Card Games That Start With B: A Practical B-List for Players

Some letters are crowded. “B” is one of them—packed with old-school pub games, family staples, and a few titles that quietly changed card culture. If you’re building a directory, naming categories, or just trying to remember “that game my uncle played,” a good B-list saves time and reduces confusion.

Below is a curated set of card games that start with B, grouped by style so the names come with instant context.

Trick-taking classics and close relatives

Bridge
The heavyweight of partnership trick-taking. What makes Bridge distinct isn’t the trick play (which is fairly structured), but the auction: a language of bids that tells your partner what you can likely do.

Briscola
An Italian staple with trumps and a clean scoring feel. It’s approachable because the hand goals are obvious—take valuable cards, manage trumps—yet it stays interesting because timing matters.

Bourré
A trick-taking game known for its “stay in or drop out” pressure. Many tables play it with house variations, but the personality is consistent: commit at your own risk.

Belote
A popular European partnership game (especially France and nearby regions) with a strong trump focus and scoring structure that rewards planning, not just taking tricks.

Bavarian Tarock (regional family)
You’ll see “B” entries tied to Tarock/Tarot traditions in Central Europe. Often these names label a regional ruleset rather than one universally standardized game.

Rummy-style and melding games

Burraco
A rummy-family game (often played in partnerships) where longer sequences and “clean vs dirty” meld quality can matter. Great for players who like building, not just shedding.

Basma (regional variants)
Some “B” titles show up as local rummy-style favorites under different spellings. If you encounter a Basma/Basmah entry, treat it as a regional label and verify the rules source.

Bidding Rummy (house-rule umbrella)
Not a single fixed game everywhere, but a name used for rummy variants where players bid or commit to targets before play. Useful term to include in a directory—just note it’s not one universal ruleset.

Shedding and social games

Big Two
A climbing/shedding game where players try to get rid of cards by beating the previous play. It’s widely played across Asia in many forms, and it teaches pattern recognition fast.

Bluff (also called Cheat in many places)
A classic “say one thing, play another” game. Depending on the table, it ranges from silly to surprisingly intense—because the real gameplay is reading people, not reading suits.

B.S.
Often treated as a cleaner shorthand name for the same bluffing-and-calling style. Like many social classics, rules vary, but the core is consistent: play cards face down, announce a claim, and dare others to challenge it.

Beggar-My-Neighbour (a.k.a. Beggar My Neighbour)
A simple, often chaotic classic where face cards trigger payments and swings. It can run long, but it’s memorable—and it’s a good example of older “engine” games that feel almost automatic.

Solitaire and patience “B” titles

Baker’s Dozen
A solitaire game known for its specific tableau setup and the way Kings are handled. It’s popular because it’s structured, quick to learn, and has a satisfying “unclog the traffic” feel.

Beleaguered Castle
A patience game with open information and a tight, puzzle-like flow. It’s the kind of solitaire that feels fair because you can see everything—you either solve it or you don’t.

Blockade (solitaire variants)
The name “Blockade” appears in some patience collections as a label for layouts where cards lock each other. If you list it, add a one-line identifier so readers don’t confuse different published variants.

Regional and niche entries worth knowing

Basra
A fishing-style game known across parts of the Middle East and beyond. Not always spelled the same way, but it’s a useful “B” entry because it represents a large family of capture games.

Bura
A trick-taking game associated with Eastern Europe/Caucasus traditions. It’s compact and sharp, often played with smaller packs and strong tactical play.

Bela (regional name family)
In some places, you’ll see “Bela” used as a local naming variant related to Belote-style play. This is a classic directory pitfall: same lineage, different label.

Two-player angle (because many “B” games scale down)

If you’re specifically building a list for two player card games, several B-names adapt well even when they’re better known with more players. Some work best as head-to-head with small house adjustments (deal size, draw rules, or simplified scoring). “Bridge” is the exception: it’s fundamentally built around partnership structure, so a true two-player version is a different beast.

A small naming reality check

Card-game names are messy by nature. A title can be:

• a single standardized game (like Bridge),

• a family name (like “Bluff” in casual usage),

• or a regional label for something closely related to another game (Bela/Belote).

That’s why good directories pair a name with its “game family” and one identifying trait. It’s the fastest way to prevent mix-ups.

Glossary of card game terms

A short Glossary of card game terms makes lists like this easier to use:

• Trick-taking: Each player plays one card to a trick; the best card wins the trick.

• Trump: A suit (or suit-like power) that beats other suits in trick-taking.

• Meld: A set or run you lay down in rummy-style games.

• Shedding: Playing cards to get rid of your hand first.

• Patience/Solitaire: Single-player puzzle-style card play with building rules.

A solid B-list isn’t about collecting every obscure title—it’s about giving readers names they can recognize, search, and place into a game family without confusion. With these card games that start with B, you’ve got a usable spread across trick-taking, melding, shedding, and solitaire—enough to anchor a glossary page and expand it cleanly over time.