Belote
Quick Rules
- Uses a 32-card deck (7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A) split into two fixed partnerships across from each other.
- Bidding decides trump: players bid to take the turned-up card's suit or name a different one, or pass entirely.
- Trump suit ranking is unusual: Jack then 9 are the top two trumps, outranking even the Ace of trump.
- Holding the King and Queen of the trump suit ("belote and rebelote") scores a bonus, and must be announced when the second of the two is played.
- The bidding side must out-score the other side's card points across the hand, or the hand backfires and the other side gets all the points instead.
How to Play (Quick Overview)
- 1
Deal 5 cards to each of 4 players from the 32-card Belote deck, then turn the next card face up as the proposed trump.
- 2
Starting left of the dealer, each player in turn may accept the turned suit as trump (taking the hand for their side) or pass; if everyone passes, a second round lets players name any other suit as trump instead.
- 3
Once trump is decided, deal out the rest of the cards so each player holds 8 total, and the player left of the dealer leads the first trick.
- 4
Players must follow suit if possible; if they can't, they must play trump if they hold any, and must beat the highest trump played so far if able ("overtrump").
- 5
The highest trump played wins the trick, or the highest card of the suit led if no trump appeared; if a player holds the King and Queen of trump, they announce "belote" then "rebelote" as they play the second of the pair, scoring a bonus.
- 6
After all 8 tricks, add up each side's card points (plus any bonuses) to see whether the bidding side made their contract.
Objective
Working with your partner across the table, win enough card points during the hand to beat the other partnership - especially important if your side named the trump suit, since falling short there costs you everything.
Setup
Belote uses a 32-card deck: only the 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of each suit (no 2 through 6). Four players sit in two fixed partnerships, partners across from each other. Deal 5 cards to each player, then turn the next card of the deck face up as the proposed trump suit.
How to Play
Bidding. Starting left of the dealer, each player in turn may accept the turned-up card’s suit as trump (committing their side to play the hand), or pass. If all four players pass, a second round allows any player to name a different suit as trump instead. Once trump is decided, the rest of the deck is dealt out so every player holds 8 cards total for the hand.
Trump ranking (unusual). Trump cards don’t rank in the normal high-to-low order. From highest to lowest, trump ranks: Jack, 9, Ace, 10, King, Queen, 8, 7 - meaning the Jack of trump beats even the Ace of trump. Non-trump suits rank normally: Ace, 10, King, Queen, Jack, 9, 8, 7.
Playing tricks. The player left of the dealer leads the first trick. Players must follow the suit led if able. If a player can’t follow suit, they must play trump if they hold any - and if a teammate hasn’t already played the highest trump in the trick, they must play a higher trump than what’s currently winning, if they’re able to (“overtrumping”). The highest trump played wins the trick, or the highest card of the suit led if no trump was played; the winner leads next.
Belote and rebelote. If a player holds both the King and Queen of the trump suit, they must announce “belote” when playing the first of the two, and “rebelote” when playing the second, scoring a fixed bonus (commonly 20 points) for their side.
Scoring
Card point values differ for trump versus non-trump suits:
- Trump suit: Jack = 20, 9 = 14, Ace = 11, 10 = 10, King = 4, Queen = 3, 7 and 8 = 0.
- Non-trump suits: Ace = 11, 10 = 10, King = 4, Queen = 3, Jack = 2, 9, 8, 7 = 0.
The last trick of the hand is worth an extra 10-point bonus to whoever wins it. Belote/rebelote adds its own fixed bonus on top. Add up both sides’ totals: 162 points are available in total each hand (152 in cards plus the 10-point last-trick bonus).
The key rule: the partnership that named trump must score more total points than the opposing side. If they fail to do so, it’s called “going bete” - the bidding side scores zero for the hand, and the defending side is awarded the entire 162 points instead, regardless of what they actually took in tricks.
Winning
Play continues, hand after hand, with scores accumulating. The first partnership to reach an agreed target - commonly 501 or 1,000 points - wins the game.
Variations
- Coinche: a bidding variant that lets the defending side “double” the contract’s stakes (and the bidding side “redouble” in response), similar in spirit to doubling in Bridge.
- All Trump / No Trump hands: alternate scoring modes where either every suit is trump at once, or no suit is trump at all, changing card values significantly.
- Belgian vs. French Belote: minor regional differences in bidding structure and bonus values.
History
Belote emerged in France in the early 20th century, first appearing in print around 1908 and gaining rapid popularity through the 1920s and 30s. It draws on the same broader European trick-taking tradition as Bridge and Skat, in particular borrowing its King-Queen “marriage” scoring concept from earlier games like Bezique. It remains, by many surveys, the single most popular card game in France today, ahead of both Bridge and Poker.
Fun Fact
Despite being France’s most popular card game by a wide margin, Belote remains almost entirely unknown outside French-speaking Europe and a handful of former French territories - a sharp contrast to how widely games like Poker and Bridge spread internationally from their own countries of origin.