Napoleon (Nap)
Officially Napoleon (Card Game)
Classic BRITISH bidding + trick-taking card game (mid-19th c.) named after NAPOLEON BONAPARTE — 2 to 6 players; each dealt 5 cards; bid to take a specified number of tricks (2-5). Highest 'nap' bid (5 tricks) wins big; failure loses big. Popular Victorian + Edwardian British pub + parlour game; ancestor of similar games worldwide including Japanese 'Napoleon' (which is significantly different).
Quick facts
Category
Card Games
Type
Individual
Players
2–6
Duration
~30 min
Where played
indoor
Country of origin
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Estimated origin
Developed mid-19th century Britain; named after Napoleon Bonaparte (evoking his aggressive 'gambling on victory' strategy); popular 1860-1930 in British pubs + parlours; still played by traditionalists.
Olympic
No
Popularity
niche
How it works
Objective
Bid + win the number of tricks bid (2, 3, 4, or 'Nap' for 5); succeed = win stakes; fail = pay stakes.
Rules
Basic rules
DEAL: 5 cards each; no stock; remaining cards unused
Signature 5-card hand.
BIDDING (single round): each player passes OR bids 'TWO', 'THREE', 'FOUR', or 'NAP' (5 tricks)
Signature single-round bidding.
'MISÈRE' (bid to lose all 5) allowed in some variants — ranks between 3 and 4
Standard misère option.
TRUMP: HIGHEST BIDDER leads first card — its SUIT becomes TRUMP
Signature trump-by-lead rule.
TRICK PLAY: MUST FOLLOW SUIT if possible; highest trump wins (or highest of led suit if no trumps)
Standard trick-taking.
STAKES: bid # + successful = win # units from each opponent; NAP successful = win 10 units; NAP failed = pay 5 units to each
Signature stakes structure.
WELLINGTON (10 tricks equiv, doubles Nap): rare optional bid = 20 units on success
Signature Wellington + Blücher variants.
Scoring
Stakes per successful/failed bid; Nap = 10 win / 5 loss per opponent; standard bids = # units.
Win condition · Highest cumulative stakes after N hands OR pre-agreed target.
Equipment
Standard 52-card deck (sometimes shortened to 32 cards for fewer players)
Standard Western deck.
Coins or chips for stake / scoring
Standard stakes / scoring counters.
Terminology
- Nap
- Bid to win ALL 5 tricks — highest standard bid.
- Misère
- Bid to LOSE all 5 tricks — variant bid.
- Wellington
- Doubled-Nap bid worth 20 units — optional.
- Blücher
- Tripled-Nap bid worth 30 units — optional/rare.
- Kitty
- In some variants, discarded cards used later.
Where it is played
Sources & provenance
- Wikipedia — Napoleon (card game)— Wikipedia
- Pagat.com — Napoleon— Pagat