Bourré Basics

Bourré is a card game that combines the gambling and card-drawing aspects of draw poker with the trick-taking mechanics of games such as bridge, pinochle, and euchre. However, whereas most trick-taking games are played using partners, bourré is played as a competition between individuals.

The game of bourré is known under various spellings, including bouré and even boo-ray. Since it’s a game played informally in homes rather than in formal gaming establishments, the rules of play may change under various “house rules.” (For some of the most common variants of the game, see Bourré Variations.) Be sure to ask your host about the specifics of game play before you begin playing, and don’t be afraid to observe others playing the game before you begin.

Developed in Louisiana, bourré originally derived from the French card game écarté. Bourré remains a popular game in Louisiana, particularly in Acadiana, the southwestern region of the state that’s home to America’s largest Cajun population.

Though bourré can be played with 2–10 players, the game is best for 4–6 players. With four players, each player is assured to receive his or her own set of draw cards without having to reshuffle the deck. In general, having more than three players in the game ensures that there will be fewer split pots.

Bourré is played in rounds called hands. Each hand of bourré consists of five tricks, in which each player offers up a single card, and the player with the highest-value card takes all the cards in the trick. Whoever wins the most tricks in a hand wins the pot for that hand. The pot contains chips worth a certain value, often monetary. The object of bourré is to win the most money by taking as many pots or hands as possible.

Bourré is played using a standard 52-card deck with the jokers removed from the pack. The rank of the cards is shown below, highest to lowest from left to right:

Bourré is played using a trump suit that varies from hand to hand. All cards in the trump suit are considered higher in rank than nontrump cards; even the 2 of the trump suit is higher than the aces of the other suits. (For an explanation of how trump suit is determined in each hand, see How to Play Bourré.)

Like poker, bourré is played using chips that can have monetary values. Before play begins, players—if they’re playing for money—exchange their money for chips. Though bourré does not have formal betting rounds, it does require an ante to be placed in the pot at the beginning of each hand. As such, the lowest-value chip is often the same denomination as the ante. Higher-value chips are used in the event that a player must replace the value of the pot at the end of the hand.

Regardless of whether you’re playing for money, ask your host about the chip values up front. If you’re the one setting the chip values, you should have chips of at least two denominations: one worth the value of the ante and one worth roughly the value of replacing the pot (which should be about 4–5 times the ante, depending on the number of players).