How to Play Bourree
Here is my attempt to document the rules to the card game Bourree. Bourree (which I have no idea how to spell correctly) is a not too well-known card game enjoyed throughout the Southern United States, particularly in Cajun country. It is a gambling game with play similar to Spades. The ante is small, but the pots can grow quickly. We typically play for quarter ante.
Introduction
Bourree is a game enjoyed throughout the Southern United States, particularly in Cajun country. It is a gambling game with play similar to Spades. The Ante’s start small, but the pots can grow quickly. I’m told that the word Bourree (which has an accent on the second to last e) means drunk in French…
Number of Players
Three to six, best is five, each playing for themselves.
The Cards
The standard deck of 52, no Jokers. The cards rank A (highest), K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.
Setting Up
Before the game, players must decide the buy-in price and the value of the ante. In Bourree there is no betting directly, so the value of the ante directly determines the value of the pot. For a friendly game, a buy-in of $20 and a 25-cent ante works well, although $1 antes are not uncommon.
The Ante
Before the deal, each player wishing to play this hand must ante up. All antes made by players go in a pile of chips called the pot, in the center of the table. The primary object of the game is to win the pot by taking more tricks than any other player. The secondary object of the game is to burn other players by preventing them from taking any tricks. Burns are detailed later under the Resolution section.
The Deal
Deal rotates clockwise to each player after each hand of the game. The dealer must shuffle the cards before each hand, and allow the player on their right to cut the deck. Each player who antes receives five cards dealt one at a time face down, in a clockwise rotation. The dealer’s fifth card is dealt face up, and determines the trump suit for the round. A card of trump suit always beats a card of non-trump suit, regardless of its face value. This means that if you are out of the suit that was lead, you may play a card of trump suit in hopes of ‘trumping’ and winning the hand or trick. (As long as nobody else plays a higher trump, you win the trick).
After all players have their cards and understand what the trump suit is for this hand, the dealer may take their fifth (face-up) card back into their hand. All players should now have 5 cards in their hands.
Committal
During the committal phase, each player looks at their hands and decides if they will play this hand or not. Each player in turn, starting with the player to the left of the dealer, declares whether they are In (playing for the pot) or Out (not playing). If a player goes out, they forfeit their ante and discard their hand, face down. If only one player is left In, they automatically rake the pot. Players may not change their in/out status once the next player in rotation has declared their position.
If a player is In, they have committed themselves to taking at least one trick, or round of play, this hand. As long as you take at least one trick, you will lose only your ante.
The Draw
All the remaining players now have the opportunity to replace some or all of their cards with new cards from the deck during the drawing phase. Each player in turn, starting with the player to the left of the dealer, discards 0-5 of their cards face down, and they are replaced with new cards from the deck by the dealer. Once all players have had the opportunity for one round of drawing, play begins.
The Play
The player to the left of the dealer leads first and may lead any suit, including trump. In Bourree, the turn to do everything passes from the player to the player to the left. No player should do anything until the player on their right has acted.
Players must follow suit if possible. If unable to follow suit, you must play a trump card. If you have no trump cards remaining, you can sluff, playing any other card, though you automatically lose this trick.
A trick (the book of cards from one round) is won by the highest trump played or by the highest card of the suit led. Each trick is kept by the player winning it. The player winning a trick takes the lead for the next round.
Resolution
The object of the game is to take a majority of the five tricks from the remaining players. The player that takes a majority of tricks collects the pot. In the event that no one player takes a majority of the tricks (for example if three players remain and they take 2, 2, and 1 tricks) the hand is considered split. When a hand is split, no one collects, the antes staying in to build the value of the pot for the next hand.
After the winner of the hand (if any) has collected the pot, any of the remaining players that failed to take at least one trick have burned, and must match the pot.
The sum total of any burns or the remaining pot (from a split) plus the next hand’s ante determine the value of the next pot. All players (including any players that went out after the ante) may then re-ante and play for the new, possibly larger pot. This of course includes any players who burned the previous hand. Staying in to win back your money lost from burning is known as chasing the burn. Many a fine player has dramatically increased their losses by trying to chase the burn.
Variations
Some folks play booray with the understanding that there is ALWAYS three players left in to play. In other words, you may have to play (and risk a burn) even if you don’t want to. This causes burns and builds pots.
Ethics and Etiquette
In the interest of fair play, it is considered unethical to ante, and thus play, for only the high value pots. This behavior creates an unpleasant environment for all players, but especially so for the “unethical” player.
Also in the interest of fair play, it is considered unethical and inappropriate to participate in table talk. Table talk includes discussion surrounding the current deal, players’ cards, and playing strategies.
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