Napoleon, often shortened as “Nap”, is a game that is very similar to popular card games such as Hearts, Spades, or Bridge.
The basic structure of the game is as follows:
- The cards are dealt, ten per player and two baggage for a five-person game
- The players bid to become the Napoleon, starting with the dealer and going clockwise
- The Napoleon is given the Baggage and may swap cards to and from the Baggage before the game starts
- The Napoleon declares the trump suit and picks a Secretary
- The Napoleon starts the game by playing a single card from his/her hand
- Every player then places a single card into the center; once this has been completed, the “trick” is complete
- The player who placed the highest card into the trick wins that trick, and starts a new trick by playing another card.
- After all the tricks have been played (ten tricks for a five-person game), the tricks are counted
- The winner is decided and points may be recorded
- The next game starts; bidding starts with the previous Secretary
Order of the Cards
Ace > King > Queen > Jack > 10 > 9 > 8 > 7 > 6 > 5 > 4 > 3 > 2
Terms to Know
- Bid: A bet on the number of tricks that player’s team would win, IF that player were to be Napoleon
- Napoleon: The player who had bidded the highest during the initial bid, he/she starts the game
- Secretary: The player whose hand contains the card that the Napoleon declares; he/she is the Napoleon’s secret teammate
- Trick: Made up of one card from each player, this is equivalent to a single round in the game
- Suit: A set of thirteen cards, symbolized by the symbol on the card (Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, and Spades on standard Poker decks)
- Trump: The trump suit will automatically place higher than any other suit; that is, even a 2 of the trump suit will be higher than an Ace of a non-trump suit
- Void: The state of not having any cards in a certain suit.
Dealing
The game of Napoleon uses a standard 52-card poker deck and is usually played with five people. Each of the five are dealt ten cards, while the remaining two are set aside for the Napoleon’s baggage
In order to prevent rigged decks, the deck ought to be shuffled and cut multiple times
Bidding
During the bid, each player is asked to either to place a bid higher than the preexisting bid or to pass on the betting. The person who has the highest remaining bid (all the other players pass) becomes the Napoleon.
Bidding starts at the previous secretary (unless it’s the first game, so there isn’t a secretary and the dealer starts) and continues clockwise
The minimum bid is one more trick than half of all the tricks, such as that the Napoleon must win more tricks than he/she loses.
The Baggage
The cards in the baggage represent the Napoleon’s advantage over the others – he/she is able to swap out cards for ones in the baggage, making it easier to start void in a suit
The Trump and the Secretary
The Trump
At the beginning of the game, after the bidding, the Napoleon may either choose a suit as the trump or decided to play with no trump, known as “NT”.
This is declared to all the players before play starts.
The Secretary
After the trump is declared, the Napoleon must pick a card. The person whose hand contains that card becomes the Secretary, the Napoleon’s secret teammate. When points are counted, the Secretary and the Napoleon’s tricks are counted together.
The Napoleon also has the option of calling “Sec Reveal” during the game, which forces the Secretary to play the originally declared card from their hand, revealing their position.
The Game
The Napoleon, after declaring the trump and secretary, starts the game by playing a card from his/her hand; thereafter, the winner of the trick starts the next trick. Cards are played in a clockwise order.
There are some restrictions when one plays a card:
- The card must be the same suit as the first card in the trick, else, if void, any card can be played
- Only one card can be played at a time.
Winning a trick
One wins a trick by playing the highest card in a trick. Cards that are in-suit are counted by their value, Cards that are in the Trump Suit are compared to the other possible trump cards, and out-of-suit cards are disregarded. If there are any trump cards in the trick, the in-suit cards are also disregarded. This gives the player one Trick and allows them to start the next, giving them a slight advantage.
After all the tricks have been played, points are counted and the winner found. If the Napoleon and his/her Secretary has the number of tricks equal to or greater than his/her bet, the Napoleon and the Secretary win, else, the allies win.
The next game starts bidding from the Secretary
Strategy
- It is advisable to become void in at least one suit by mid-game, as it allows for the use of trump cards.
- Higher cards are oftentimes better saved for the end-game, to help win the last few tricks
- Most of the time, the Secretary ought to be called within the trump suit, such as to guarantee at least one useful card in their hand
- If a card that you cannot beat has already been played in the trick, play the lowest card you have. This is called “burning” a card.
- Teamwork is necessary to win, thus, do not overtrump or play a card higher than someone on your team unless it is necessary.
Variations
Napoleon Royals
Instead of playing for tricks, the players bid for the sixteen face cards in every deck (Jack, Queen, King, Ace). The game is still played in tricks; however, once a trick is won, that player receives all the face cards within the given trick. This variation requires more skill and planning than standard Napoleon.