In order to play, you need 4 players, organized into 2 teams of 2, as well as 100 chips to start the game.
The first team to reach 500 points wins.
There are 2 kinds of suits in Belote: the Trump and the regular. The Trump cards’ values and order are different from that of the regular suits.
- Trump suit: Jack (20 pts), 9 (14 pts), Ace (11 pts), 10 (10 pts), King (4 pts), Queen (3 pts), 8 and 7.
- Regular suits: Ace (11 pts), 10 (10 pts), King (4 pts), Queen (3 pts), Jack (2 pts), 9, 8 and 7.
Each game is comprised of several rounds, and each round of 2 parts: The “Take or Pass” and the trick.
The “Take or Pass”
The trump suit is defined by the player who decides to take the card in the center, either by choosing this card in the first round or by selecting from the 3 other suits in the second round (which only happens if all players decide to pass).
Advice: It is recommended that you pass the card if you do not possess any of the 3 master cards of the trump suit in your hand: the Jack, the 9 or the Ace.
The team who picks the trump suit must score at least 82 points to win the round.
The Trick
Once the trump suit is decided, the game can start. Each player will put a card down in turn, and must either follow suit if possible or use a trump card. A trick is won by the highest trump or card of the suit led. The winner of a trick leads the next trick.
Note that:
- If the player has neither a card of the suit played nor a trump, they can play any card of their choice regardless of suit.
- With the trump, players must place a higher card if possible, except if their team-mate is currently winning the trick.
- When your team-mate is winning the trick, you can also place down any card (except if the suit played is the trump).