What Is Rubicon Bezique?
Rubicon Bezique is the premium, two-deck version of Bezique that was enormously popular in Victorian England and reportedly Napoleon III’s favorite game. It uses 128 cards (two merged Bezique decks) and features much higher meld values — Double, Triple, and Quadruple Bezique are worth 500, 1,500, and 4,500 points respectively. The Rubicon rule penalizes the loser if they fail to reach 1,000 points — the winner scores both totals plus a bonus.
What You Need
- Two merged 64-card Bezique decks — four of each: 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A in all four suits = 128 cards
- Two players
- Score pad
Setup
- Deal 9 cards to each player.
- No trump upcard — trump is declared by the first player to declare a marriage (K+Q of same suit). That suit is trump for the entire game.
- Remaining cards form the stock.
How to Play
Phase 1 (while stock remains): No requirement to follow suit. Winner of each trick may declare ONE meld face-up and score it. Meld cards stay on table but can still be played in tricks.
Phase 2 (stock exhausted): Must follow suit. Trump if unable. Aces and 10s won in tricks = 10 pts each. Last trick = 50 pts.
Premium Meld Values
- Bezique (Q♠ + J♦): 40 pts
- Double Bezique: 500 pts
- Triple Bezique: 1,500 pts
- Quadruple Bezique: 4,500 pts
- Carte Blanche (no face card in hand): 50 pts
- Any sequence in trump: 250 pts
- Non-trump sequence: 150 pts
- Four Aces: 100 pts / Four Kings: 80 pts / Four Queens: 60 pts / Four Jacks: 40 pts
- Trump marriage: 40 pts / Non-trump marriage: 20 pts
The Rubicon Rule
When the game ends, if the loser has fewer than 1,000 points, they have been Rubiconned. The winner scores their own total PLUS the loser’s total PLUS 1,000 bonus points.
Tips
- Chase Double Bezique above all else — 500 points can swing the entire game.
- Don’t declare trump too early — wait until your hand develops a strong trump suit.
- Protect your Q♠ and J♦ — they are the foundation of all Bezique melds.