Rules for Bela

Bela is a French card game that originated around 1920 and has since become one of France's most popular card games. It's a strategic trick-taking game for 2-4 players (best with 4) where teams compete to collect points through tricks and card combinations.

The game requires a 32-card deck (cards 2-6 removed) and typically takes 30-45 minutes. First team to 501 points wins!

Bela is played with 32 cards (7 through Ace in all four suits). Cards have different values and rankings depending on whether the suit is trump or not:

• Plain suit (non-trump): Ace (11p), 10 (10p), King (4p), Queen (3p), Jack (2p), 9-8-7 (0p)
• Trump suit: Jack (20p), 9 (14p), Ace (11p), 10 (10p), King (4p), Queen (3p), 8-7 (0p)

With 4 players, form two teams of two players each. Team partners sit opposite each other at the table. Play direction is counterclockwise.

Cards are never shuffled in Bela! The player to the dealer's left cuts the deck.

Dealing: First, each player gets 3 cards, then 2 cards. One card is turned face-up in the center.

First bidding round: Starting from the player to the dealer's right, each player can either take the face-up card (choosing that suit as trump) or pass. If someone takes it, that player gets the face-up card and everyone receives 3 more cards (total 8 cards).

Second bidding round: If everyone passes in the first round, players can choose a different trump suit than the face-up card. If everyone passes again, the cards are redealt.

During the first trick, players can declare combinations they hold:

• Square (Carré): Four of a kind. Jacks (200p), 9s (150p), Aces (100p), 10s/Kings/Queens (100p)
• Sequence: Consecutive cards in the same suit. 3 cards (20p), 4 cards (50p), 5+ cards (100p)
• Bela-Rebelote: King and Queen of trumps (20p). Declared by saying "Bela" when playing the first card and "Rebelote" when playing the second.

Only the team with the highest combination scores their declarations (except Bela-Rebelote which always counts). Squares always beat sequences.

The player to the dealer's right leads first. Play then continues counterclockwise.

Rules for following suit:

• You must always follow suit if possible
• If you can't follow suit, you must trump if possible
• When trump is played, you must play a higher trump if possible (overtrump)
• Exception: If your partner is winning the trick, you don't need to overtrump

The highest card of the suit led wins the trick, or the highest trump if trump was played. The trick winner leads the next card.

After all 8 tricks, count the points:

• Card points from won tricks (total 152 points)
• Last trick gives 10 bonus points ("dix de der")
• Total of 162 points to compete for per round

Contract fulfillment: The team that took trump must score at least 82 points (half of 162) to make their contract. If successful, both teams keep their points. If they fail, opponents get all 162 points.

Capot: If a team wins all 8 tricks, they get 90 bonus points (total 252 points) instead of the usual 10 for the last trick.

There are several popular variants of Bela:

• Bela Coinchée: With bidding where you declare how many points your team can score
• Two-player Bela: Each player gets 6 cards first, with special contract bidding rules
• No Trumps (Sans Atout): Played without a trump suit, points are doubled
• All Trumps (Tout Atout): All suits are trump simultaneously

Some variants are played clockwise instead of counterclockwise.

The game continues over multiple rounds until one team reaches the target score:

• Usually played to 501 points
• Some prefer 701 or 1001 points for longer games
• If both teams reach the target in the same round, the team with more points wins
• In case of a tie, points are carried to the next round ("litige")

Keep track of scores on paper - note both trick points and bonus points for each round!

To succeed in Bela:

• Communicate with your partner through your card play
• Remember which cards have been played - especially high trumps
• Be careful about taking trump without strong cards (Jack and 9 are especially valuable)
• Use combination declarations strategically - don't reveal too much about your hand
• Save high trumps for the end when possible
• Watch opponents' play to understand their cards
• In team play: support your partner and avoid stealing partner's tricks unnecessarily