Belote
Encyclopedia
Belote is a 32-card trick-taking game
played in France
, and is currently one of the most popular card game
s in that country
, Klaverjassen, a game played since at least the 17th century in the Netherlands
. Closely related games are played throughout the world, and its rules first published in 1921.
In Bulgarian
the official name is Bridge-Belote , in Greece
it is called Vida , in Cyprus
it is called Pilotta , in Quebec
the word was shortened to the first syllable and spelled bœuf, and in Croatian
a similar game with different rules exists, called Bela
. In Saudi Arabia
it is Baloot
. In Bulgaria
it is usually called Belot . In Macedonia
it is Belyot and it is especially played in Bitola region. Belot
in Armenia
, more commonly known as Bazaar Belote, is also a very popular game, and it is played in a slightly different way. It is also the number one card game in Saudi Arabia
; although, the rules in the Saudi version are very different from the rules generally played by in Europe.
Within the game's terminology, belote is used to designate a pair of a King
and a Queen
of a trump suit, possibly yielding the game's name itself.
A typical 32-card piquet
deck is used, 4 suits with 8 ranks, or {♠ ♥ ♦ ♣
} × {A
K
Q
J
10 9 8 7}, and is not shuffle
d between games. The game is played by four people, forming two teams: North-South and East-West, and playing in turn in counter-clockwise direction.One of best world players ever is a Bulgarian Nikola Trifonski, many times national champion, the youngest world champion with special achievements for development of this game.
by the player who precedes the dealer, except for the first dealing in a game when the dealer's partner does that. The first dealing in a game is done by the winners from the previous game. At least three cards must be cut.
The cards are dealt counter-clockwise starting from the dealer's successor (to his/her right), each player receives a packet of three cards, then another set of two. The rest of the cards remain temporarily face-down. If a contract is agreed upon, the remaining cards are dealt after the bidding — a group of three for each player.
Every player must either suggest a higher contract, or bid:
Usually two levels of doubling are allowed. In some areas of Bulgaria a third level is also used. It is called "сюр-контра" (Sur-Contre - derived from French; over-double), "чаршаф-контра" (bed sheet
-double) or "излез-контра" (go out-double) and the aim is to win the match in a game (26 MP x 8, see section Scoring below).
When doubling any contract, not only a bid in "all trumps", two levels are allowed. Some play it with a third level of doubling, which puts the whole match at stake.
The bidding phase is over when one of the following becomes true:
The first player in a round can play any card, but subsequent players must obey the following rules (the first one which applies is binding):
The winner of a trick starts the next trick. The last trick is a bit more significant, as its winner is awarded some points.
In Bulgarian bridge-belote the rank of the cards is different for trump and non-trump suits. The order is (from highest to lowest rank):
It is sufficient to specify the type of a declaration (one of the above), whereas the exact suit or ranks are not required. A card can participate in at most one declaration.
A belote is a "royal" pair of a King and a Queen of a trump suit. A belote is worth 20 points, and must be declared when the first of them is played (not necessarily during the first round).
In a "no trumps" contract declarations do not apply (four Aces may be considered as a carré of Jacks and worth 200 points, but no other bonuses are applied.)
Each card rank has a specific scoring value; for Jacks and Nines the value depends on whether the suit is trump or not. The winner of the last trick gets 10 points.
Declarations, including belotes, are added to the score. If the contract was no trumps, the result is multiplied by two. So is done for every double bid. If a team is committed to a contract and has less points, all points go to the enemy, and the losing team in Bulgarian Belote are said to be "вътре" (inside) similar to the French equivalent "être dedans".In a doubled contract, both teams are considered committed.
The result is divided by ten, rounded, and added up to the global score. The rounding is somewhat complicated as the sum of points is a multiple of ten only for a "No trumps" contract. It is 258 for "All trumps" and 162 for a suit contract. Therefore the rounding limit is 5 in a "No trumps" contract, 4 in an "All trumps", and 6 in a suit contract.
A special valat (or capot) premium of 9 match points exists for not leaving a single trick for the enemy. Note, that this does not lift off the enemy's points from declaration. Valats are doubled at no trumps. If there is a valat in a doubled contract, the winning team's points are not doubled.
In some parts of Bulgaria, the rules of the game include a kirtik, which is a special −10 match points penalty for not winning when committed or for being valat. The first team to reach 151 in the global score is the winner, but the game cannot end while a valat takes place.
During the first round each player must either pass or accept the card face up. Doing so will set the cards of the same suit than the face up card as trumps.
If every player passed, another round is made. The players can propose an other card suit as trumps, but must take the face up card.
As soon as a player has accepted the card, the remaining cards are dealt :
Generally, this means a team needs to score at least 82 as there are a total of 162 points in the game. However, bonus points won from Belote or declarations might be taken into account.
Trick-taking game
A trick-taking game is a card game or tile-based game in which play centers on a series of finite rounds or units of play, called tricks. The object of such games then may be closely tied to the number of tricks taken, as in plain-trick games such as Whist, Contract Bridge, Napoleon, Rowboat, and...
played in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and is currently one of the most popular card game
Card game
A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games...
s in that country
Klaverjas
Klaverjas, or Klaverjassen, is the Dutch name for a four player trick-taking card game using the piquet deck of playing cards. It is closely related to the Hungarian/Romanian card game klaberjass, also known as Kalabriasz, Klobiash, Clobiosh, and other similar spellings...
, Klaverjassen, a game played since at least the 17th century in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Closely related games are played throughout the world, and its rules first published in 1921.
In Bulgarian
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...
the official name is Bridge-Belote , in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
it is called Vida , in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
it is called Pilotta , in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
the word was shortened to the first syllable and spelled bœuf, and in Croatian
Croatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
a similar game with different rules exists, called Bela
Bela
Bela may refer to:Trick-taking card games* Klaberjass, popular in Jewish communities* Belot, popular in CroatiaPlaces* Bela, on the banks of river Satluj, district Rupar, Punjab, India*Bela, Ajdovščina, Slovenia*Bela, Kamnik, Slovenia*Bela, Nepal...
. In Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
it is Baloot
Baloot
Baloot , is a popular trick card game played in Saudi Arabia, which is similar to the French game Belote.-History of the game:The game is related to the French Belote. The similarity between the game rules strongly suggests that Baloot was originally Belote. It may have reached Saudi Arabia through...
. In Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
it is usually called Belot . In Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
it is Belyot and it is especially played in Bitola region. Belot
Belot
Belot also Bridge belot and Бридж-белот is the name of a French trick-taking card game very popular in Bulgaria, in some parts of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Macedonia , and in Saudi Arabia...
in Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
, more commonly known as Bazaar Belote, is also a very popular game, and it is played in a slightly different way. It is also the number one card game in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
; although, the rules in the Saudi version are very different from the rules generally played by in Europe.
Within the game's terminology, belote is used to designate a pair of a King
King (playing card)
The king is a playing card with a picture of a king on it. The usual rank of a king is as if it were a 13; that is, above the queen. In some games, the king is the highest-ranked card; in others, the ace is higher...
and a Queen
Queen (playing card)
The Queen is a playing card with a picture of a queen on it. The usual rank of a queen is as if it were 12 ....
of a trump suit, possibly yielding the game's name itself.
Rules
The game is played differently in different locations, but most versions share a considerable set of common rules. The rules below describe the Bulgarian version of this game.A typical 32-card piquet
Piquet
Piquet is an early 16th-century trick-taking card game for two players.- History :Piquet has long been regarded as one of the all-time great card games still being played. It was first mentioned on a written reference dating to 1535, in Gargantua and Pantagruel by Rabelais...
deck is used, 4 suits with 8 ranks, or {♠ ♥ ♦ ♣
Suit (cards)
In playing cards, a suit is one of several categories into which the cards of a deck are divided. Most often, each card bears one of several symbols showing to which suit it belongs; the suit may alternatively or in addition be indicated by the color printed on the card...
} × {A
Ace
An ace is a playing card. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the case of the Ace of Spades...
K
King (playing card)
The king is a playing card with a picture of a king on it. The usual rank of a king is as if it were a 13; that is, above the queen. In some games, the king is the highest-ranked card; in others, the ace is higher...
Q
Queen (playing card)
The Queen is a playing card with a picture of a queen on it. The usual rank of a queen is as if it were 12 ....
J
Jack (playing card)
A Jack, also Knave, is a playing card with a picture of a man on it. The usual rank of a jack, within its suit, is as if it were an 11 ....
10 9 8 7}, and is not shuffle
Shuffle
Shuffling is a procedure used to randomize a deck of playing cards to provide an element of chance in card games. Shuffling is often followed by a cut, to help ensure that the shuffler has not manipulated the outcome.-Shuffling techniques:...
d between games. The game is played by four people, forming two teams: North-South and East-West, and playing in turn in counter-clockwise direction.One of best world players ever is a Bulgarian Nikola Trifonski, many times national champion, the youngest world champion with special achievements for development of this game.
Dealing
The deck is never shuffled, but rather cutCut (cards)
After a deck of cards is shuffled by the dealer, it is often given to a player other than the one who performed the shuffle for a procedure called a cut.- Procedure :...
by the player who precedes the dealer, except for the first dealing in a game when the dealer's partner does that. The first dealing in a game is done by the winners from the previous game. At least three cards must be cut.
The cards are dealt counter-clockwise starting from the dealer's successor (to his/her right), each player receives a packet of three cards, then another set of two. The rest of the cards remain temporarily face-down. If a contract is agreed upon, the remaining cards are dealt after the bidding — a group of three for each player.
Bidding
The possible contracts are (from lowest to highest):- Clubs ♣
- Diamonds ♦
- Hearts ♥
- Spades ♠
- "No trumps"
- "All trumps"
Every player must either suggest a higher contract, or bid:
- Pass
- Double (Coinchée, or Contré), if the current highest contract was not bid by the partner
- Re-double (Re-contra), if the other team have doubled bidder's or bidder partner's contract.
Usually two levels of doubling are allowed. In some areas of Bulgaria a third level is also used. It is called "сюр-контра" (Sur-Contre - derived from French; over-double), "чаршаф-контра" (bed sheet
Bed sheet
A bed sheet is a piece of cloth used to cover a mattress. It is this sheet that one typically lies on.In many areas of the world, a second flat bed sheet is laid on top of the sheet covering the mattress. This is known as a "top sheet" and when a top sheet is used, the sheet covering the mattress...
-double) or "излез-контра" (go out-double) and the aim is to win the match in a game (26 MP x 8, see section Scoring below).
When doubling any contract, not only a bid in "all trumps", two levels are allowed. Some play it with a third level of doubling, which puts the whole match at stake.
The bidding phase is over when one of the following becomes true:
- Four passes were announced
- Three passes were announced after a contract was suggested
- An "all trumps" contract is re-doubled
Play
The play consists of eight tricks, the first one being started by the dealer's successor.The first player in a round can play any card, but subsequent players must obey the following rules (the first one which applies is binding):
- The dominant suit must be followed.
- If the dominant suit is a trump suit, a higher-ranking card must be played.
- If following is impossible, then a trump must be played. Overtrumping is obligatory, except when the current trick winner is the partner. In Bulgaria this is called "да минеш метър."
The winner of a trick starts the next trick. The last trick is a bit more significant, as its winner is awarded some points.
In Bulgarian bridge-belote the rank of the cards is different for trump and non-trump suits. The order is (from highest to lowest rank):
- In a trump suit: "J 9 A 10 K Q 8 7"
- In a non-trump suit: "A 10 K Q J 9 8 7"
Declarations
Declarations must be announced during the first trick:- A tierce — a sequence of three (sequences are in the "A K Q J 10 9 8 7" order of the same suit) — is worth 20 points
- A quarte — a sequence of four — is worth 50 points.
- A quint — a sequence of five - is worth 100 points (longer sequences are not awarded, a sequence of eight is counted as a quint plus a tierce)
- A carré of Jacks is worth 200 points.
- A carré of Nines is worth 150 points.
- A carré of Aces, Kings, Queens, or Tens is worth 100 points. (Sevens and Eights are not awarded.)
It is sufficient to specify the type of a declaration (one of the above), whereas the exact suit or ranks are not required. A card can participate in at most one declaration.
A belote is a "royal" pair of a King and a Queen of a trump suit. A belote is worth 20 points, and must be declared when the first of them is played (not necessarily during the first round).
In a "no trumps" contract declarations do not apply (four Aces may be considered as a carré of Jacks and worth 200 points, but no other bonuses are applied.)
Scoring
| Plain suit rank | A | 10 | K | Q | J | 9 | 8 | 7 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | 20 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trump suit rank | J | 9 | A | 10 | K | Q | 8 | 7 |
Each card rank has a specific scoring value; for Jacks and Nines the value depends on whether the suit is trump or not. The winner of the last trick gets 10 points.
Declarations, including belotes, are added to the score. If the contract was no trumps, the result is multiplied by two. So is done for every double bid. If a team is committed to a contract and has less points, all points go to the enemy, and the losing team in Bulgarian Belote are said to be "вътре" (inside) similar to the French equivalent "être dedans".In a doubled contract, both teams are considered committed.
The result is divided by ten, rounded, and added up to the global score. The rounding is somewhat complicated as the sum of points is a multiple of ten only for a "No trumps" contract. It is 258 for "All trumps" and 162 for a suit contract. Therefore the rounding limit is 5 in a "No trumps" contract, 4 in an "All trumps", and 6 in a suit contract.
- A score below the limit is rounded down. Example: 35 points in a suit contract yields 3 match points;
- A score above the limit is rounded up. Example: 125 points in an "All trumps" contract yields 13 MPs; 54 points in a "No trumps" contract yelds 11MPs;
- When both teams have scores at the rounding limit, the lower score is rounded up and the higher score is rounded down. Example: if in an "All trumps" contract with two tierces the declarer have got 154 points and the defenders have got 144 points, both teams will get 15 MPs and it would be a narrow escape.
- When both teams have equal scores at the end of the round, the points are "hanging". What happens in this case is the following: the committed team doesn't add those points to their score, while the other team do. The remaining points (those that were not added by the committed team) "hang" over to the next round and they are given to the team that wins.
A special valat (or capot) premium of 9 match points exists for not leaving a single trick for the enemy. Note, that this does not lift off the enemy's points from declaration. Valats are doubled at no trumps. If there is a valat in a doubled contract, the winning team's points are not doubled.
In some parts of Bulgaria, the rules of the game include a kirtik, which is a special −10 match points penalty for not winning when committed or for being valat. The first team to reach 151 in the global score is the winner, but the game cannot end while a valat takes place.
French Rules
This part describes the main differences between the classic French rules and the ones above.Dealing
After the four players receive the first five cards, the remaining cards are left face down except the card on the top, which is turned face up.Bidding
The biddings are made in two rounds.During the first round each player must either pass or accept the card face up. Doing so will set the cards of the same suit than the face up card as trumps.
If every player passed, another round is made. The players can propose an other card suit as trumps, but must take the face up card.
As soon as a player has accepted the card, the remaining cards are dealt :
- 2 cards for the player who took th card
- 3 cards for the 3 other players
Scoring
To score the points for a game, the team of the player who accepted the face up card must score more than the other team. Otherwise, the other team wins all the points.Generally, this means a team needs to score at least 82 as there are a total of 162 points in the game. However, bonus points won from Belote or declarations might be taken into account.
See also
- BalootBalootBaloot , is a popular trick card game played in Saudi Arabia, which is similar to the French game Belote.-History of the game:The game is related to the French Belote. The similarity between the game rules strongly suggests that Baloot was originally Belote. It may have reached Saudi Arabia through...
- Clobyosh
- ClabberClabberClabber is a four player trick-taking card game that is played in Southwestern Indiana, near Evansville, IN. Clabber is a member of the Jack-Nine family of card games that are popular in Europe. The game is a four player variation of Klaberjass, which was brought to the area by 19th century...
- ManilleManilleManille is a French trick-taking card game which uses a 32 card deck. It spread to the rest of France in the early 20th century, but was subsequently checked and reversed by the expansion of Belote...
- MarjoletMarjoletMarjolet is a French 6-card trick-and-draw game for two players using a 32-card piquet pack. It is of the King–Queen type, related to Bezique and Pinochle.-Rules:...
- PilottaPilottaPilotta is a trick-taking 32-card game whose origin probably goes back to the Frankish occupation of the Greek lands after 1204. The game is broadly similar to Contract Bridge and closely related to the French game Belote...
- PreferansPreferansPreferans is an Eastern European 10-card plain-trick game with bidding, played by three players with a 32-card Piquet deck. It is a sophisticated variant of the Austrian game Préférence, which in turn descends from Spanish Ombre and French Boston....
- Twenty-eightTwenty-eight (card game)This is one of a group of Indian trick-taking card games in which the Jack and the Nine are the highest cards in every suit.-Players and cards:28 is usually played by four players in fixed partnerships, partners facing each other. 32 cards from a standard 52-card pack are used for play. There are...
- TarabishTarabishTarabish, also known by its slang term Bish, is a Lebanese trick-taking card game of complex rules derived from Belote, a game of the Jass family. The actual pronunciation of the name is "tar-bish", even though it can be spelled "tarabish"....
External links
- Belote online at Belote Royale.com
- Belote Play belote : The French card game