How to Play Belote
France's national card game — bid, trump, and Coinché.
Belote is France's most beloved card game and a staple across much of Europe and the Middle East. Its defining features — the Jack and Nine becoming the two highest trumps, the Belote-Rebelote bonus, and the contract bidding system — give it a unique feel unlike any other trick-taker.
🎮 Ways to Play Belote
Create a Belote Table
Create your own Belote table in seconds — choose the seats, share the invite code, and fill empty spots with AI opponents.
Join a Belote Table by Invite
Enter a friend's invite code and take your seat at their Belote table — no strangers, just your crew.
Play Belote Against the Computer
Practice Belote against smart AI opponents with multiple difficulty levels — the perfect way to learn the game or test new strategies.
Play Belote Offline
No connection? No problem. Play Belote offline against computer opponents, anywhere you are.
🎯 Objective
Fulfill your team's contract bid by scoring at least that many card points combined with any declarations. First team to 501 points wins.
🃏 Belote Setup & Rules
- Uses a 32-card deck (7 through Ace — remove 2s–6s). Four players in 2 partnerships.
- Deal 8 cards each (3–2–3 pattern).
▶ How to Play Belote
- BIDDING: Starting left of dealer, each player bids a point value (min 80, steps of 10) naming a trump suit, calls Coinché (double), or passes. Highest bid names the contract.
- TRUMP CARD RANKING (high→low): J(20) → 9(14) → A(11) → 10(10) → K(4) → Q(3) → 8, 7 (0).
- NON-TRUMP RANKING: A(11) → 10(10) → K(4) → Q(3) → J(2) → 9, 8, 7 (0).
- BELOTE-REBELOTE: hold K AND Q of trump → announce "Belote" when playing first, "Rebelote" second, = 20 bonus pts.
- If the bidding team fails their contract: they score 0, opponents score all 162 card points.
🎬 Watch: How to Play Belote
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📖 Detailed Guide
Setting up your table
- Belote is 4 players in two partnerships using a 32-card deck (7 through Ace). First team to 501 points wins the match.
- Eight cards are dealt to each player in a 3–2–3 pattern.
- Before bidding, burn these two rankings into memory — they're what makes Belote Belote: in TRUMP, J (20) > 9 (14) > A (11) > 10 (10) > K (4) > Q (3) > 8 > 7; in the other suits, A (11) > 10 (10) > K (4) > Q (3) > J (2) > 9 > 8 > 7.
Bidding a contract
- Starting left of the dealer, each player either bids — a point value (80 minimum, rising in steps of 10) plus a trump suit — or passes.
- Your bid is a promise: "my team will score at least this many of the 162 card points with this suit as trump."
- Holding the trump Jack is worth roughly a bid of 80 by itself; Jack + 9 of the same suit is a monster.
- Opponents confident you'll fail can call COINCHÉ (double the contract); your side can answer SURCOINCHÉ (quadruple). The highest bid sets the contract and play begins.
Trick play
- The player left of the dealer leads. You must follow the led suit if you can.
- Void in the led suit? You must TRUMP if you can. And if a trump is already winning the trick, you must OVERTRUMP if able — Belote's follow rules are strict, and the app enforces them.
- Exception: if your partner is currently winning the trick, you're free to discard instead of trumping.
- Highest trump wins the trick, or the highest card of the led suit if no trump appears. The winner leads next.
Belote-Rebelote and scoring
- Hold both the King AND Queen of trump? Announce "Belote" when you play the first and "Rebelote" on the second — a guaranteed 20-point bonus that even counts toward a failed contract.
- The last trick is worth 10 bonus points ("dix de der"), bringing each hand's total to 162.
- Contract made: both teams keep the points they captured (plus declarations). Contract failed: the bidding team scores 0 and the defenders take all 162 plus declarations.
- A coinché contract doubles the stakes, surcoinché quadruples. Hands repeat until a team passes 501.
📊 Belote Scoring
Card points total 162 (including 10 for last trick). Declarations add on top. Coinché doubles, Surcoinché quadruples. First team to 501 wins.
❓ Belote — Frequently Asked Questions
How many players do you need for Belote?
Belote is played with 4 players. On Vanikar, empty seats can be filled with AI opponents so you can always start a game.
Can I play Belote against the computer?
Yes — play Belote against smart AI opponents with multiple difficulty levels. It's the perfect way to learn the game or sharpen your strategy.
Can I play Belote online with friends?
Yes. Create a private table in the Vanikar app and invite friends and family to play Belote together online, wherever they are.
Can I play Belote offline?
Yes — Belote supports offline play against computer opponents, so you can play without an internet connection.
Is Belote free to play?
Yes — download the Vanikar Card Games app on iOS or Android and play Belote free for 2 weeks, no credit card required.
📱 Belote in the app
A step-by-step look at a real game on the table.
