Belote♠

01 /

Players, pack and deal

Seat 4 players in 2 partnerships, partners opposite. Use 32 cards, 7 through ace in every suit. Choose the first dealer randomly; deal and play anticlockwise. The next dealer is the player on the right. Agree a target of 1000 points. Shuffle, let the player on the left cut, then deal 5 cards each in packets of 3 and 2; expose the next card.

Starting on the dealer’s right, each player passes or takes the exposed suit as trump. The first acceptance ends the choice. If everybody passes, make another circuit in which only the other suits may be chosen. Another 4 passes cause a fresh deal by the next dealer. Give the exposed card to the taker, then complete every hand to 8: the taker receives 2 more cards, everyone else 3. There is no stock or exchange.

02 /

Ranks and legal play

Trump ranks J, 9, A, 10, K, Q, 8, 7; the corresponding values are 20, 14, 11, 10, 4, 3, 0, 0. Other suits rank A, 10, K, Q, J, 9, 8, 7, worth 11, 10, 4, 3, 2, 0, 0, 0. The player on the dealer’s right leads any card.

Always follow suit if possible. When trumps are led, play a higher trump than the highest already played if able. If void in the led suit and your partner currently wins, you may discard any card. Otherwise you must trump if possible, overtrumping an existing trump if able; if unable to overtrump, play a lower trump. If you have no required suit or trump, discard anything. The highest trump wins, or otherwise the highest card of the led suit. The winner leads next; play all 8 tricks.

03 /

Belote, scoring and victory

A player originally holding K and Q of trump claims 20 points by saying “Belote” when playing the first; “Rebelote” on the second is recommended but optional in the selected concise code. This bonus survives a failed contract. No other melds count.

Add captured card values and 10 for the last trick: normally 162 points. If one partnership takes every trick, replace the last bonus by 100, making 252. Add each side’s belote when comparing totals. The takers must score strictly more than the defenders. On success each side records its own total. On failure the takers retain only their belote; defenders receive 162 plus their own belote. A clean sweep scores 252 plus the winning side’s belote, while the losers retain any belote.

An equal result is a litige: defenders record their total, the takers’ total waits as a bonus for the winners of the next decisive contract. For repeated ties, our table agreement accumulates the unawarded amounts until a decisive deal. Finish after a deal when a partnership reaches 1000; if both do, the higher total wins. A tied match continues until a deal separates the scores.

04 /

A small example and the game’s context

Hearts are trumps. A trick begins with 9♥; a later player holds J♥ and Q♥. That player must play J♥, not save it: the trump obligation requires overtaking. If the other cards are 8♥ and 7♥, the trick contains 14 + 20 = 34 points.

In a separate completed deal without belote, takers make 100 and defenders 62: record those totals. Reversing them makes the contract fail, so the defenders record 162. Do not confuse classic Belote’s accept-or-pass choice with Coinche’s numerical auction.

← On a small screen, scroll the diagram horizontally. →

05 /

History and variants

Belote belongs to the European Jass family of point-trick games. The French federation’s published codes show both an established partnership game and differing announcement conventions. Those rules document present practice, rather than proving a particular inventor or exact invention year. Regional and family rules should be agreed before dealing.

Common questions