(Booray combines traditional trick taking gameplay with the thrill of gambling.)
Card Game Rules
Booray, or Bourré, is a casino type game for four or more players. Played with a standard 52 playing card deck, in Booray Aces are high and 2s low. The objective of Booray is to win the most tricks out of 5 rounds.
For more casino type games, check out our guides for Thirty One or Fan Tan.
If you are looking for cards to play Booray with, check out a standard deck here or one of our more recent arrivals here.
Set Up
Players start by placing an ante, or beginning bet, for the game to form a pot.
Before gameplay can begin, a dealer must be selected. To do so, players must choose a random card from a shuffled deck. The player with the lowest card becomes the dealer. Ties are broken with repeated drawings. The dealer shuffles the deck and then passes out five cards face down to every player. Afterwards, the next card from the deck is flipped over to establish the trump suit for the game.
Players then look at their cards and decide if they wish to continue playing. If they fold, they forfeit their ante and leave the game. If they intend to continue playing, an additional bet may be asked. Those who continue playing may replace one to four cards in their hand with new cards dealt by the dealer. They may also choose to keep their hand as is.
How to Play
The player left of the dealer begins gameplay by placing a lead card in the gameplay area. Going clockwise, players must follow suit if they can and they must play their highest card when possible. Trump, of course, is in effect. The highest card wins the trick and the winner leads the next round.
The player with the most tricks wins the pot.
For more information about Booray and its rules, check out Wikipedia’s article here or Pagat’s article here.
Looking for more card games to play? Check out this article:
40+ Great Card Games For All Occasions
About the author: John Taylor is a content writer and freelancer through the company Upwork.com. You may view his freelancing profile here. He has a B. A. in English, with a specialty in technical writing, from Texas A&M University and a M. A. in English from the University of Glasgow. You may view his previous articles about card games here and his LinkedIn profile here.
There are three rulebooks on Bourre that I am aware of: one by Roy J Nivens; another by Henry J Engler The Play and Techniques of Bourre, and a third tract edited by `Preston Guidry, in 1988.
I’ve been reading up on the rules of ~Bourre, and would add the following notes to the playing of Boo ray; if you have A,K,Q of Trumps, that’s a ‘cinch’ hand, and you must play the highest trump.
One source says that with ‘cinch’, you must lay down all of the cards at one go, and claim the pot. Is that correct? Perhaps you can advice me on the correct play of the hand.
Interesting game. There are three books on the rules of Boo ray that I am aware of – one authored by Roy J Nivens; another by Henry J Engler. The Play and Techniques of Bourre, and another book, published in 1988, edited by Preston Guidry.