Rules of Belote

Belote is a French card game, characterized by its strategic complexity and team dynamics, combining elements of Tute, Brisca and Guiñote.

Aim of the game

The purpose of Belote is to accumulate the necessary number of points to win the game before the opponents do the same.

Number of players

Either it can be played by 2 or 3 participants, or in pairs.

Playing cards

It is played witha 32 card French deck, without deuces, threes, fours, fives and sixes.

Value of the cards

Normal value:

• 1 (Ace) --> +11
• 10 --> +10
• King --> +4
• Queen --> +3
• Jack --> +2
• 9-8-7 --> 0

Value of the cards for the trump suit:

• Jack --> +20
• 9 --> +14
• 1 (Ace) --> +11
• 10 --> +10
• King --> +4
• Queen --> +3
• 8-7 --> 0

Distribution of the cards

At the beginning of the game, players agree on who´s the “hand”, i.e. the player who is first to move. In the next round (if there would be another round) the player located to the left of the current "hand" will start.

5 cards are dealt to each player and one is placed face up in the centre of the table. In this phase, each player in their turn can take said card or pass.

• If they decides to take the card, it is added to their hand and its suit is established as a trump suit.
• If all the players choose to pass, a second round is held in which any of the four suits can be chosen.
• If all the players pass again, the cards are dealt again.

Once the trump suit has been decided, the remaining cards are dealt until all players have 8 in total.

Contract: The team that has taken the trump is obliged to get more points than the opponents. If they fail to do so, all the points obtained in that round are awarded to the opposing team.

Gameplay

The “hand” player starts the round by playing any of their cards. The other players must play a card based on the first. The set of cards played in a hand is called trick.

If a trump card is played, the next player must:

1. Play a trump card of higher value.
2. Play any other trump card.
3. Play any other card.

If the card is not a trump card, the next player must:

1. Play a card of the same suit as the initial card.
2. Play a trump card higher than any trump already played.
3. Play any other card.

Players of the same team are not obliged to loose a trick that their partner is already winning.

The trick is won by the player who has played the highest-valued trump card, or if there are no trumps, the highest card of the starting suit. This player picks up the trick and keeps it until the end of the round, in addition, they start playing the next hand.

Special combinations

In the first trick, each player can announce the combinations of cards they own during their turn to earn extra points. Only the team with the highest combination will score those points.

Announcements and points:

• Brelan (1): 4 jacks --> 200 points
• Brelan (2): 4 nines --> 150 points
• Brelan (3): 4 tens, 4 queens, 4 kings or 4 aces --> 100 points
• Quint: 5-card straight of the same suit --> 100 points
• Quarte: 4-card straight of the same suit --> 50 points
• Tierce: 3-card straight of the same suit --> 20 points

Belote

The player must have the King and Queen of the trump suit and play them in two tricks, announcing first "Belote" and then "Re-Belote". This awards additional 20 points.

Ten of the last

The team that wins the last trick of the hand receives 10 extra points.

Capote

The team that wins all the tricks in one hand receives 90 points plus an additional 10 for the last trick (ten of the last), totalling 100 points.

End of round and scoring

The round ends when the players run out of cards.

• If the team that took the trump gets more points than the opponent, add the points of the tricks and the extra points obtained.
• If the team that took the trump gets fewer points than the opponent, it only adds the additional points obtained, while the opposing team adds 162 points plus the points for Belote and Rebelote.

In case of a draw, the team that took the trump does not add its points. These will be assigned to the team that wins the next hand, in what is called litigation.

The game continues until one player or one team reaches the necessary score to win.

It's time to show who is the best in Belote! Let the fun begin!