Nap (Napoleon)

Full rules

1. Overview
2. The cards
3. Setup
4. Bidding
5. Playing the tricks
6. Settling up
7. Winning the game
8. Tips for beginners
9. Variants

Overview

Nap is a quick, lively game from England. Each player gets only 5 cards. Everyone has one chance to bid how many of the 5 tricks they will win; the highest bidder then plays alone against all the others. The boldest bid, Nap, promises to win all five. Nap is usually played for chips or counters that change hands after every deal.

• Players: 3–8; best with 4 or 5. Everyone plays for themselves.
• You need: one standard 52-card deck, no jokers, and chips, counters or paper and pencil.

The cards

The cards in each suit rank from high to low: A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2.

A trick is one round of play in which each player plays one card; the best card wins it. Trumps are the cards of one suit that beat all other suits for this deal. In Nap the trump suit is decided by the first card the bidder leads.

Setup

1. Choose the first dealer at random. After each deal, the turn to deal passes to the left.
2. The dealer shuffles, the player on the right cuts, and the dealer deals clockwise, starting on the left: 5 cards to each player, in a packet of 3 and then a packet of 2 (or 2 then 3).
3. The rest of the pack is not used in this deal.

Traditionally the cards are shuffled only at the start of the game and after a successful bid of Nap or higher; otherwise they are just gathered up and cut.

Bidding

Starting with the player to the dealer's left and going clockwise, each player gets one chance to speak: pass, or make a bid higher than the highest bid so far. The bids, from lowest to highest:

The highest bidder plays alone against everyone else. If all players pass, the cards are thrown in and the next dealer shuffles and deals.

Playing the tricks

The bidder leads to the first trick, and the suit of that card is trumps for the deal. (In misère there are no trumps.) Going clockwise, everyone plays one card:

• Follow suit: if you have a card of the suit led, you must play one.
• If you can't, you may play any card – a trump or a discard.

The highest trump wins the trick; if no trump was played, the highest card of the suit led wins. The winner leads to the next trick.

Example: Four players. Ben bids Three. He leads the A♠, so spades are trumps. He wins that trick, then the K♠, then loses a heart trick, then wins with the 10♠ – three tricks, and he has made his bid.

Settling up

• Bid made: every opponent pays the bidder the value of the bid.
• Bid lost: the bidder pays every opponent the same amount.

Example: Ben made Three with three opponents: each pays him 3 chips, so he gains 9. Had he failed, he would have paid 3 chips to each of them.

Winning the game

There is no fixed end. Play as long as you like – ideally until everyone has dealt the same number of times. Whoever has gained the most chips wins.

Tips for beginners

• Bid on long, strong trumps. You choose the trump suit with your first lead, so pick your best suit.
• Lead trumps first to pull the opponents' trumps before you play your other winners.
• Opponents work together. Everyone against the bidder should try to beat the bid, not win tricks for themselves.
• Misère needs low cards – twos, threes and fours – ideally in several suits.
• Nap is only worth it with almost certain winners: the top trumps and an Ace or two.

Variants

Agree on these before you start.

• Lowest bid Three: many play without the bid of Two.
• Double for Nap: Nap, Wellington and Blücher pay double (10, 20, 40) – either only when won, or both when won and lost. Wikipedia gives Nap as winning 10 from each player but losing only 5.
• Smaller pack: some take out low cards: 24 cards (9 to A) for three players, 28 (8 to A) for four, 32 (7 to A) for five.
• Purchase Nap: before bidding, each player may swap any number of cards for new ones from the pack, paying 1 chip per card into a pool. The first player to win Nap or higher also takes the pool. (According to pagat.com, a single fixed stake, usually 1 chip, buys any number of cards.)
• Peep Nap: one extra card is dealt face down. For a chip, a player may secretly peek at it before bidding, and the bidder may take it in exchange for a card from their hand (details vary).