Fire Truck Game: The Poker Side Game That Rewards Hot Streaks

The Fire Truck Game is a poker side game that rewards hot streaks. Three miniature fire truck markers sit in the center of the table. Each time you win a pot, you collect one truck. If you grab all three in a row, you hit the jackpot and everyone pays you.

The game keeps everyone engaged because any pot could be the start of a three-peat. Even players who folded watch to see if someone is about to collect that third truck.

Here are the complete rules for running the Fire Truck Game:

1. Place three trucks in the center. Before the session starts, put three miniature fire trucks (or tokens, chips, anything visible) in the middle of the table.
2. Win a pot, take a truck. Each time you win a hand, take one fire truck from the center and place it in front of you.
3. Collect all three to win. If you win three pots in a row and collect all three trucks, you hit the bonus. Everyone else at the table pays you the agreed amount.
4. Reset after payout. Return all three trucks to the center. The next pot starts a fresh race.
5. Different winner resets the count. If someone else wins a pot before you complete the three-peat, your trucks go back to the center. The new winner now has one truck.

Before you play, get everyone aligned on these points:

• Bonus amount: How much does each player pay the winner? Common amounts are 2 to 5 big blinds per person.
• Split pots: If two players chop, you keep your current trucks but do not gain a new one. The race pauses.
• Walks and blinds: Does winning the blinds uncontested count as a win? Most games say no.
• Leaving early: If someone leaves mid-race with trucks, what happens? Usually those trucks return to center.

Most home games have dead spots. Someone goes card dead, checks their phone, and mentally checks out. The Fire Truck Game eliminates that.

Every hand has stakes beyond the pot. When one player has two trucks, the whole table watches to see if they complete the three-peat. The player on a heater plays differently knowing the bonus is on the line. Everyone else is rooting against them.

It creates stories. Months later, your group will still talk about the night someone won four fire truck bonuses in one session.

• Use actual miniature fire trucks if you can find them. The visual makes it more fun.
• Keep bonuses modest. This should add excitement, not create anxiety.
• Announce truck counts loudly. When someone has two trucks, the table should know.
• Run it all night. Stopping and starting breaks the flow.