Official Poker Rules BoardDocument OPR-522 · Updated 28 September 2026

Home game · Shared card

Double Elevator Rules

In Double Elevator, each player holds four cards and eleven cards are laid on the table: three columns of three, called shafts, with an elevator card between each pair of columns. At showdown each player chooses one elevator and one floor, uses the three table cards on that row, and treats the chosen elevator's rank as wild. It was contributed to pagat.com by Charles Pierce.

Players: 4 to 10
Cards per player: 4
Community cards: 11 (9 shaft, 2 elevator)
Wild cards: The chosen elevator and its rank
Pot: High only

Article 1Players, deck and layout

1.1

Double Elevator was contributed to pagat.com by Charles Pierce. Compare the related game Elevator.

1.2

Four to ten players may take part, using a standard 52-card deck. The best five-card high hand wins the pot.

1.3

The table cards are laid out face down in three columns, A, B and C, each of three cards. These columns are the shafts. Their rows are the floors: bottom (1), middle (2) and top (3).

1.4

One further card, the elevator, is placed between each pair of shafts: E1 between shafts A and B, and E2 between shafts B and C.

Floor	Shaft A	Elevator 1	Shaft B	Elevator 2	Shaft C
Top	A3	↕	B3	↕	C3
Middle	A2	E1	B2	E2	C2
Bottom	A1	↕	B1	↕	C1

Figure 1.1The three shafts with elevator E1 between shafts A and B and elevator E2 between shafts B and C; the nine shaft cards are turned three at a time, then E1 and finally E2.

Article 2The deal and betting

2.1

The source does not specify forced bets. An ante from each player is the usual practice in home games.

2.2

Each player is dealt four cards face down, and the eleven table cards are laid out face down as described in 1.3 and 1.4.

2.3

There are six betting rounds:

Round	Cards turned before the round
1	None (after the deal)
2	Any three shaft cards, chosen by the dealer
3	Three more shaft cards
4	The last three shaft cards
5	Elevator E1
6	Elevator E2

Article 3Showdown and wild cards

3.1

At showdown each player chooses one elevator and places it, in their imagination, on the bottom, middle or top floor. The player may then use the chosen elevator and the two shaft cards beside it on that floor. The permitted sets of table cards are A1-E1-B1, A2-E1-B2, A3-E1-B3, B1-E2-C1, B2-E2-C2 and B3-E2-C3.

3.2

Each player therefore has seven cards: the four in hand and the three chosen table cards. The best five of these make the hand.

3.3

The chosen elevator card, and every card of the same rank among the player's seven cards, is wild for that player. Different players may choose different elevators, and so have different wild cards.

3.4

Five of a kind is possible. By the usual convention it ranks above a straight flush. See hand rankings for the standard order.

Example

Choosing the right elevator

Shaft A, bottom to top: 3♣K♦8♥. Elevator E1: 5♠. Shaft B: J♦K♣2♠. Elevator E2: 9♥. Shaft C: 4♣Q♠9♦

A player holds K♥K♠7♦2♣.

Choosing E1 on the middle floor gives K♦5♠K♣. Fives are wild, so the player has four natural kings plus the wild five: five kings.

Choosing E2 on the middle floor would give K♣9♥Q♠, with nines wild: only four kings. The player chooses E1.

Article 4Variations and strategy notes

Skyscraper Elevator, by the same contributor, uses two shafts of five cards with a single elevator between them, and has seven betting rounds.
Because the wild rank depends on which elevator you choose, a pair in hand matching an elevator's rank becomes very strong once that elevator is turned.
Nothing about the elevators is known until the fifth betting round, so early bets rest mainly on the hand and the exposed shaft cards.

Article 5Frequently asked questions

What is wild in Double Elevator?

The elevator card you choose at showdown, and every card of the same rank in your hand or among the table cards you use. Each player picks their own elevator, so wild cards can differ between players.

How many cards do you use in Double Elevator?

Seven: your four hole cards plus one elevator and the two shaft cards on either side of it on one floor. You make the best five-card hand from those seven.

How many betting rounds are there in Double Elevator?

Six: one after the deal, three as the shaft cards are turned three at a time, and one after each elevator is turned.

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.

Double Elevator Rules · OPR-522 · officialpokerrules.com/double-elevator/

OPR-522Uncontrolled when printed