How to Play Bourré (2026): Rules for the Louisiana Trick-Taking Game

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Full details on our Affiliate Disclosure page.

How to play Bourré (2026): Bourré, pronounced “boo-ray,” is a trick-taking game from Louisiana with French roots. It is often played at poker nights, but it is not poker: you win by taking the most of five tricks, and anyone who plays and takes none goes bourré and must match the whole pot. That rule makes pots grow fast. These rules follow pagat’s description of the Louisiana game.

Bourré is usually played for chips. Play with chips that have no cash value or small stakes, and follow local laws.

Bourré players, cards and ranking

• Players: two to eight; seven is often called ideal, and fewer than five is less exciting.
• Deck: 52 cards, no jokers. Each suit ranks A, K, Q, J, 10 down to 2.
• Goal: win the most tricks out of five to take the pot, and never take zero if you play.

Ante and deal

Before the first deal, everyone puts one chip in the pot. The dealer deals five cards to each player, one at a time. The dealer’s fifth card is dealt face up, and its suit is trump for the hand. The deal passes to the left each hand.

Play or pass, then draw

Starting left of the dealer, each player says whether they will play or pass. If you pass, you fold your hand and cannot win or lose this pot. If you play, you may discard any number of cards, from none to all five, and the dealer replaces them from the deck.

• If the turned trump is an ace, the dealer must play.
• If only one player chooses to play, that player wins the pot without playing.
• If everyone but the dealer passes, the dealer plays and takes the pot.

The strict play rules

The first active player left of the dealer leads, and each trick winner leads the next. The rules on what you must play are strict:

1. You must follow suit if you can.
2. If you cannot follow suit, you must play a trump if you have one.
3. Whenever you can, you must play a card that beats the highest card in the trick so far, while obeying the rules above.
4. If the trick has been trumped and you cannot follow suit, you must overtrump if you can, and still play a trump if you cannot.

Example: spades are trump and the queen of diamonds is led. The next player trumps with the 4 of spades. You hold the ace and 6 of diamonds. You must follow suit, so you cannot trump, and you cannot win the trick, so you play the 6, not the ace.

A player with three sure tricks has a cinch and must lead or play their highest trump when able.

Paying the pot

• The player who wins the most tricks takes the whole pot. Three tricks always win; two can win if the others split one each.
• If two players tie for most tricks (for example 2–2–1), the pot stays in the middle for the next hand.
• Anyone who played and took no tricks has gone bourré and must pay an amount equal to the whole pot into the next pot.
• Players who went bourré, or tied in a split pot, skip the next ante; everyone else antes one chip.

A sample Bourré hand

Seven players ante one chip each, so the pot holds 7. Hearts are trump. Four players stay in and draw. Player E takes three tricks and wins the 7 chips. Players B and G take one trick each. Player C takes none and goes bourré, so C must put 7 chips into the next pot. Everyone except C then antes one chip, so the next pot starts at 13. You can see how quickly a pot grows when someone goes bourré.

Bourré strategy for beginners

• Count your trumps. Two or more trumps, especially high ones, are the usual reason to play.
• Pass more than you think. Going bourré costs the whole pot, which can be many times the ante.
• Draw aggressively for trump. Throwing away weak off-suit cards gives you more chances at trump.
• Like trick-taking? Try Spades or explore our trick-taking games guide. For a different card-table night, see our poker for beginners guide.

Bourré questions

How do you pronounce Bourré?

“Boo-ray.” It is often spelled booray.

What does it mean to go bourré?

You played and took no tricks, so you must match the pot.

How many cards do you get in Bourré?

Five, with a chance to discard and draw. One standard deck from a Bicycle 12-pack is all you need.