Rules of the Game
How to Play Belote: The Complete Rules of France's Favourite Card Game
Born in late-nineteenth-century France, Belote is the country's most widely played card game. Four players, two teams, a thirty-two-card deck: the rules take a single hand to grasp, yet mastering the counting and the calls is the work of a lifetime.
The aim of the game
Belote is played by four, in two teams of two, with partners sitting opposite each other. A game runs over several rounds; in each round, one team chooses the trump suit and commits to scoring the most points. Rounds are added up until a team reaches the target agreed at the start, most often 1,000 points.
The cards and their value
The game uses 32 cards, from Ace down to Seven, in all four suits. Here is the key point, and the one that trips up beginners: the order and value of the cards change depending on whether they are the trump suit or not.
In the trump suit
| Card | Points | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Jack | 20 | 1 (highest) |
| Nine | 14 | 2 |
| Ace | 11 | 3 |
| Ten | 10 | 4 |
| King | 4 | 5 |
| Queen | 3 | 6 |
| Eight | 0 | 7 |
| Seven | 0 | 8 |
In the other suits
| Card | Points | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Ace | 11 | 1 (highest) |
| Ten | 10 | 2 |
| King | 4 | 3 |
| Queen | 3 | 4 |
| Jack | 2 | 5 |
| Nine | 0 | 6 |
| Eight | 0 | 7 |
| Seven | 0 | 8 |
The cards are worth 152 points in all. A further 10 points "for the last" go to the team that wins the final trick, bringing 162 points into play each round.
The deal
The dealer deals clockwise, keeping the cards in blocks rather than one by one.
- Deal five cards to each player, in two goes (three then two, or the reverse).
- Turn the next card face-up in the centre: it proposes the trump suit.
- Leave the remaining 11 cards face-down as the stock.
Choosing trumps: the calls
Each player in turn decides whether to accept the turned-up suit as trumps. To "take" is to commit, with your partner, to scoring more than the opposing team.
- First round. In turn, each player either "takes" the turned-up card or "passes".
- Second round. If everyone has passed, players may now name a different suit as trumps.
- Once taken. The dealer takes the turned-up card into hand, then completes the deal so everyone holds eight cards.
- Nobody takes? Gather the cards and the next player deals again.
Playing the round
The player to the dealer's left leads. Each plays one card, clockwise, to form a trick.
- You must follow the suit led if you hold it.
- If you cannot follow, you must trump (play a trump card) whenever an opponent is winning the trick.
- The trick goes to the highest card of the suit led, or to the highest trump if the trick was trumped.
- The winner of the trick leads the next one. Play continues until all eight cards are gone.
Belote and Rebelote. A player holding both the King and Queen of trumps announces "Belote" when playing the first of the two, then "Rebelote" on the second. The two words are worth 20 points to their team.
Keeping score
At the end of the round, each team adds up the value of the cards in its tricks, any 10 "for the last", and its Belote-Rebelote.
- Contract made. If the team that took trumps holds at least half the points (81), each team scores what it made.
- Going down. If the takers fall short, they are "inside": the opponents pocket the full 162 points.
- Capot. Sweeping all eight tricks is worth 250 points.
Three tips to sharpen your game
Count the trumps already played: whoever knows who still holds the Jack or the Nine controls the round.
Lead trumps early to draw out your opponents' and free up your master cards.
Only take with at least the Jack or Nine of trumps plus one safe card alongside. An over-optimistic call hands 162 points to the table across from you.