Belote: play the French card game free online, tips and FAQ

What is Belote?

32 cards, two teams: you and Buffer against Zip and Skip. Take the turned suit or name another as trump, win more than 81 of the 162 points, and reach 501 first. Belote-Rebelote is the only announcement and there's no capot bonus.

Belote is France's great café card game: 32 cards, two teams of two, and a trump suit where the Jack and the 9 suddenly become the strongest cards. Each deal is a short, sharp fight over 162 points.

Belote is closely related to the Dutch game Klaverjas and spread in France in the first half of the 20th century. Today many players search for it alongside its bidding variant, Belote contrée or coinche, where teams bid a points target instead of simply taking a suit. Close cousins are played in Bulgaria (Belot), Armenia (Bazaar Blot) and Saudi Arabia (Baloot), and the Swiss game Jass shares its trump order.

On SkillXGames you play with Buffer against Zip and Skip, with the classic deal: 3 then 2 cards, a turned card, two rounds to take a trump, then the rest of the cards. Follow-suit and overtrumping rules are enforced, Belote-Rebelote is counted for you, and the match runs to 501 instead of 1,000. Other announcements, like tierce and carré, and the capot bonus are left out.

At a glance

Category

Card Room

Difficulty

Medium

Play time

15–25 min

Price

Free, in your browser, sign-up optional

How to play

Take a trump

5 cards each and one turned up. Round 1: take its suit or pass. Round 2: name another suit or pass. The taker gets the turned card.

Trump order

In trumps the Jack (20) and the 9 (14) beat the Ace (11) and the 10. In other suits: Ace, 10, King, Queen, Jack, 9, 8, 7.

Follow and trump

Follow suit. Void? You must trump, higher than any trump on the table if you can, unless your partner is already winning.

Score

Last trick +10, King and Queen of trumps +20. Takers need more than 81 of 162, or they're dedans: the defenders score 162.

Scoring

Takers with more than 81 of the 162 points score their points and the defenders theirs; otherwise the takers are dedans and the defenders score 162. Belote-Rebelote adds 20.

First team to 501 wins. Your table score is your team's total, plus 200 if you and Buffer win.

What it trains

Counting

Keeping a running total of points toward 82.

Trump play

Knowing when to trump, overtrump or let your partner win.

Teamwork

Loading your partner's tricks and reading their play.

Strategy and tips

Take with the Jack or the 9

A good taking hand usually holds the Jack or 9 of trumps, at least three trumps and an outside Ace. One big trump alone rarely reaches 82.

Pull trumps as taker

With the Jack, lead trumps early to strip the defenders, then cash your side Aces before anyone can trump them.

Cash Aces before voids appear

Outside trumps, the Ace and 10 of a suit are worth 21 points together. Play a side Ace early, before an opponent runs out of the suit and trumps it.

Guard your 10s

A 10 without its Ace is easy prey: if you lead that suit, the Ace takes it. Wait for the Ace to fall, or for your partner to lead the suit.

Load your partner's tricks

When you can't follow and Buffer is already winning, you're free to discard: drop a 10 or a King on the trick, not a 7.

Keep a winner for the last trick

The last trick is worth 10 extra points, the dix de der. When the count is close, save a sure winner for trick eight.

Defend toward 82

The takers need 82 or more; at 81 they're dedans and you score all 162. As a defender, a single 10 can swing the whole deal.

Why play Belote?

Belote trains counting: card points, trumps, and the running total toward 82. Every deal asks you to keep a few numbers in your head while you read your partner's play.

It's a team game through and through. Knowing when to trump, when to load a partner's trick and when to hold back is a quiet conversation across the table, and it's why Belote fills French cafés.

Frequently asked questions