How to Play

France's national partnership trick-taking game, played with a 32-card deck. Distinctive trump hierarchy (Jack on top, 9 second), bonus declarations, and the famous Belote-Rebelote announcement for King-Queen of trumps. Match to 1000 points.

Belote is France's national card game, a 32-card partnership trick-taking game for 4 players invented in the early 20th century and descended from Dutch Klaverjas and German Klaberjass. Each player receives 8 cards, a turned-up card offers the first choice of trump, and the partnership that accepts (the 'takers') commits to scoring more than half of the 162 card-points in play (plus any declarations). The trump suit has a distinctive ranking: the Jack (Bour / Valet de trompe, 20 points) is the highest card and the 9 (Manille, 14 points) is second; this is the signature Belote quirk. Bonus points come from sequence declarations (tierce, quarante, quinte, cent) and from four-of-a-kind declarations (carré), as well as the famous Belote-Rebelote announcement for holding both the King and Queen of trumps (20 points when played in order). The first side to 1000 points (or 501 in the short form) wins the match.

Players

Exactly 4 players in two fixed partnerships; partners sit across the table. Play runs anticlockwise (to the right) in the French tradition, though some regional variants play clockwise. A match to 1000 points takes about an hour; the shorter 501-point match takes 30 to 45 minutes.

Card Deck and Rankings

• 32-card pack: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7 in each of the four suits. Construct from a 52-card deck by removing all cards 2 through 6.A♠K♠Q♠J♠10♠9♠8♠7♠
• Trump-suit ranking, high to low: Jack (20 pts) > 9 (14 pts) > Ace (11 pts) > 10 (10 pts) > King (4 pts) > Queen (3 pts) > 8 (0) > 7 (0).J♠9♠A♠10♠K♠Q♠8♠7♠
• Non-trump ranking, high to low: Ace (11 pts) > 10 (10 pts) > King (4 pts) > Queen (3 pts) > Jack (2 pts) > 9 (0) > 8 (0) > 7 (0).A♥10♥K♥Q♥J♥
• Total card points per deck: 152 (38 per suit). Plus 10 points for winning the last trick = 162 points total per hand, not counting declarations.

Objective

The partnership that accepts trumps (the takers) must score MORE than the opposing side; if they fail to outscore, the defenders take all 162 points (plus declarations) for the hand. Across many hands the first side to 1000 points wins the match. Winning is achieved by capturing tricks containing high-value cards (especially the trump Jack and 9), announcing valid declarations, and managing the Belote-Rebelote bonus.

Setup and Deal

1. The dealer shuffles; the player to the dealer's left cuts.
2. The dealer distributes 5 cards to each player in two packets, typically 3 then 2 (or 3-3 in some regions), anticlockwise starting with the player on the dealer's right.
3. The next card is turned face up in the middle; it provisionally proposes its suit as trump (called the 'retourne').
4. The remaining 11 cards form the stock, set face down beside the retourne.

Trump Selection (Bidding)

1. First round (accept retourne): Starting with the player to the dealer's right and going anticlockwise, each player may say 'Je prends' (I take) to accept the retourne's suit as trump, or 'pass'. If all four players pass, a second round begins.
2. Second round (name any suit): Going anticlockwise again, each player may name any OTHER suit as trump (not the retourne's), or pass.
3. All pass twice: If all four players pass both rounds, the deal is annulled; cards are shuffled and re-dealt by the next dealer.
4. Completing the deal: Once a suit is named, the taker's partnership receives the retourne card (it goes to the taker), and the dealer finishes the deal: 3 more cards to everyone who took the retourne, 2 more to the taker (who already got the retourne), or the house rule equivalent. Each player ends with 8 cards in hand.
5. The partnership that took trumps are the 'takers' (preneurs) and must score more than the opposing side.

Declarations

• Declarations are announced BEFORE the second trick begins and scored only for the side with the highest declaration. Each player examines their hand and may declare one or more of the following combinations:
• Tierce (3-card sequence in one suit): 20 points. Ordered by natural rank A-K-Q-J-10-9-8-7; no trump promotion for declarations.
• Quarante (4-card sequence in one suit): 50 points. Higher than any tierce.
• Quinte (5+ card sequence in one suit): 100 points. Higher than any quarante.
• Carré (four of a kind): 100 points for most ranks; four Jacks = 200 points; four 9s = 150 points; four 7s and 8s do not count. A carré outranks any sequence.
• Belote-Rebelote: Holding BOTH the King AND Queen of TRUMPS. Not declared during the declarations phase; instead, announce 'Belote' when playing the first of the pair and 'Rebelote' when playing the second. Worth 20 points, awarded to your partnership regardless of other outcomes (even if you lose the hand).
• Ranking between declarations: If both sides have declarations, only the side with the HIGHEST single declaration scores. Carré beats sequence; longer sequence beats shorter; equal-length sequences are compared by top card (Ace high); tied top cards favour the trump-suit holder (or the taker side in a tiebreak).
• When you score for a declaration, you MUST show the cards to the table when asked. False declarations void ALL declarations for that side.

Trick Play

1. Lead: The player to the dealer's right leads the first trick with any card, face up.
2. Follow suit (strict): Each player in anticlockwise order must play a card of the suit led if they hold one.
3. Must trump if unable to follow: A player unable to follow suit MUST play a trump, AND must overtrump any trump already in the trick if they can.
4. Partner winning exemption: If your PARTNER is currently winning the trick, you do not need to overtrump; you may play any card (including a trump) or discard. This is one of Belote's distinctive partnership features.
5. Throw-off: A player unable to follow suit AND holding no trumps (or exempted) may play any card as a throw-off; it cannot win.
6. Winning the trick: The highest trump wins. If no trumps are played, the highest card of the led suit wins. Trump-suit rank uses J-9-A-10-K-Q-8-7; non-trump uses A-10-K-Q-J-9-8-7.
7. Next lead: The trick winner leads the next trick. Play through all 8 tricks.

Scoring a Hand

• After all 8 tricks, each side totals card-point values of the cards they captured plus declarations plus Belote-Rebelote (if played).
• Last-trick bonus: Side winning the 8th trick adds 10 points (the 'dix de der' / last-trick bonus).
• Takers succeed: If the takers' total is STRICTLY GREATER than the defenders' total, each side scores the card points they collected (rounded, plus bonuses). Some scoring variants simplify to 'takers get their total, defenders get their total' rather than recalculating.
• Takers fail (chute or dedans): If the defenders' total is EQUAL TO OR GREATER THAN the takers' total, the defenders score ALL 162 points PLUS both sides' declarations; the takers score 0 (but keep any Belote-Rebelote).
• Capot (slam): If one side wins ALL 8 tricks, they receive a bonus of 90 points, for a total of 252 points. The losing side still keeps any Belote-Rebelote.
• Round down or up to nearest 10 per regional custom, or record exact.

Winning the Match

The first partnership to reach 1000 cumulative points wins the match (or 501 in the short form). If both sides cross the threshold in the same hand, the takers' score is counted first; if still tied, play one more hand as a tiebreaker. If the takers fail and the defenders cross 1000 through the forfeited hand, the defenders win.

Common Variations

• Belote Coinchée (Coinche): Adds a bidding system where each partnership bids a target score (82-252+); opponents may 'coincher' (double) the bid and the bidding side may 'surcoincher' (redouble). The bidding introduces much more strategic depth.
• Belote Contrée: Another bidding variant common in southeastern France; similar to Coinche but with different escalation rules.
• Trois Joueurs (3-player Belote): Each player plays alone; the taker faces the other two. Card counts and declaration values adjust.
• Belote à Deux (2-player): Heavily modified with a talon phase and reduced card count.
• All-trump and No-trump (Tout-atout and Sans-atout): Every suit is trump (or no suit is trump); card rankings and point values adjust. Common in bridge-style tournaments.
• Belote Découverte: Two-player variant with some cards face up for added information.

Tips and Strategy

• Never take trumps without the Jack or the 9 of the proposed suit; together they are 34 points of the 82 needed.
• Lead aces of non-trump suits early to cash them out before opponents can trump. Aces are worth 11 points each.
• Leading a low trump forces opponents to play high trumps, drawing out threats and establishing your own trump strength.
• Announce Belote-Rebelote at the right moment: playing the King first tells partner you have the Queen and signals the bonus is locked in.
• Count trumps played. Once all 8 trumps are gone, no one can trump; high cards of any suit become winners.
• The partner-winning exemption is a powerful tool: when your partner leads a high card, you can safely discard a low throw-off card instead of wasting a trump.
• In Coinche, coincher an overconfident bid when you hold strong defensive cards; the doubled score can swing a match.

Glossary

• Taker / Preneur: The player who accepted trumps; their partnership must score more than the opponents.
• Retourne: The card turned up after the initial 5-card deal; proposes trump in the first bidding round.
• Declaration / Annonce: A revealed card combination (sequence or four of a kind) worth bonus points.
• Belote-Rebelote: The King-Queen of trumps, announced in sequence; 20-point bonus.K♠Q♠
• Capot: Winning all 8 tricks; 90-point bonus.
• Dix de der: The 10-point bonus for winning the last (8th) trick.
• Chute / Dedans: A failed contract; defenders score all 162 points.
• Coinche: In Belote Coinchée, doubling an opponent's bid.
• Surcoinche: Redoubling after a coinche.