Belote & Coinche

How to play Belote

Belote is played by four people in two partnerships. You and the player opposite you are a team, and the players on your left and right are the other team. Play goes counter-clockwise, to the right, as it traditionally does in France. The deck has 32 cards: 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace in each of the four suits.

The aim of a deal is simple: win tricks that contain valuable cards. The team that chose trump, the takers, has to score more points than the defenders. Deals add up until one team reaches the match target. Here is how a deal of Classic Belote (belote classique) runs on our table:

• The dealer gives five cards to each player, in packets of three and then two. The next card is turned face up in the middle: this is la retourne.
• Starting with the player after the dealer, each player may take the suit of the turned card as trump (prendre) or pass.
• If all four pass, there is a second round. Each player may now name any other suit as trump, or pass. If everyone passes again, the cards are thrown in and the next dealer deals.
• The player who took receives the turned card plus two more cards. Everybody else receives three more. Now each player holds eight cards.
• The player after the dealer leads the first trick, and the winner of each trick leads the next one. After eight tricks the deal is scored.

Belote rules for following suit and trumping

The rules of play are strict, and our game enforces them for you: the cards you may play are highlighted and the others are dimmed. That makes it a good way to learn the règles de la belote without arguing over the table.

• You must follow the suit that was led if you can.
• If you cannot follow suit and your partner is currently winning the trick, you may play any card.
• If you cannot follow suit and your partner is not winning, you must play a trump. If an opponent has already trumped, you must overtrump if you can. If you cannot beat their trump, you must still play a trump.
• When trump is led, you must play a higher trump than the best one on the trick if you can.
• The highest trump wins the trick. If no trump was played, the highest card of the led suit wins.

Belote card values and trump order

Belote cards do not rank the way they do in most games. In the trump suit the Jack (le valet d'atout) is the highest card and is worth 20 points. The 9 of trump (le neuf) is second and worth 14. In the other suits the Ace is highest and the Jack and 9 drop to the bottom.

Trump order from highest to lowest: Jack 20, 9 14, Ace 11, 10 10, King 4, Queen 3, 8 0, 7 0. That is 62 points in the trump suit.

Plain suit order from highest to lowest: Ace 11, 10 10, King 4, Queen 3, Jack 2, 9 0, 8 0, 7 0. That is 30 points in each plain suit.

Add the four suits together and the deck holds 152 card points. The team that wins the last trick earns 10 more, the dix de der, so every deal is worth 162 points before any bonus.

What is Belote Rebelote?

If one player holds both the King and the Queen of trump, that pair is worth 20 points. The player announces it while playing: saying "Belote" with the first of the two cards and "Rebelote" with the second. Our game shows the announcement on the table for you.

The 20 points of belote rebelote always stay with the team that holds the pair, even when that team took trump and failed its contract. That is why the pair is such a pleasant thing to find in your hand.

Declarations in Belote: tierce, cinquante, cent and carré

Classic Belote can also score declarations, called annonces. They are switched on by default in Classic mode and are made automatically during the first trick, so you never forget one. For sequences the order is A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7 in the same suit.

Only the team with the best declaration scores, and that team then scores all of its declarations. The other team scores none of its own.

• Tierce: three cards in sequence, 20 points.
• Cinquante: four cards in sequence, 50 points.
• Cent: five or more cards in sequence, 100 points.
• Carré of Jacks: four Jacks, 200 points.
• Carré of 9s: four 9s, 150 points.
• Carré of Aces, 10s, Kings or Queens: 100 points.

Belote scoring explained

At the end of a Classic deal, each team adds up its card points, the dix de der if it won the last trick, its belote rebelote and its declarations. The taking team must score more than the defenders. The scoring screen after every deal shows this breakdown line by line.

Contract made: both teams score what they won. Contract failed, called dedans or chute: the defenders score all 162 points plus all declarations, while the belote rebelote still goes to the team that holds it. A tie, called litige: the defenders score their points now, and the takers' points are held back and go to the team that wins the next deal.

Capot means one team wins all eight tricks. A capot is worth 250 points instead of 162. A Classic match is played to 501 or 1000 points, whichever you choose, and once a team reaches the target the highest total wins.

Coinche (Contrée) bidding

Coinche, known as Contrée in parts of southern France, replaces the turned card with an auction. It is the version most club players prefer, because the strongest hand has to say how many points it will make.

Each player receives eight cards straight away, in packets of three, three and two, and no card is turned up. Starting after the dealer, each player passes or bids a contract and a trump suit: 80, 90, 100 and so on up to 160, or Capot (250) for all eight tricks. Every bid must be higher than the last one.

An opponent of the highest bidder may say coinche, which doubles the stakes. The bidder may then surcoinche, which redoubles. The auction ends after three passes following a bid, or once a coinche has been answered. If all four players pass without a bid, the cards are redealt.

Play and card values are the same as in Classic Belote. Belote rebelote still counts 20 for its holders. Declarations are an option in Coinche and are off by default.

Coinche scoring: making your contract

The takers make their contract if their points, card points plus their own belote, reach the bid and are at least 82. A Capot bid needs every trick. Card points are rounded to the nearest 10.

If the contract is made, the takers score the bid plus their points and the defenders score their own points. If it fails, the defenders score 160 plus the bid. When a contract was coinched, the winning side scores 160 plus twice the bid, and after a surcoinche it is 160 plus four times the bid. A Coinche match is played to 1000 or 2000 points.

Belote vs Coinche: which should you play?

Classic Belote is quicker to learn. You decide only whether to take the turned suit, and declarations add a little luck and excitement. It is the game many French families play at home, and it is the best place to start.

Coinche is more skilful. Bidding a number forces you to judge your hand and read your partner's bids, and the coinche gives the defenders a real weapon against over-ambitious bids. If you already know the card values, try Coinche against Normal computers and see how quickly the auction becomes the most interesting part of the game.

Belote strategy tips for beginners

A few habits will lift your game against both people and computers:

• Take trump when you hold the Jack, or the 9 with one or two other trumps, plus an Ace on the side. The Jack alone with nothing else is often not enough.
• Count trumps. There are eight of them. Once you know where the Jack and 9 are, you know which of your own trumps are now winners.
• Lead trumps early when your team took and you hold the Jack. Drawing the defenders' trumps protects your Aces and 10s.
• Give points to your partner. When your partner is winning a trick, add your 10 or Ace to it (this is called charger). When the opponents are winning, discard your smallest cards.
• Keep a 10 protected. A lone 10 in a plain suit is easy prey for an Ace, so try not to lead into a suit where an opponent still holds the Ace.
• Remember the dix de der. The last trick is worth 10 extra points, so a sure winner kept for the end can decide a close deal.
• In Coinche, bid what your hand and your partner's bids support, not what you hope for. A failed contract gives the opponents 160 plus your bid.

Play Belote online with friends or against the computer

To play alone, start a game against the computer and pick a level. Easy computers make mistakes, which suits beginners. Normal computers play solid, sensible cards. Hard computers track every card played, work out which suits and trumps each player can no longer hold, and simulate many possible deals of the hidden cards before every play, so they are a serious test for experienced players.

To play belote entre amis, tap Invite friends. You get a six-character room code and a share link that you can send on WhatsApp or copy anywhere. Friends join from their own phone or computer in the browser, with no app and no account. Computers fill any empty seat, the host can move friends between seats to choose partners, and if a friend drops out a computer plays for them until they reconnect. You can also try Quick match to play with strangers, use voice chat in online rooms, and send emoji or text messages at the table.

A local match against the computer is saved automatically, so you can close the tab and resume later. Your games played, wins and win streaks are kept as statistics, and signed-in players can earn achievements and appear on the wins leaderboard.

Controls and settings

Click or tap a card to play it. On a touch screen, the first tap lifts the card and a second tap plays it, which prevents accidental plays. On a keyboard, use Tab or the Left and Right arrows to move between your cards, Enter or Space to play, L to see the last trick and Esc to open the menu.

Your hand is sorted by suit automatically. A last trick button shows the four cards just played, and the score sheet keeps a round history. You can set the speed to relaxed, normal or fast, turn sound on or off and switch to fullscreen.

A short history of Belote

Belote belongs to the same family as the Dutch game Klaverjassen and the Swiss Jass, all of which make the Jack and 9 of trump the top cards. It is usually said to have spread through France in the early twentieth century and quickly became a café classic. The bidding version, Coinche or Contrée, grew out of it and is now the form played in most French clubs and tournaments.

The game travelled well. Close relatives are played in Bulgaria, Armenia, Croatia and across the Arabian Gulf under names such as Bridge-Belote, Bazaar Blot, Bela and Baloot. If you enjoy Belote, our Klaverjassen and Jass tables use the same card values with their own regional rules.

En français: la belote en ligne gratuite

Sur cette page, vous pouvez jouer à la belote en ligne gratuitement, directement dans votre navigateur, sans téléchargement ni inscription. Choisissez la belote classique, avec la retourne et les annonces, ou la coinche (contrée), avec les enchères de 80 à 160, la coinche et la surcoinche. Jouez contre l'ordinateur en niveau facile, normal ou difficile, ou invitez vos amis avec un code de salle et un lien à partager. Les cartes jouables sont mises en évidence, et le détail des points s'affiche après chaque donne : belote rebelote, dix de der, capot et annonces compris.