "out for now", and can return back into the hand in the event only one other player stays. The two players play as normal. 

ORIGIN
Buck 'em is played in Wisconsin/Midwest and is believed to have derived from the game Bourré. See the rules here www.pagat.com/rams/boure