Rules for Belote

Belote is a French card game that first appeared around 1920 and has since become one of the most popular card games in France. It is a trick-taking game for 2 to 4 players (best with 4), where teams compete to collect points through tricks and card combinations.

The game uses a 32-card deck (cards 2 through 6 are removed) and a round typically takes 30 to 45 minutes. The first team to reach 501 points wins.

Belote is played with 32 cards (7 through Ace in all four suits). Card values and rankings differ 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, divide into two teams of two. Partners sit opposite each other at the table. Play moves counterclockwise.

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

Dealing: Each player first receives 3 cards, then 2 cards. One card is turned face-up in the center.

First bidding round: Starting with the player to the dealer's right, each player can either take the face-up card (making that suit trump) or pass. If someone takes it, they pick up the face-up card and everyone receives 3 more cards, for a total of 8.

Second bidding round: If everyone passes in the first round, players may choose a different trump suit. If everyone passes again, the cards are redealt.

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

• 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 or more cards (100p)
• Belote-Rebelote: King and Queen of trumps (20p). Say "Belote" when playing the first card and "Rebelote" when playing the second.

Only the team with the highest combination scores their declarations. Belote-Rebelote always counts, regardless. Squares beat sequences.

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

Rules for following suit:

• You must always follow suit if you can
• If you cannot follow suit, you must play trump if you have it
• When trump is led, you must play a higher trump if possible (overtrump)
• Exception: if your partner is already winning the trick, you do not need to overtrump

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

After all 8 tricks, count the points:

• Card points from won tricks (152 points in total)
• The last trick is worth 10 bonus points ("dix de der")
• 162 points are available each round

Contract fulfillment: The team that chose trump must score at least 82 points (just over half of 162) to make their contract. If they succeed, both teams keep their points. If they fail, the opponents receive all 162 points.

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

There are several common variants of Belote:

• Belote Coinchée: Includes a bidding phase where you declare how many points your team can score
• Two-player Belote: Each player gets 6 cards to start, with adjusted contract bidding rules
• No Trumps (Sans Atout): Played without a trump suit; points are doubled
• All Trumps (Tout Atout): All suits are trump at the same time

Some variants are played clockwise rather than counterclockwise.

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

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

Keep track of scores on paper, noting both trick points and bonus points for each round.

A few things to keep in mind when playing Belote:

• Communicate with your partner through the cards you play
• Keep track of which cards have been played, especially high trumps
• Be cautious about taking trump without strong cards. The Jack and 9 of trumps are particularly valuable
• Think carefully before declaring combinations. Revealing your hand can help opponents
• Hold back high trumps for later in the hand when possible
• Pay attention to how opponents play to get a sense of what they hold
• In team play, support your partner and avoid taking tricks they were going to win