Rules of Belote classic

Belote is a trick-taking game played with 4 players in teams. It uses a 32-card deck and involves strategy, partnerships, and scoring through contracts.

Players & Teams

Belote is played with 4 players using a 32-card deck (7 → Ace).
Players sit in pairs facing each other:

• North & South vs East & West

Partners work together to win tricks and score points.

Card Strength & Values

The rank of cards depends on whether the suit is trump or non-trump.

Important principle:
A trump card always beats any card from another suit — even if it is worth fewer points.

Example: a trump 8 beats a non-trump Ace.

Dealing

• A dealer is chosen randomly for the first round.
• Cards are dealt 5 per player (3 cards, then 2).
• The dealer turns the next card face up in the center — this card proposes the trump suit.
• Cards are normally not reshuffled between deals unless four deals pass with no one taking, in which case the deck is shuffled.

Choosing Trump (Taking)

Starting with the player to the dealer's right, each player may:

• Pass, or
• Take the face-up card.

If a player takes:

• The suit of that card becomes trump.
• The taker receives 2 additional cards, and the others receive 3 each.

If everyone passes, a second round begins where players may choose any suit as trump.
If no one chooses again, the cards are redealt by the same dealer.

Declarations (Announcements)

• After trump is determined and during the first trick, players may announce combinations.
• During the second trick, the strongest announcements are revealed and validated.

Rule:
A single card can only count toward one declaration, except for Belote/Rebelote.

Squares (Four of a Kind)

Value depends on rank:

Standard Trump Games	No-Trump Games
Jacks → 200 pts	Aces → 200 pts
Nines → 150 pts	Tens → 150 pts
Aces / Tens / Kings / Queens → 100 pts	Kings / Queens / Jacks / Nines → 100 pts
(4 sevens or 4 eights = 0 points)	(4 sevens or 4 eights = 0 points)

Sequences

• Tierce (3 in a row) → 20 pts
• Fifty (4 in a row) → 50 pts
• Hundred (5+ in a row) → 100 pts
• A square worth 100 outranks a sequence of 100.

Playing Tricks

• The player to the dealer's right leads first. The suit played becomes the required suit.
• Each player must follow suit if possible.

If unable to follow suit:

• If partner is currently winning → you may play anything or trump.
• If partner is not winning → you must trump if possible.

When a trump is played:

• You must play a higher trump if you can.
• If you can't beat it, you must still play a trump if you have one.
• The winner of the trick leads the next trick.

Scoring

At the end of the hand:

• Each team totals points from tricks won.
• The team winning the last trick gets a 10-point bonus.
• Add valid announcements and Belote/Rebelote bonuses.

Contract Result

The team that chose trump must reach more than 81 points.

If they score:

• More than 81 → both teams score the points they made.
• Exactly 81 → tie ("litige"): defenders keep their points, takers' points carry over to next hand.
• Less than 81 → takers score nothing (except Belote bonus), defenders score 160 points + announcements.

Goal of the Game

Work with your partner to win tricks, fulfill contracts, and outscore the opposing team over successive deals.

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