How to Play Peep Nap

Objective

Each hand, one player becomes the bidder and tries to win at least as many of the five tricks as they bid. Everyone else works together to stop them. Making the bid wins chips from every opponent, and failing costs chips to every opponent.

The peep card adds a second prize. Every peek feeds a pool, and the pool goes to the next player who bids Nap (all five tricks) or higher and makes it.

Setup

Deal five cards to each player, three and then two. Then deal one more card face down in the middle of the table. This is the peep card. The rest of the deck is not used this hand.

Cards rank as usual, ace high down to 2. There is no trump suit until the bidder leads. The deal passes to the left after each hand.

How to play

Starting at the dealer’s left, each player gets one turn to bid or pass, and each bid must be higher than the last. On your turn, before you speak, you may pay one chip into the pool to look privately at the peep card.

From lowest to highest, the bids are One, Two, Three, Misère, Four, Nap, Wellington and Blücher. Misère means you will take no tricks at all, and it is played with no trumps. Nap is all five tricks. Wellington is also all five at double stakes, and may only be bid after someone has bid Nap. Blücher is all five at triple stakes, and only after a Wellington. If everyone passes, throw the cards in and deal again.

The high bidder may take the peep card into their hand and discard one card face down. The bidder then leads to the first trick, and the suit of that card is trump. Everyone must follow suit if they can; otherwise they may trump or throw any card. The highest trump wins the trick, or the highest card of the suit led if no trump was played, and the winner leads next.

1. 1Pay a chip to peek if you like, then bid or pass
2. 2The high bidder may swap in the peep card
3. 3The bidder leads, and that suit is trump
4. 4Follow suit if you can; highest trump or highest card of the led suit wins
5. 5After five tricks, count the bidder’s tricks and settle up

Scoring

Payments go between the bidder and each opponent separately. A Nap pays more than it costs, which is why players are tempted to try it.

A successful Nap, Wellington or Blücher also takes everything in the pool. If nobody wins it, the pool carries over and keeps growing from each hand’s peeks.

Variations

Napoleon: the plain game, with no peep card and no pool.

Pool Nap: the pool is fed by a stake every deal instead of by peeks, and a successful Nap claims it. See our Pool Nap rules.

Purchase Nap: before bidding, each player may pay a chip to throw away cards and draw replacements from the undealt deck.

Higher minimum: many tables drop One and Two and start the bidding at Three, which makes every contract more meaningful.

Tips from the table

Peek when your hand is on the edge. One chip is a small price if the peep card could turn a solid Three into a Four or a Nap.

Remember that everyone may peek, even the players who bid after you. If a later player outbids you, they may know exactly what the card is.

As bidder, lead from your longest strong suit to make it trump, then pull the other players’ trumps early so your winners stand up.

Nap pays ten and costs five. With a fat pool on the table and a hand that is close, going for it is often the right call.

Frequently asked