Belote
You and North are partners against East and West with 32 cards. Take the turned-up card to make trump, win the points in the tricks, and make sure the side that took scores more than the other.
Also try Klaverjassen (Dutch Jass) → Also try Whist →
How to play Belote
Dealing and bidding
Everyone gets five cards and the next card is turned up. Starting on the dealer’s right, each player may take it, making its suit trump, or pass. If all four pass, there is a second round in which each player may name one of the other three suits instead, or pass; if everyone passes again, the next dealer deals a new hand. The taker gets the turned card and two more, the others three more, so everyone holds eight. The player on the dealer’s right leads, and play goes round to the right.
Card order and points
In trump the order is jack (20 points), nine (14), ace (11), ten (10), king (4), queen (3), eight and seven (0). In the other suits it is ace (11), ten (10), king (4), queen (3), jack (2), nine, eight and seven (0). The last trick earns 10 more (dix de der), so a hand holds 162 points; taking all eight tricks (capot) scores 250 instead.
Following suit and trumping
Follow the suit led if you can. When trump is led you must play a higher trump if you can. If you can’t follow, you must trump, and overtrump a trump already played if you can; if you can’t overtrump you must still play a lower trump. The one exception: while your partner is winning the trick you may play any card.
Announcements, scoring and controls
Announcements are made for you during the first trick: three cards in a row of a suit (tierce) 20, four (quarte) 50, five or more (quinte) 100, four jacks 200, four nines 150 and four aces, tens, kings or queens 100. Only the side with the best announcement scores its announcements. The king and queen of trump in one hand are belote-rebelote, 20 points. The takers need more points than the defenders, or they are dedans and the defenders score 162 plus every announcement. Tap a card to lift it and tap again to play, or drag it; keys: arrows and Enter, T to take, P to pass, C, D, H or S to name a suit.
Questions
How do you play Belote?
Four players in two partnerships play with a 32-card deck. A card is turned up after five cards each, and one player takes it to make trump; everyone then gets eight cards. Players must follow suit and trump by strict rules, the jack and nine are the highest trumps, and the side that took must score more points than the other side. The first side to 501 (or 1000 on the longer level) wins.
What is belote-rebelote?
If one player holds both the king and queen of trump, they say belote when they play the first and rebelote when they play the second, and their side scores 20 points. Here the call is made for you. The 20 points stay with that side even if it goes dedans.
Which announcement wins in Belote?
Only the side with the best single announcement scores, and it then scores all of its announcements. The higher value wins; with equal values a carré beats a run, then the run with the higher top card wins, then a run in trump. If the two best are exactly equal, neither side scores announcements. The runs use the order 7, 8, 9, 10, jack, queen, king, ace.
What does dedans mean in Belote?
The side that took trump must finish with more points than the defenders, counting cards, announcements and belote. If it has fewer it is dedans: the defenders score 162 plus all the announcements, and the takers keep only a belote. On an exact tie, called litige, the defenders score their points and the takers’ points are held for the side that wins the next hand.
Do the computer players cheat?
No. Each computer player decides using only its own cards, the turned card, the bids, the announcements shown and the cards already played, plus what the rules reveal, such as a player who didn’t follow suit having none left. To choose a card it tries out many possible layouts of the cards it can’t see.