Belote: A Trick-and-Meld Card Game with French Flair
If you love card games that combine skill, strategy, and luck, you might want to try belote, a trick-and-meld card game that is widely played in France and other European countries. Belote is derived from klaberjass, a German-Dutch game that was introduced in France around 1920. Belote has since become the national card game of France, both casually and in gambling.
belote
Belote is a game for four players who form two teams, North-South and East-West. The game uses a 32-card deck with cards ranking from ace to seven in each suit. The game consists of two phases: bidding and playing. In the bidding phase, the players compete for the right to choose the trump suit or declare no trump or all trump. In the playing phase, the players try to win tricks with their cards and score points for their team. The team that scores more points than their opponents wins the game.
Belote is a game that requires both logic and intuition, as well as cooperation and communication with your partner. Belote also has many variations that add more challenge and excitement to the game. Belote is a game that can be enjoyed by anyone who likes card games, whether you are a beginner or an expert. In this article, we will explain how to play belote, as well as some tips and strategies to improve your game.
How to Play Belote
The Deck and the Deal
Belote is played with a 32-card deck that consists of four suits: clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades. Each suit has eight cards: ace, king, queen, jack, ten, nine, eight, and seven. The cards have different values depending on whether they are in the trump suit or not. The table below shows the ranking and value of each card in each suit.
SuitRankingValue
TrumpJ 9 A 10 K Q 8 720 14 11 10 4 3 0 0
Non-trumpA 10 K Q J 9 8 711 10 4 3 2 0 0 0
No trumpA K Q J 10 9 8 719 4 3 2 10 0 0 0
The dealer is the player who shuffles and cuts the cards. The dealer can be chosen randomly or by drawing the highest card. The dealer then deals eight cards to each player, starting with the player to their right and going clockwise. The cards are dealt in batches of three, two, and three. The last card is turned face up on the table and becomes the proposed trump suit.
The Bidding and the Contract
The bidding phase begins with the player to the right of the dealer, who can either accept or pass the proposed trump suit. If they accept, they say "I take" and the bidding phase ends. If they pass, they say "I pass" and the next player in clockwise order can bid. The bidding continues until either a player accepts the proposed trump suit, or all four players pass.
If all four players pass, a second round of bidding begins, starting with the player to the right of the dealer. In this round, each player can either pass again, or bid for a different trump suit, no trump, or all trump. The bids have different values, as shown in the table below.
BidValue
Trump80
No trump90
All trump100
The bids must be higher than the previous bid, or equal if it is a different suit. For example, if the first player bids 80 for clubs, the next player can bid 80 for diamonds, hearts, or spades, or 90 for no trump, or 100 for all trump. The bidding continues until either a player makes a bid that no one else can or wants to overbid, or all four players pass again.
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If all four players pass again, the deal is void and the cards are shuffled and dealt again by the same dealer. If a player makes a final bid, they become the taker and their partner becomes the called. The taker's bid becomes the contract, which determines the trump suit (or no trump or all trump) and the minimum number of points that their team must score to win the game.
The Play and the Scoring
The playing phase begins with the taker adding the face-up card on the table to their hand and discarding another card face down. The discarded card does not count for scoring and is not shown to anyone. The taker then leads the first trick by playing any card from their hand. The other players must follow suit if they can, or play a trump card if they cannot. The player who plays the highest card of the suit led, or the highest trump card if any, wins the trick and leads the next one.
The play continues until all eight tricks are played. The team that wins more tricks scores points for each trick they won, plus any bonus points for belote or melds. Belote is when a player holds both the king and queen of trumps in their hand and plays them consecutively in any order. Belote is worth 20 points. Melds are combinations of cards that are worth extra points if declared before playing them. Melds can only be declared by the taker's team in a trump contract. The table below shows the possible melds and their values.
MeldCardsValue
Four of a kindA A A A or K K K K or Q Q Q Q or J J J J100
TierceA K Q or K Q J or Q J 10 of trumps20
QuarteA K Q J or K Q J 10 of trumps50
QuinteA K Q J 10 of trumps100
Square + tierce/quarte/quinteA A A A + A K Q/J/10 or K K K K + K Q J/10/9 etc.150/200/250
The team that wins more points than their opponents wins the game. If they score at least as many points as their contract value, they score all their points plus 10 points for winning. If they score less than their contract value, they lose their contract value and score nothing. Their opponents score all their points plus 10 points for winning. If both teams score the same number of points, the game is a draw and no one scores anything.
There are some special cases that can affect the scoring of the game. If the taker's team wins all eight tricks, they score a bonus of 250 points, called a capot. If the taker's team wins no tricks, they lose a penalty of 250 points, called a dedans. If a player thinks that their opponents cannot make their contract, they can double their bid by saying "coinche" before the first trick is played. If the opponents still make their contract, they score double their points. If they fail, they lose double their points. The taker's team can redouble the bid by saying "surcoinche" before the first trick is played. In that case, the points are quadrupled for either team.
Tips and Strategies for Belote
How to Bid Smartly
Bidding is an important part of belote, as it determines the trump suit and the contract value. Bidding smartly means knowing when to bid high or low, pass or coinche, based on your hand strength and your partner's support. Here are some tips and strategies for bidding smartly in belote.
Look at your cards and count how many points you have in each suit, as well as how many trumps you have. A good rule of thumb is to have at least three trumps and 15 points to bid for a trump suit, or at least four aces and 20 points to bid for no trump.
Consider the proposed trump suit and whether you want to accept it or not. If you have a strong hand in that suit, you can accept it and hope to score many points with your trumps and melds. If you have a weak hand in that suit, you can pass and hope that someone else will overbid or that the deal will be void.
If you want to bid for a different trump suit, no trump, or all trump, make sure that you have a better hand than the proposed trump suit. You don't want to overbid with a weak hand and risk losing your contract. You also want to bid for a suit that your partner can support, or that your opponents are weak in.
If you think that your opponents cannot make their contract, you can coinche their bid and try to make them lose double their points. However, be careful not to coinche too often or too early, as you might end up giving them more points if they make their contract. You also want to coinche only if you have a strong hand or if you know that your partner has a strong hand.
How to Play Effectively
Playing effectively means knowing when to lead or follow, attack or defend, trump or overtrump, based on your cards and your partner's cards. Here are some tips and strategies for playing effectively in belote.
Try to communicate with your partner and bluff your opponents with your card play. For example, if you lead a high card of a suit, you are signaling that you have more cards of that suit or that you want your partner to play a trump. If you play a low card of a suit, you are signaling that you have no more cards of that suit or that you want your partner to play a high card of that suit.
Try to win as many tricks as possible with your trumps and melds, but don't waste them unnecessarily. For example, if you have the jack and nine of trumps, don't play them both on the same trick unless you need to overtrump an opponent. Save them for later tricks where they can win more points.
Try to prevent your opponents from winning tricks with their trumps and melds, but don't sacrifice your own cards unnecessarily. For example, if your opponent leads a low card of a suit and you have the ace of that suit, don't play it unless you need to win the trick. Save it for later tricks where it can win more points.
Try to keep track of the cards that have been played and the cards that are left in the game. This will help you plan your strategy and anticipate your opponents' moves. For example, if you know that there are no more trumps left in the game, you can safely lead any suit without fear of being trumped.
Conclusion
Belote is a fun and challenging card game that can be enjoyed by anyone who likes card games. Belote requires both skill and luck, as well as cooperation and communication with your partner. Belote also has many variations that add more challenge and excitement to the game.If you want to learn more about belote, or try it for yourself, you can find many resources online or offline. You can read more articles and books about the rules and strategies of belote, watch videos and tutorials of belote games, or join online or offline clubs and communities of belote players. You can also play belote online or offline with your friends or with other players from around the world. You can find many websites and apps that offer free or paid belote games, with different modes and features. You can also buy a deck of cards and play belote at home or anywhere you like.
Belote is a game that can bring you joy and satisfaction, as well as challenge and improvement. Belote is a game that can make you think and feel, as well as bond and compete. Belote is a game that can be played by anyone, anywhere, anytime. Why not give it a try and see for yourself?
FAQs
What are some common variations of belote?
There are many variations of belote that change some aspects of the game, such as the number of players, the number of cards, the bidding system, the scoring system, or the special rules. Some of the most common variations are:
Belote contrée: A variation where the bidding is always competitive and the coinche and surcoinche are allowed.
Belote coinchée: A variation where the coinche and surcoinche are allowed only if the proposed trump suit is accepted.
Belote bridge: A variation where the bidding is similar to bridge, with four suits and no trump as possible bids.
Belote à la découverte: A variation where the players play with their cards face up on the table.
Belote avec annonces: A variation where the players can announce their melds before playing them, and score extra points for them.
Where can I play belote online or offline?
You can play belote online or offline with your friends or with other players from around the world. You can find many websites and apps that offer free or paid belote games, with different modes and features. Some of the most popular ones are:
VIP Belote: A website and app that offers classic belote, coinche, and contrée games, with chat, tournaments, leaderboards, and gifts.
Bazar Belote: A website and app that offers classic belote, coinche, contrée, bridge, and à la découverte games, with chat, tournaments, leaderboards, and gifts.
BELKA Games: A website and app that offers classic belote, coinche, contrée, bridge, à la découverte, and avec annonces games, with chat, tournaments, leaderboards, and gifts.
Belot.Fr: A website that offers classic belote, coinche, contrée, bridge, à la découverte, and avec annonces games, with chat, tournaments, leaderboards, and gifts.
You can also buy a deck of cards and play belote at home or anywhere you like. You can find many online or offline stores that sell belote cards, such as Amazon or Walmart.
What are some other card games similar to belote?
There are many other card games that are similar to belote in some ways, such as the number of players, the number of cards, the trick-and-meld mechanism , or the bidding system. Some of the most popular ones are:
Klaberjass: The ancestor of belote, a German-Dutch game that is played with a 32-card deck and has similar rules and scoring.
Briscola: An Italian game that is played with a 40-card deck and has similar rules but different ranking and scoring of cards.
Pinochle: An American game that is played with a 48-card deck and has similar rules but different ranking and scoring of cards and melds.
Bridge: A British game that is played with a 52-card deck and has similar bidding but different rules and scoring of tricks.
Spades: An American game that is played with a 52-card deck and has similar bidding but different rules and scoring of tricks.
These are just some of the many card games that are similar to belote in some ways. You can find more information about them online or offline, or try them for yourself and see which one you like best.
Thank you for reading this article about belote, a trick-and-meld card game with French flair. I hope you learned something new and interesting about this game, and that you are eager to try it for yourself. Belote is a game that can provide you with hours of fun and challenge, as well as social interaction and mental stimulation. Belote is a game that can be played by anyone, anywhere, anytime. Why not give it a try and see for yourself? 44f88ac181
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