How to Play

The national card game of Cyprus: a 4-player partnership Belote descendant with an 80-and-up ascending bid auction, trump-and-non-trump dual card rankings, 20/50/100 declarations, 100/150/200 four-of-a-kind bonuses, and a 20-point Belote bonus for holding King-Queen of trumps.

Pilotta is the national card game of Cyprus: a 4-player partnership trick-taking game directly descended from French Belote and Greek Vida. It uses a 32-card piquet pack (7s through Aces) with two different rank orders depending on whether a suit is trump or not. The hand opens with an ascending 80-and-up bidding auction that determines trumps and the contract; the high bidder's partnership must then capture enough card points to make its bid. Pilotta is distinguished from straight Belote by stricter declaration scoring (only the winning declarations count, everyone else loses theirs), stricter overtrumping rules, and a much larger set of card-combination bonuses (3-in-a-row = 20, 4-in-a-row = 50, 5-in-a-row = 100; 4-of-a-kind = 100 for Aces/Kings/Queens/10s, 150 for 9s, 200 for Jacks). The King and Queen of trumps together earn a 'Belote' (or 'Pilotta') bonus of 20 points when declared during play. Matches are typically played to 151, 251, 351, or 401 points.

Players

Exactly 4 players in 2 fixed partnerships; partners sit opposite each other. Deal rotates anticlockwise after each hand. A match to 151 points lasts 20 to 40 minutes; a 401-point match runs 60 to 90 minutes. Cypriot tournament play typically targets 351 or 401 points.

Card Deck

32-card piquet pack (A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7 in each of 4 suits). Non-trump ranking (high to low): A, 10, K, Q, J, 9, 8, 7. Trump ranking (high to low): J, 9, A, 10, K, Q, 8, 7. Card values also depend on whether the suit is trump; see Scoring. The Jack and 9 of trumps are the two most powerful cards in the deck.

Objective

Each hand: capture card points and declaration bonuses to meet or exceed the bid. Match: first partnership to the agreed target (151, 251, 351, or 401) wins the match. Each hand contains 162 card points (including the 10-point last-trick bonus); declarations and Belote add further points on top.

Setup and Deal

1. Partners sit opposite each other. Shuffle the 32-card pack.
2. Deal 8 cards per player in batches of 3, 2, 3 (or another house convention), dealt anticlockwise.
3. No card is turned up; trumps are set by bidding.
4. Player to the dealer's right opens the auction.

Bidding

1. Bidding starts at 80 and proceeds anticlockwise in increments of 10.
2. Each player in turn may raise the current highest bid, pass, or make a no-trump / all-trump bid (see Variations).
3. A bid consists of a number (80, 90, 100, ...) and a suit. When a player passes, they are out of the auction.
4. The auction closes when 3 consecutive players pass. The high bidder's partnership becomes the declarers; the bid's suit is trump; the bid's value is the contract target (minimum points the declarers' side must capture).
5. Contra / Sur-contra: Defenders may 'contra' the contract before play begins to double the scoring. Declarers may 'sur-contra' (re-contra) in response to multiply by 4.
6. If all 4 players pass, the hand is annulled and the same dealer redeals.

Declarations

• Before the second trick is led, each player may announce combinations of cards they hold. Declarations are announced (but not shown) during or immediately after the first trick.
• Sequences (cards in rank order within a single suit, using NON-trump rank A-10-K-Q-J-9-8-7): 3-in-a-row = 20 points, 4-in-a-row = 50 points, 5+ in a row = 100 points.
• Four of a kind: Four Aces, Kings, Queens, or 10s = 100 points. Four 9s = 150 points. Four Jacks = 200 points.
• Winning declarations only: Only the partnership with the single highest declaration scores any declarations. Ties break by longer sequence, then by higher ranking card, then by declarer having led the winning suit.
• Belote / Pilotta bonus: A player holding both the King and Queen of trumps may declare 'Belote' (or 'Pilotta') when playing the first of the two, and then play the second to claim 20 bonus points. This bonus is always scored separately from normal declarations and always belongs to the holder's team, regardless of who won the declarations competition.
• Revealing declarations: After all 4 players have had a chance to announce, the winning side must SHOW their declarations to prove they are legitimate (failure to show forfeits the declaration).

Gameplay

1. Lead: Player to the dealer's right leads any card to the first trick. Winner of each trick leads the next.
2. Follow suit strictly: Every player must follow the suit led if they can.
3. Overtrumping obligation (in trump): If unable to follow suit, the player must play a trump if they hold one. If a trump has already been played in the trick, the player (if they can) must play a HIGHER trump than the current best trump. This is the strict 'must-overtrump' rule distinctive to Belote-family games including Pilotta.
4. Discard if void and no trumps: If unable to follow suit AND with no trumps at all, the player may discard any card.
5. Winning a trick: Highest trump in the trick, or highest card of the suit led if no trump was played. Trump rank order (J > 9 > A > 10 > K > Q > 8 > 7) applies.
6. Last trick bonus: The side winning the 8th and final trick adds 10 bonus points to its card-point total.
7. Capot (all tricks to one side): If one side wins every trick, it is a capot and the winners score the full 162 plus a capot bonus (sometimes +90 or +100 on top, per house rule).

Scoring

1. Trump card values (per card captured): J = 20, 9 = 14, A = 11, 10 = 10, K = 4, Q = 3. 8 and 7 of trumps = 0 points.
2. Non-trump card values (per card captured): A = 11, 10 = 10, K = 4, Q = 3, J = 2. 9, 8, and 7 of non-trumps = 0 points.
3. Last trick bonus: +10 points to the winning side.
4. Total per deal (cards + last trick): 162 points. Declarations and Belote are added on top.
5. Belote (K+Q of trumps): +20 points when declared during play.
6. Declarations: Winning declaration total added to the winning side; losing side scores zero for declarations.
7. Contract fulfilled: If declarers' total (cards + declarations + Belote) equals or exceeds the bid, both sides record their actual captured totals.
8. Contract failed: Declarers score zero for cards and declarations; defenders score 162 plus their own declarations plus the value of declarers' Belote (if any).
9. Contra doubles scoring; Sur-contra quadruples it.
10. Capot: One side captures every trick. Scores 162 + the capot bonus (typically +90 or +100).
11. Match target: 151, 251, 351, or 401 points. First side to target wins.

Winning

The first partnership to reach the agreed match target (151, 251, 351, or 401 points) wins the match. Cypriot club and tournament play typically targets 351 or 401, giving matches a satisfying length of 10 to 20 deals. Family and café play often uses 151 for a quick single-match session.

Common Variations

• No-Trump bid (Sans-Atout / Kapou): The declarer plays with no trump suit; all suits use the non-trump ranking. Card values adjusted (Aces 19, 10s 10, typically). Bid multiplier +50 or +80.
• All-Trump bid (Tout-Atout): Every suit uses the trump ranking. Jack highest in all four suits. Bid multiplier +50 or +80.
• Pilotta Palaristi: A tournament variant with point-based (not 80-90-100) bidding for more granularity.
• Fixed targets: 151 for short matches, 251 for medium, 351 for standard tournament, 401 for long.
• Penalty for failed Belote: If a player declares Belote and fails to play the second card of the pair (because a trump was played in between forcing them to play out of turn), some rule sets deduct 20 points as a penalty.
• Coinche: A contra/sur-contra close cousin from France; functionally identical in Pilotta's doubling structure.

Tips and Strategy

• The Jack and 9 of trumps are worth 34 points together and are both unstoppable trick-winners. If you hold both in a 4-card trump suit, bid aggressively (90 or 100).
• When considering a bid, count your side's likely card points including trump length. A side with 5+ trumps and at least 4 high cards in other suits usually makes 100+ easily.
• Lead trumps early when you are the declarer to strip defenders of their trump stoppers. By trick 3 or 4, your lower trumps become unstoppable with the high ones gone.
• As defenders, play partnership 'signals' through discards. A high discard of Hearts often says 'I'm void of Spades, lead Hearts back when you next win a trick'.
• The Belote (K+Q of trumps) is a guaranteed 20 points once you declare. Always announce it before the first of the two cards is played; do not sit on a silent Belote.
• Track declarations. If the opponent's declarations have been announced but not shown, you can infer their hand shape from what they claimed they held.

Glossary

• Declarer: The partnership that wins the bidding and names the trump suit.
• Trump card: A card of the suit named as trump; ranks by the trump order (J > 9 > A > 10 > K > Q > 8 > 7).
• Belote (or Pilotta bonus): The King + Queen of trumps held by one player; earns +20 points when declared during play.K♠Q♠
• Declaration: A pre-play announcement of a card combination (sequence or four-of-a-kind) earning bonus points. Only the winning side's declarations count.
• Contra / Sur-contra: Defender double and declarer redouble actions that multiply scoring by 2 or 4.
• Capot: Winning every trick in a deal. Scores the full 162 card points plus a house capot bonus.
• Last trick bonus: The 10 points awarded for winning the final (8th) trick.
• Overtrumping obligation: Strict rule requiring a player, when trumping, to play a higher trump than the current best trump if possible.
• No-Trump / All-Trump: Bid options that change the card ranking to non-trump-only or trump-in-all-suits respectively.