Barbu
French 4-player trick-taking card game (early 20th c.) — each player DEALS a hand + CHOOSES which of 7 CONTRACTS applies to that deal (e.g. 'no hearts', 'no queens', 'no last trick', 'atout' etc.). 28 total deals (7 contracts × 4 dealers) — complex 'point of the hand' scoring. Popular bridge-players' 'palate cleanser'; requires precise trick management under varying scoring rules.
Quick facts
Category
Card Games
Type
Individual
Players
4–4
Duration
~90 min
Where played
indoor
Country of origin
🇫🇷 France
Estimated origin
Emerged early 20th century France; popular in French intellectual + bridge-playing circles; introduced to English-speaking world through 'The Book of Card Games' (John Scarne, Hoyle) mid-20th century.
Olympic
No
Popularity
niche
How it works
Objective
Score most (or lose fewest) points across 28 deals by choosing best contract for each hand + managing tricks under 7 different scoring schemes.
Rules
Basic rules
28 DEALS TOTAL: each player deals 7 times, choosing 1 of 7 DIFFERENT CONTRACTS each time (used exactly once per player)
Signature 28-deal structure.
7 CONTRACTS: (1) NO HEARTS (avoid heart tricks); (2) NO QUEENS (avoid queen tricks); (3) NO LAST TRICK (avoid winning last); (4) NO TRICKS (avoid winning any = 'reverse'); (5) NO BARBU (avoid K♥ = 'Barbu'); (6) NO TRUMPS (typical trick-taking, minus contracts); (7) ATOUT/TRUMP (positive: win most tricks in chosen trump)
Signature 7-contract menu.
SCORING: each contract has different values (e.g. hearts −2 each; queens −6; last trick −20; K♥ −40; trumps: +5 per trick)
Signature per-contract scoring.
CONTRACT CHOICE strategy: use HIGH-CARD hands for atout; use LOW-CARD hands for negative contracts
Signature contract-selection strategy.
MUST FOLLOW SUIT; highest card of suit wins trick (no trump except in atout contract)
Standard trick play.
Scoring
Cumulative negative/positive scores across all 28 deals per contract-specific rules.
Win condition · Highest cumulative score after 28 deals wins.
Equipment
Standard 52-card deck
Standard deck.
Scoresheet + pencil
Careful score tracking (28 deals across 7 contracts).
Terminology
- Barbu
- 'Bearded man' = K♥ (King of Hearts) = the −40 penalty card in one contract.
- Atout
- Trump — the positive-scoring contract.
- No last trick
- Contract in which winner of last trick loses points.
- No queens
- Contract avoiding any queen cards.
- Reverse (No tricks)
- Contract in which you avoid winning ANY tricks.
Where it is played
Sources & provenance
- Wikipedia — Barbu— Wikipedia
- Pagat.com — Barbu— Pagat