Official Poker Rules BoardDocument OPR-596 · Updated 28 September 2026

Home game · Draw

Buck Thirty-Five Rules

Buck Thirty-Five is a five-card draw game in which each player sees their cards a few at a time, with a betting round at each stage. The last card a player sees stays on the table and is wild for that player, together with every other card of its rank in their hand. Players may then exchange up to three cards before the final bet.

Players: 4 to 6
Type: Draw
Wild cards: Each player's card 4 and matching ranks
Betting rounds: 4
Pot: High only, or high-low split by agreement

Article 1Players, deck and objective

1.1

Buck Thirty-Five is a variant of Five Card Draw for four to six players, contributed to pagat.com by Alfred Carter.

1.2

It uses a standard 52-card deck. Each player has their own wild rank, set by one of their cards (see 3.3). Wild cards are private: a card that is wild for one player is not wild for another.

1.3

The best five-card high hand wins, ranked by the standard poker hand rankings. By prior agreement the game may be played high-low split instead (see 4.2).

1.4

Because a player may hold several wild cards, five of a kind is possible. The source does not rank it; the usual practice is that five of a kind beats a straight flush. The group shall confirm this before play.

Article 2The deal

2.1

Each player is dealt five cards face down, laid out on the table in a row. The positions are referred to as cards 1 to 5.

2.2

A player may not look at any card until the rules below allow it.

2.2(a) To reduce the risk of cards being seen by accident, the dealer may instead deal only cards 1, 3 and 5 at first, then card 2 after the first betting round, and card 4 after the second.

Article 3Play and betting

Stage	What the player sees	Then
1	Cards 1, 3 and 5, picked up into the hand	Betting round
2	Card 2, also picked up	Betting round
3	Card 4, which stays face down on the table	Betting round
4	Draw: exchange up to three cards	Final betting round

3.1

Players pick up and look at cards 1, 3 and 5. A betting round follows.

3.2

Players pick up and look at card 2, so that they now hold four cards. A betting round follows.

3.3

Players look at card 4 but shall leave it face down on the table, separate from the rest of their hand. Card 4 is wild for that player, and so is every other card of the same rank in that player's hand. A betting round follows.

3.4

Each player may exchange up to three cards from their hand. Card 4 may not be exchanged. A final betting round follows, then the showdown.

Example

A personal wild rank

Player A's cards 1, 3 and 5 are K♥K♠9♦ and card 2 is the 7♣. A's card 4 is the 7♠, so sevens are wild for A.

Both sevens are wild. A therefore holds K-K-9 with two wild cards, which makes four kings with a nine. Player B, whose card 4 is a jack, gains nothing from A's sevens: for B, sevens are ordinary cards.

Article 4Showdown

4.1

In a high-only game, the best five-card hand wins the pot, with each player's wild cards counted for that player only.

4.2

If high-low split was agreed, the pot is shared between the best high hand and the best low hand. How low hands are ranked follows house rules, which shall be announced before play.

Article 5Variations

Two wild cards. Cards 2 and 4, and all cards matching either, are wild for the player. Neither card 2 nor card 4 is picked up, and neither may be exchanged.
Matching required. Card 2 and card 4 (and cards matching them) are wild only if either matches card 1, 3 or 5. Cards 2 and 4 stay on the table and may not be exchanged.
Paid exchanges. With five players or fewer, cards 2 and 4 may be exchanged for a fee: the agreed fee for the first and double the fee for the second. The new cards take their place face down on the table.
High-low. Any of these versions may be played high-low split. This tends to reduce the number of cards exchanged.

Article 6Frequently asked questions

What is wild in Buck Thirty-Five?

Each player's card 4 is wild for them, along with any other card of the same rank in their hand. Wild cards differ from player to player.

Can you exchange your wild card in Buck Thirty-Five?

No. Card 4 stays on the table and cannot be traded. You may exchange up to three of your other cards.

How many players can play Buck Thirty-Five?

Four to six.

Final authority

Where any doubt remains in the application of this document, Rob is right.

Hand rankings, high to low: royal flush · straight flush · four of a kind · full house · flush · straight · three of a kind · two pair · one pair · high card. Suits never break ties.

Buck Thirty-Five Rules · OPR-596 · officialpokerrules.com/buck-thirty-five/

OPR-596Uncontrolled when printed