Buck ’em is a trick-taking gambling card game where players aim to win at least two tricks in a round to qualify for winnings.
OBJECT OF THE GAME
The Goal: Win at least two tricks in a round to win a share of the pot:
One Winner: If only one player wins two or more tricks, they take the whole pot.
Two Winners: If two players each win two or more tricks, they split the pot.
Burned Players: Any player who fails to win at least two tricks is "burned" and must match the pot amount for the next round.
PLAYERS AND CARDS
Players: 5 to 8 players.
Deck: Standard 52-card deck, no jokers. Cards rank from A (high) to 2 (low).
SUMMARY
Each round: Players ante, receive five cards, decide to stay or fold, draw 0–3 new cards, and try to win at least two tricks to qualify for winnings.
ANTE AND DEAL
Ante: All players put an ante in the pot before each deal. After a burn however, the burned player(s) match the previous pot, and no additional ante is required from others. New players can only join during a regular ante, not after a round with a burn.
Deal: Each player receives five cards, dealt clockwise. The dealer flips the top card of the remaining deck to show the trump suit for the round. The trump suit always wins against all other suits. The dealer rotates clockwise after each round.
Secondary Deck Recommendation: To speed up play, use two different color backed 52-card decks. Have the second deck shuffled so that there is always a deck ready to be dealt.
STAY OR FOLD
Decision: Each round players review their hand and decide whether to stay and play or fold and be out, starting with the player to the dealer's left. After every player has declared to stay or fold, there is a second round for those that stayed to draw replacement cards.
Stay: Players who stay may draw up to three replacement cards to restore their hand to five cards.
Fold: Players who fold sit out the round, neither drawing nor playing cards.
THE PLAY
1. The first player who stayed leads a card, followed by each other player that stayed in clockwise order.
2. Players must follow the suit of the lead card if possible. If they can’t, they may play any card, including a trump.
3. After each player has played one card the highest card in the lead suit (or highest trump card if trump is played) wins the trick.
4. The trick winner leads the next trick.
5. After all five tricks, players who win at least two tricks collect winnings. Players who fail to win at least two tricks are burned and must match the pot for the next round.
RAKERS
If only one player stays, they may rake (take) a portion of the pot if they were dealt:
The ace of trump, or
Two trump cards, with at least one being a face card (King, Queen, or Jack).
If the solo player meets these conditions they collects all of a single pot. If there is a double pot or more then the raking player rakes only half of the pot. If money remains in the pot after the rake, no ante is required in the next round.
If the solo player does not meet these conditions, or if no one stays, there is no rake and the next round begins.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Depleted Deck: In an eight-player game, if the dealer runs out of cards while dealing replacements, they reshuffle discards from folded players to continue.
No Winners: If five or more players stay and no player wins at least two tricks, each player is burned and must match the pot for the next round.
GENERAL STRATEGY
There’s no strict minimum hand requirement for staying in the game, but generally, a hand with at least two trump cards, or a combination of high trump and offsuit (non-trump) aces is generally strong enough to consider staying in. However, players need to adjust based on, the number of players staying, what they believe others may hold and whether they’re comfortable with the potential risk of matching the pot if they don’t win at least two tricks.
*VARIATIONS*
SCARE CARDS
The dealer deals one card (a scare card) from each player’s hand face up. Anyone whose face up scare card matches the suit of the trump card is scared in and must stay that round. All other players still decide to stay or fold.
Scare cards are dealer's choice, but the group should decide a pot limit for using scare cards.
DEUCE SWAP
If a player is initially dealt the trump deuce (two of trump) they can swap it out for the trump card if they elect to stay. However, the trump Ace is locked in and cannot be swapped out.
SIMULTANEOUS DECLARE
Players simultaneously reveal their decision to stay or fold. When ready, players hold out their cards face down in an outstretched arm over the table. After a countdown, players that elect to fold drop their cards, and players still holding their cards must stay.
DEALER'S TRUMP
The dealer turns their fifth and final card face up and that suit is trump for the round.
SHORT HANDED GAMES
Six and five players games will encounter players folding at a higher frequency because less cards and trump are dealt out. Counter this by removing low value cards from the deck. Additionally you can randomly select a trump card from the removed cards.
Six player games remove the 2s.
Five player games remove the 2s and 3s.
EDITOR'S NOTE
Growing up in Wisconsin I have played Buck 'em nearly my entire life. Over decade ago I tried to look up the rules for Buck 'em online and was dumfounded to realize that there was none. I carefully wrote out these rules as concise and clearly as possible.
Several years ago I also posted to reddit hoping to learn more about the origin of this great game
reddit.com/r/cardgames thread
Additionally, I have come across a handful of other games that are similar, but not exactly the same Buck 'em game that I am familiar with.
Buck Up - The closest card game in terms of gameplay with very few deviations.
Bourré (Booray) - In the Rams group of card games involving trick-taking trump card games where you can drop out before play begins.
Loo - Five-card loo is quite similar.
In order to tell which players our in or out, after the deal is complete and trump is turner up all players must put a hand out on the table. The player or players who have a coin in there hand are playing. Don't have the coin in the wrong hand. Even if you make that mistake your still playing. It could cost you big.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an interesting way to play and puts less pressure on the person who has to decide if they are going to be in first. I will have to try this next time I play. How long have you been playing Buck 'em? Do you have a different name for it? I was surprised I couldn't find anything online about it. Thanks!
DeleteWe also play that you can draw all five cards.
ReplyDeleteWe have been playing Buck 'em in Michigan for over 10 years at our weekly poker night......
ReplyDeleteOur "Michigan" Buck 'em version calls for each player holding their cards (face down) over the pot with their outreached arm, and on the count of 3 dropping their cards if not in the game, and keeping their cards if they are in the game, instead of using the coin in hand method......otherwise we play the game the same.....