How to Play Belote

Belote is a partnership, four player, trick taking card game which is highly popular in France. While it is considered the National card game of France, it is also commonly played in other areas such as Armenia, Greece, Croatia and Bulgaria.

There are a number of common methods of play of this game, but the traditional French rules will be described first. For other variants, please see the Optional Rules and Variations section further below.

Traditional Belote is designed to be played by four players, in two partnerships. The game uses the 32 card Piquet deck. This deck can be formed from a standard 52 card deck by removing all other cards from this standard deck save the cards of rank Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, and 7. The ranking of the cards as used in this game can be a bit unusual, particularly that of the trump suit. This ranking will be described shortly.

Initial deal example in Belote

Before start of play, the partnerships should be determined (if this has not already been decided). A common way to perform this task is for each of the four players to draw a card from the shuffled, face-down deck. The players drawing the two highest cards would play as partners against the players drawing the two lowest cards. Each player should be seated directly across from his partner and will thus be flanked by an opponent at each side. The player who drew the lowest card of all in this draw would also be set as the first dealer. After each hand the role of dealer rotates around the table in a counter-clockwise direction.

After the partnerships are decided and the first dealer decided, the dealer's partner should thoroughly shuffle the deck to be used for the game. After the first hand, the role of dealer rotates around the table in a counter-clockwise direction, from player to player. One thing to note in this game is that, after the first hand, the deck is never shuffled. After each hand, the cards are all simply gathered in the center of the table, cut by the player at the new dealer's left and dealt by the new dealer.

In the deal, the dealer first deals each player an initial packet of three face down cards, starting with the player to his right and moving in a counter-clockwise direction, and then a two card face-down packet. He then places the remainder of the deck in the center of the table. He then turns over the top card of the deck to designate the possible trump suit for the hand.

After this card is turned up, bidding begins. Starting with the player to the dealer's immediate left, each player in a counter-clockwise direction around the table has the option to "Take" this trump suit. This indicates his acceptance of this suit as the trump suit for the hand, and indicates that this player and his partner intend to earn the majority of points during the hand. However, if all four players Pass (not "Taking" the exposed trump suit), another round of bidding then occurs, again starting with the player at the dealer's immediate right and again continuing in a counter-clockwise direction around the table. Each player in turn, then has the option to name a trump suit of his choice or again Pass. The same suit as the exposed card may not be named as this trump suit however. Once a player names a trump suit, that suit is set as the trump suit and the player who named that trump suit and his partner are then obligated to win the majority of points during the hand. If all four players again pass, all the cards are thrown in, no score is awarded for the hand, and the next dealer in turn deals the next hand.

Once a trump suit has been determined (either by a player "Taking" the initial trump suit on the first round of bidding, or naming a different suit on the second round of bidding), the player who has determined the trump suit then takes the exposed trump suit into his hand. The dealer then takes the remainder of the deck back into hand and deals three more cards to each player except for the player who selected the trump suit who receives only two.

After the cards have been distributed, each player should then a total of eight cards in hand. The player to the immediate right of the dealer leads the first card to the first trick. During this first trick, as each player plays his own card to the trick, he is entitled to also make a declaration (but is not required to). A declaration is a special combination of cards that is worth a certain number of points. A player would normally declare or announce his highest ranking such declaration in his hand. However, in order to reduce the amount of information provided to the other players, he would only give the general category of the declaration at this time and not the specific cards making up the ranking. The following chart shows the various declarations that can be made, as well as the potential scoring value and it's relative ranking to other declarations.

Ranking	Declaration Name	Description	Scoring Value
1	Carré (Square) - Jacks	Four Jacks	200 Points
2	Carré (Square) - Nines	Four Nines	150 Points
3	Carré (Square) - Aces	Four Aces	100 Points
3	Carré (Square) - Tens	Four Tens	100 Points
3	Carré (Square) - Kings	Four Kings	100 Points
3	Carré (Square) - Queens	Four Queens	100 Points
4	Quinte (Sequence)	Five or more cards in direct sequential order, all of the same suit	100
5	Quarte	Four cards in direct sequential order, all of the same suit	50
6	Tierce	Three cards in direct sequential order, all of the same suit	20

If multiple players declare a highest sequence of the same ranking (as from the chart), these Declarations can be further ranked to determine which is the highest. Of two equally ranked sequence, the sequence containing the highest ranked card is considered the higher. If multiple sequences tie for the highest ranked card, a sequence in the trump suit is considered higher than a sequence in a non-trump suit (plain suit). If none of the sequences are in the trump suit, amongst equal sequences, the sequence held by the player closest to the dealer in rotation at the table is considered the highest. The ranking of the cards, specifically for purposes of sequences is as follows: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7. In the case of two equally ranked sequence declarations, the first player to have so announced his sequence would then state the highest card in his sequence. If the other player announcing a similarly ranked sequence has his top card in the sequence of higher rank he would state his higher card, or if his highest card in that sequence is not of a higher rank, he would declare "Good". Any specific card may never be used to score for two different declarations.

Nonetheless, the player holding the highest ranking Declaration is entitled to add the Scoring Value for this declaration and any other he and his partner might have to their total score for this hand, while the opposing team, may not add any points for any such declarations to their own total during this hand.

In addition to these declarations, bonus points may also be earned by a team for a combination known as a Belote. A Belote is having both the King and Queen of the trump suit in the same players hand. The score for the Belote is not earned until the player has played these two cards to different tricks. When playing the first card of the Belote, the player must announce Belote, and when playing the second card to a later trick, he must announce "Rebolote". Upon the Rebolote announcement, his team scores 20 points for the hand. A Belote may be scored by either team, regardless of whether that team had the higher declaration.

As mentioned previously the card ranking is different for a suit based on whether that suit is the trump suit or not. Thus, the following shows the ranking of the cards (from high to low) for both the current trump suit and for the plain suits:

In the Trump suit:
In all other suits:

Play of the Hand:
The play of the hand consists of 8 tricks, with the first trick begun by the player to the dealer's immediate right. Each player in a counter-clockwise then plays one card of his own to the trick. There are several rules regarding allowable cards which can be played to a specific trick:

If the leader to the trick leads a card of the trump suit, each other player must also play a card of the trump suit, and, if able must play a higher card of the trump suit if they have one.
If the leader to the trick leads a card not of the trump suit, each of the other players, if they have a card of that same suit, they must play that card. However, they are not under the obligation to play higher card of that suit.
If the leader to the trick leads a card not of the trump suit and another player does not have a card of that suit, but does have one or more cards of the trump suit, and a member of the opposing team is currently winning the trick (but not with a card from the trump suit), he must play a card of the trump suit in order to attempt to win the trick. If an opponent is not winning the trick, or the player has no cards of the trump suit, he may play any card of his choice to the trick.
If the leader to the trick leads a card not of the trump suit, and a player does not have a card of that suit, and an opponent is currently winning the trick due to play of a card in the trump suit, the current player must play a higher card of the trump suit to the trick if he has one. If he does not have a higher trump card, but does have a lower card in the trump suit, he must play that instead (called under trumping). If he has no cards of the trump suit, he may play any card of his choice from his hand.
If the leader to the trick leads a card not of the trump suit, and a player does not have a card of that suit, and that player's partner is currently winning the trick, the player may play any card of his choice from his hand (trump or not).
If the leader to the trick leads a card not of the trump suit, and a player does not have any cards of that suit or any cards of the trump suit, he may play any card of choice from his hand.

After each player has played one card in turn, to the trick, the trick is examine to determine which player has won the trick. The highest card of the trump suit played to the trick wins the trick. If no card of the trump suit was thus played to the trick, the highest card of the suit original led to that trick wins the trick. The cards in the trick should be gather by one member of the team winning it and set aside, for determining any points awarded at the completion of the hand. The winner of each trick leads the first card to the next trick.

The team to win the last trick of the hand earns a bonus of 10 points for doing so.

After all tricks have been played and won, the tricks won by both partnerships are examine to determine the scoring. Many of the cards which are captured in tricks will earn a score for the team capturing it. The following charts shows the value of the cards as found in the deck used for this game:

Card	Point Value of Card in Trump Suit	Point Value of Card not in Trump Suit
Jack	20	2
Nine	14	0
Ace	11	11
Ten	10	10
King	4	4
Queen	3	3
Eight, Seven	0	0

Scoring: Both teams then total all the scores earned during the hand for Declarations, captured cards in tricks, Belote, and last trick. If the team who determined the trump suit managed to earn more points than the opposing team or an amount exactly equal to the points earned by the opposing team for the hand, both teams earn a number of game points equal to the total number of points earned during the hand. However, if the team who set the trump suit for the hand scores less than the opposing team, the team setting trump earns no game points for the hand, while the opposing team scores 162 points, plus the total of declarations for both teams.

In addition, if the team who set the trump suit managed to win all 8 tricks during the hand (called Capot), they win an additional 90 game point bonus (for a total of 100 when added to the bonus for last trick). If the team which set trump wins no tricks during the hand, the opposing team wins all 252 points from the hand as well as the declaration points from both teams.

The first team, at the end of a hand to reach 1000 Game Points is declared the winner. If both teams reach 1000 points on the same hand, the game ends in a draw.

Variations and Optional Rules

No Declarations: Some players, particularly in tournament settings, prefer to remove the declaring and scoring for declarations from the game. Thus, the game is played without the use of declarations. The Belote, however, can still be scored by either team.

Card Order: Another optional rule which is sometimes enforced is that, in order for a Belote to be scored by a player having both the King and Queen of the trump suit, the King must be played to a trick prior to the Queen being played to another trick. If the Queen were played first, the Belote cannot be scored.

Bidding Belote: While the rules provided above are the classic and traditional version of Belote usually played in playing the game, a newer set of rules is sometimes used, with the main differences being in how the trump suit is determined.

Determination of partners and first dealer are exactly as described in the standard version, above. The deal is also similar. After each player has five initial cards, the dealer places the remainder of the deck in the center of the table. However, in this variant, he does not expose a card from this deck to help determine the trump suit. Instead, this version features players bidding for that right.

Allowable bids in Bidding Belote

Starting with the player to the dealer's immediate right, each player may state a legal bid or Pass. The following are all the legal bids, shown from lowest to highest.

Clubs:
Diamonds:
Hearts:
Spades:
No Trumps:
All Trumps:

Each player in turn must either bid a higher valued contract or pass. If a player passes he is still permitted to re-enter the bidding later if preferred. However, if the current high bid is by a member of the opposing team, a player may also call Double which, if the bid stands will result in scores doubled for the hand. If a member of the opposing team has doubled the current contract, a player may also elect to redouble the contract which will again double the scores earned during the hand. If a member of the opposing team has already redoubled, a player may call Match, which is a bid to play the hand in which the entire game is won or lost based on the outcome of this hand. The bidding continues in a clockwise direction around the table until three players pass after a previous high bid (or doubling call). If all four players initially pass and no bid is made the cards are thrown in and a new hand is dealt by the next dealer in turn.

The team consisting of the player who made the highest contract bid is then considered the contract maker for the hand and will attempt to win the majority of points during the hand. After the bidding has completed, the dealer deals three more cards to each player to complete each player's hand to 8 total cards.

During the first trick, each player must announce his declarations. The declarations and scoring values are the same as in the standard game, however in this variant both teams are entitled to score for all declarations in team members hands. Players must announce these declarations, however in order to score for them, but the player need not indicate the specific ranks of cards in the declaration. One other difference is that if the winning high bid is a "No Trumps" contract, the only declaration that earns any points is a Carré of Aces which is worth 200 points.

As in the standard variant, a player who has both the King and Queen of the trump suit scores 20 points for his team for the Belote. However, he must announce the Belote when he plays the first of these two cards to a trick. Also similar to the standard game, the team who wins the last trick of the hand earns 10 points for doing so.

The player to the immediate right of the dealer leads the first card to the first trick. Trick play is similar to the standard game, but slightly less stringent in requirements as regarding trumping a trick.

If a card of the trump suit is led to a trick each subsequent player must play a higher card of the trump suit to the trick if he has one, unless his partner is currently winning the trick (having played the highest card currently found in the trick). If he has no cards of the trump suit he may play any other card from his hand. If the card led to the trick is not of the trump suit, each subsequent player must play a card of that suit if he has one. If he does not have one, he must play a card of the trump suit if he has one, but is not required to play a higher trump card than others currently played to that same trick). If he has neither a card of the suit originally led to the trick or of the trump suit, he may play any card from his hand to the trick.

The ranking of the cards is the same as in the standard variant of the game described above. Each trick is won by the player of the highest trump card to the trick. If no trump card has been played to the trick, it is won by the player of the highest card of the suit originally led to that trick. The winner of each trick leads the first card to the next trick.

After all tricks have been played and won by the teams, the tricks won by each team are examined for calculating the score for the hand. The point values of the cards as captured in tricks is the same as in the standard game.

Scoring: After the hand has completed, the total scores are then compiled for each team. This score consists of all the cards captured in tricks by a team, all declarations by the team (including Belote) and winning the last trick. There are also a few other modifiers that can adjust the score, as follows:

If the final high bid was Doubled during the bidding, all scores are doubled for both teams during the hand. If the score was redoubled, all scores are quadrupled for the hand for both teams. Note that if Match was called on the final high bid, the team who earns more points during the hand automatically wins the game, regardless of the current game point scores of either team.
If the contract was played at no trump, the scores for both sides is also doubled.

If the team who made the contract scores more points than the opposing team, they win the hand, and both teams will win a number of Match or Game points based on the final score for the team. However, if the team who decided the Trump suit for the hand earns less points than the opposing team, the opposing team earns the total scores from both teams. If both teams score exactly the same number of points for the hand, the opponents of the team who set the trump suit during the hand score all points earned during the hand but the team who set the trump suit score no points. However, in this specific case, 85 points are added to the winner of the next hand. If the score was doubled or redoubled, however, only the team scoring the higher number of points earned during the hand is entitled to score for the hand. Points earned during the hand are translated to an ongoing total of Match points using the following formula:

The total score earned during the hand is calculated (with all doubles and other modifiers as needed) and this total is divided by 10 and the result is rounded. Whether the number is rounded up or down is dependent on the type of contract. For a contract in which a trump suit was selected, any remainder of 6 or less is rounded down and anything higher is rounded up. For a No Trumps contract, a remainder of 5 or less is rounded down and higher is rounded up. For an All Trumps contract, remainders of 4 or less are rounded down and anything higher is rounded up. The final result is added to the accumulated sum of Match Points for that team. If a team manages to win every trick during the hand, that team earns 9 Match Points for the feat. That is in addition to any other points earned by either team during the hand.

The first team to earn 151 Match points over the course of several hands is declared the winner of the game.

La Coinche: La Coinche (or Belot Coinche) is played very similarly to Bidding Belote, with a few minor differences, particularly in the bidding.

Determination of partners and first dealer are the same as in the standard or Bidding version of Belote. The entire deck is dealt out before the bidding begins. The main different in this variant is in the bidding. Bidding starts with the player to the immediate right of the dealer and proceeds in a counter-clockwise direction around the table. In this variant, a players bid consists of both a suit and a number of points (i.e. 150 - Spades). The lowest minimum bid is 80 and each bid must name a higher number of points than the previous high bid by 10 points. In addition to suited bids, a player can also opt to make a bid in No Trumps, All Trumps or Capot. A No Trumps bid is a bid to play the hand with no trump suit and a bid of All Trumps is a bid also indicating that no trump suit will be used during the hand, however every suit uses the ranking of the trump suit (i.e. Jack, 9, Ace, 10, King, Queen, 8, 7), and the card points are also scored for each card as if that card was of a trump suit. A capot bid is the only bid that does not also include a point total and is considered the highest bid in the game. This is a bid to win every trick during the hand.

Once a high bid is followed by three consecutive passes, that high bid becomes the contract for the hand. Similar to Bidding Belote, a player can, on his turn opt to double the score by stating coincher. This does not change the bid but causes all scores to be doubled if that bid becomes the highest bid for the hand. In addition, the original high bidding team can double a coincher called by the opponents by calling recoincher, which causes all scores during the hand to be doubled again (quadrupled). If any bid is recoinchered, that bid becomes the winning bid and play can begin.

A Belote can be scored in La Coinche

Declarations are not announced or scored in La coinche but a Belote can still be announced and scored by a player if he has both the King and Queen of the declared trump suit for the hand. As in the other variations of Belote, the last trick earns 10 points for the team who wins it. Play of the hand is identical to that in Bidding Belote, with the same requirements as regarding when a player must trump or attempt to win the trick.

After all tricks have been played and won the teams calculate the scores earned during the hand, which includes the scores for cards captured during the hand, last trick and a potential Belote. The point value for each card in the deck is as in the standard variant of Belote. If the high bidder's team is able to win at least as many points as in their high bid, they are said to win the hand. If the high bid was 80, the team must earn at least 82 points to win the hand, however. If the high bidding team does manage to fulfill the high bid, they earn a number of game points equal to the number of points earned during the hand as well as the amount of that teams bid on the hand. Meanwhile the opposing team earns game points equal to the number of points they were able to earn during the hand. However, if the high bidder team does not manage to earn at least as many points as bid during they hand, they earn no points during the hand (except the 20 point bonus for Belote, if they manage to play one) while the opponents score 160 points plus the amount of the opponents high bid. If the bid was capot, and that bidder's team manages to win every trick during the hand, that team earns 250 points. However, if the capot bid was not successful, the opposing team scores 500 points. Coinches and recoinches double or quadruple the number of points earned for the bidding portion of the score, but not for any bonuses or actual points won during the hand.

The game continues until one team, at the end of a hand, manages to score 2000 or more points. At that point the game ends and the team with the highest game point score is declared the winner. If both teams have the exact same game point score, the team who won the most recent deal are declared the winners of the game.

Example initial deal in Belote Decouverte

Example initial deal in Belote Decouverte

Belote Découverte: Belote Découverte (translated to "Belote with exposed cards") is a variation of Belote which is designed to be played by two players. This variant is also sometimes known as Belote Marseilles.

This two player variant uses the same 32 card Piquet deck as used by the four player versions of the game, and the ranking of the cards in the various suits is the same as in those games. Determination of the first dealer can be determine in a number of ways, with drawing for low card a common method.

Once the dealer has been determined and the deck shuffled, and then cut by his opponent, the dealer than deals a special layout to the table. This consists of four rows of four face-down cards, two rows of which belong to the dealer and two which belong to his opponent. Directly on top of each face-down card he then deals one face-up card, completing the layout and exhausting the deck.

The last card dealt, which should be on the dealer's own layout indicates the trump suit for the hand, as the suit of this card setting the possible trump suit for the hand.

A round of bidding then ensues as in the standard variant, with the opponent having the first opportunity to accept that last card as the trump suit for the hand. If he accepts that suit, however, he does not take the card, but leaves it instead on the layout, on which the card still belongs to the dealer. If the opponent refuses this suit as the trump suit, the dealer has the same option and can either accept or refuse this suit as trump. If he accepts that suit, play of the hand can begin. However, if he also refuses that suit, the opponent than has the opportunity to name a suit of his choice for the trump suit for the hand, but he cannot select the same suit as that which was originally refused. If he passes, not naming a trump suit, the dealer can then name a suit of choice as the trump suit for the hand. If both players again pass, the cards are gathered, reshuffled and redealt for a new hand.

Declarations and Belotes are not announced or scored in this version of the game. After the bidding, play begins. The non-dealer begins play. He leads to the first trick, selecting any of the face-up cards from his own layout to start the trick. The dealer than selects an exposed card from his own layout to play to the trick. As in the standard version, if he has a card of the same suit as was led to the trick he must play it, and if the lead was a trump suit, he must play a higher card of the trump suit if he has one. If a non-trump suit was played and the player has no card of that suit, he must play a card of the trump suit to the trick if he has such a card. If he does not, he may play any card from his hand. The highest trump card played to the trick wins the trick, or if the trick contains no cards of the trump suit, the highest card of the suit originally led to the trick wins it. The winner of each trick leads the first card to the next trick.

After each trick is completed, if the played card has exposed a face-down card, the player must then turn that card face-up, revealing the face of the card which then also allows it to be played to subsequent tricks. Before this card is so exposed, neither player is allowed to look at the face of that card. The last trick of the hand scores a 10 point bonus for the player who wins it. The game continues until all 16 tricks have been played and won and the hands are scored. The scoring of each card captured in tricks is the same as in the other variants of Belote.

If the player who set the trump suit for the hand manages to earn more than 81 points during the hand he wins the hand. However, if earns 81 or fewer points during the hand his opponent wins the hand.

Baloot: Baloot is a trick taking game which is very popular in Saudi Arabia and many nearby countries. As the name implies, Baloot is a variant of Belote, and is played very similarly.

As in most other variants of Belote, Baloot is designed for four players playing in two partnerships, each player seated directly across the table from his partner. The game uses the same 32 card Piquet deck as used in most other variants of Belote. Determination of partnerships and the first dealer can be done using the same methods as in the other forms of Belote. Once the first dealer has been determined, this player shuffles the deck and passes it to the player at his left to cut. After the cut the dealer then begins dealing the cards in a counterclockwise direction around the table starting with the player to his right. He first deals a three card face-down packet to each player and then a two card packet to each player such that each player starts with five cards. The dealer then places the remainder of the deck face down in the center of the table. He then removes the top card of this deck and places it beside the deck to help determine the trump suit for the hand.

A round of bidding then begins, starting with the player to the immediate right of the dealer and continuing in a counter-clockwise direction. This player can make one of the following calls:

Pass:
Hokum:
Sun:
Ashkal:

If the player calls "Pass", the bid passes to the next player in turn who also has the same bidding options. If the player calls "Hokum", each other player, in counterclockwise direction starting from the player to call Hokum, has the opportunity to overcall this bid with a bid of Sun. If a player calls "Sun" or "Ashkal" (either initially or if overcalling a Hokum bid), any remaining players who have not yet bid or have previously passed have the opportunity to also call "Sun", which then makes that new player the winning bidder.

If a bid was made, the player who made the high bid of Sun or Hokum becomes the bidder for the hand and he and his partner attempt to win the majority of points during the hand. If the winning high bid was Sun, that player may elect to elevate his bid to a bid of Sun.

However, if all four players Pass on this initial round of bidding, a second round of bidding then occurs (called Second). This round also starts with the player to the immediate left of the dealer and advances around the table in a counter-clockwise direction. If a player bids Sun on this second round, the bidding ends immediately with the player calling "Sun" set as the high bidder. A Hokum bid on the second round gives that player the right to name a specific trump suit, but this trump suit must be different than that of the exposed original trump indicator card on the table. If a player does call "Hokum" during this round, any player in turn, who has not yet spoken during this second round of bidding has the right to overcall this call with a call of "Sun" or must Pass. If the winning high bid during this round was Hokum, the player who made that high bid has the opportunity to increase the bid to a bid of Sun before play begins.

If all four players pass again, the cards are thrown in with no play occurring for the hand, and the next dealer in turn deals the next hand. However, if there is a winning bid, the player making that bid becomes the high bidder for the hand.

After the winning bidder is determined, that player takes the exposed card from the table into his hand (regardless if the suit of that card actually ended up as the trump suit for the hand), and the dealer completes the deal. He deals one more round of cards, with each player receiving three cards except the player who took the exposed trump card receiving only two.

Before play begins, each opponent has the opportunity to call double which will double the scoring value during the hand. Any opponent may double on a high bid of Hokum, but may only double on a call of Sun if the team who called Sun on this round has a score higher than 100 points and the opponents have a score lower than 100. If an opponent does Double, a member of the high bidding team has the opportunity to redouble, which triples the scoring value of the game. If a player does redouble, the opponents can then double again which quadruples all scoring values for the hand. Lastly, in the event of these redoubles, a member of the bidding partnership can opt to double once again (which he indicates by stating "Gahwa"), which will then set the winner of this hand to be the winner of the entire game. In the event that the hand scoring is either set as double or quadruple, the leader to the first trick cannot lead a card of the trump suit to any trick unless that the player only has cards of the trump suit remaining in his hand (this is called having the hand locked).

After the remaining cards are dealt to the players, play of the hand begins. The player who made the high bid for the hand leads the first card to the first trick, and each other player in a counter-clockwise rotation also plays one card to the trick.

The ranking of the cards in the deck are shown as follows:

In the Hokum suit (trump suit):
In all other suits (non-trump suits):

The leader to a trick can choose any card from his hand to start the trick. Each other player in turn must then play a card of the suit originally led to the trick if they have such a card. If they do not, but the opposing team has already played a card of the trump suit to the trick, the player must also play a card of the trump suit if he has one, and must play a higher card in that suit if he has one. If he has no card of the trump suit, or his partner is already winning the trick, and he has no card of the suit originally led to the trick he may play any card from his hand. The winner of the last trick earns a bonus of 10 points to his score.

On playing to the first trick, each player has the opportunity to declare any Projects they might have in their hand. Projects are special combinations of cards a player has in his hand. The following shows the type of Projects a player can declare on this first trick:

Project Name	Project Ranking Level	Description and Scoring Value	Bonus Scoring Value
Sira - Single Line	6	Three cards in direct sequence all of the same suit.	In a bid of Sun = 4 In a bid of Hokum = 2
50	5	Four cards in sequence all of the same suit.	In a bid of Sun = 10 In a bid of Hokum = 5
100 (Four of a Kind)	4	Four 10s, Jacks, Kings, Queens or Kings.	In a bid of Sun = 20 In a bid of Hokum = 10
100 (Aces)	3	Four Aces in a bid of Hokum	In a bid of Hokum = 10
100 (Serial)	2	Five cards in sequence, all of the same suit.	In a bid of Sun = 20 In a bid of Hokum = 10
400	1	Four Aces in a bid of Sun	In a bid of Sun = 40

Each player may declare a maximum of two Projects. The same card can never be used in more than one Project. Only the team with a player having the highest ranked Project can score for the Projects of both players of that team. If the highest Project declared by members of both teams are of the same ranking from the chart, the Projects can be further ranked within that ranking category. For two Four of a Kinds, the four of a Kind of the highest denomination is considered the highest. For comparing two serial type Projects, the combination in which the highest card in the combination is higher is considered the highest. If these are equal, the combination which is in the trump suit is considered the higher. If none are in the trump suit, the player closest in play to the dealer (or the dealer himself) is considered the highest. These Projects are declared during the first trick, and then must be shown during play of the second trick of the same hand. For purposes of the sequential type Projects, the sequencing of the cards would be as follows: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7.

Declaring a Baloot: If a player has both the King and Queen of the trump suit (only applies in a Hokum bid) he can also declare a Baloot. This will earn either team 2 points. The Baloot is declared by a player upon playing to a trick the second of the two cards comprising the Baloot (at which time the player declares "Bloot"). If both cards which comprise the Baloot were part of a 100 Project previously declared (and scored for) in that round, the Baloot cannot be declared or scored. If just one of the cards comprising the Baloot were part of another Project scored for during the hand, the Baloot cannot be declared or scored.

After all tricks have been played and scored, the hands are calculated to determine if the high bidders were able to fulfill their bid. Cards captured in tricks by a team have a specific scoring value, as shown in the following chart:

Card	Point Value if in Hokum Suit	Point Value in other Suits
Jack	20	2
Nine	14	0
Ace	11	11
Ten	10	10
King	4	4
Queen	3	3
Eight, Seven	0	0

The team thus adds the scores earned during the hand from cards captured in tricks, (sometimes called Bunts) added to the 10 points bonus if the team managed to win the last trick of the hand. These scores are then converted to round points. In a bid of Sun, the round points for a team are calculated thusly: All points earned are totaled, rounded to the nearest 10, multiplied by 2 and then divided by 10. If the round was Hokum the round points are calculated thusly: Points are totaled and rounded to the nearest whole number. In the rounding, for values of .5 or lower, the amount is rounded down and for values higher than .5 the value is rounded up.

If the team that won the bidding manages to take more than half of the points during the hand, they are said to have made the contract. In this case, each team earns a number of round points, equal to the round points calculated as above, added to the bonuses for one team of any Projects declared as well as any Baloot. If the winning bid was doubled, these scores are doubles, if tripled the scores are tripled and if quadrupled these round scores are quadrupled. In the event of Gahwa, the team who earned more points during the hand will win the entire game. Note, however that scores for a Baloot are not doubled, tripled or quadrupled but the 2 point bonus is simply added to the total round score. If the bidding team does not manage to earn more than half the points during the round, the opposing team earns all the points scored for the round (by both teams) instead. If one team manages to win every trick during the round, that team earns a round point bonus of 44 points (of 88 points if the exposed trump card was an Ace), as well as any bonus points earned during the round for Projects or Baloot.

The first team to score a number of Round points equal to or higher than 128 or more during the round wins the game.

Pilotta: Pilotta is another game which appears to have been directly derived from Belote. This game is very popular in the island nation of Cyprus.

As in most other games that appear related to Belote, this game uses the 32 card Piquet deck and is designed to be played by four players playing in two partnerships of two players each.

Example melds in Pilotta

Determination of partnerships is performed in the same method as the other forms of Belote, however, determination of the first dealer for the first game, is done in a unique fashion, as follows. After the partnerships are determined, the players should each sit at the table directly across from his partner. Any player then shuffles the deck and passes it to the player at his immediate left to cut the deck. Each player at the table is then assigned a specific suit in the deck. Starting with the player who cuts the deck, exposing the top card from the bottom packet in the cut. The player who performs this cut is assigned the suit of Hearts, each additional player at the table in a counter-clockwise direction is assigned a specific suit in the same way, continuing with Diamonds, Clubs, then Spades. The player corresponding to the suit exposed in the cut card is set as the first dealer for game. Thereafter, the role of dealer rotates around the table in a counter-clockwise direction after each hand. The cards are never shuffled amongst hands during the same game, but are simply all gathered together and cut by the next dealer.

Once the dealer has been determined, the designated dealer deals the cards in packets around the table starting with the player to his immediate right and continuing in a counter-clockwise direction. He begins by dealing each player a three-card packet, then a two card packet, and finally another three card packet. After the cards have been dealt, each player should then pick up his hand in preparation for the bidding round.

The player to the dealer's immediate right has the privilege of the first bid and continues in a counter-clockwise direction around the table. The bid is an estimate of the number of tricks the player expects to win as well as the proposed trump suit to use for the hand. The starting bid is usually 80 and the bidding is done by increments of 10. A player is not obligated to bid and may pass if they do not want to make a bid. Once a player passes during the bidding, however, they may no longer bid during that bidding round. The bidding continues until a bid has been followed by three consecutive passes. If all four players initially pass, with no bid made by any player, the cards are thrown in and a new deal, by the next dealer in turn is performed.

The player making the highest bid during the bidding round is the trump maker for the hand. He can name any suit he wants as the trump suit for the hand. The first bidder plays the first card to the first trick.

The leader to each trick may play any card of choice from his hand, and then each other player, in a counter-clockwise direction around the table plays one card from his hand to the trick. If a player has a card of the same suit as led to the trick he must play it. If he does not have such a card, he must then play a card of the trump suit. If he does not have a card of the trump suit, he can play any card from his hand. Once a card of the trump suit has been played to any trick, if they do not have a card of the suit originally led to the trick (or if a card of the trump suit was led to the trick) he must not only play a card of the trump suit if he has one, but must also play a higher trump card than any other trump card previously played to this trick, if able.

The trick is won by the highest card of the trump suit played to the trick. If no card of the trump suit has been played to the trick, the highest card of the suit originally led to the trick wins the trick. The leader of each trick plays the first card to start the next trick. If a team manages to win every trick during the hand, they earn a total of 250 points for doing so, in addition to any points earned from Declarations or a Pilotta. The ranking of the cards, is the same as in many similar games:

In the trump suit:
In all other suits:

Immediately before a player plays his first card to the first trick, he may also announce any Declarations he has. These are special combinations of cards which entitle to the player to bonus points at the end of the hand. While the player announces his declarations on the first trick, he actually shows them upon his turn to play to the second trick of the hand, immediately before playing his card to that trick. The following are all the possible Declarations a player can announce (order from lowest to highest ranked):

Three in a row:
Four in a row:
Five in a row:
Four of a kind:
Four nines:
Four Jacks:

Only the team, from which a member has declared the highest ranking Declaration, is provided the privilege to score for all Declarations declared by both members of that team. For two Declarations of the same type and rank, the Declaration which contains the highest high card in a sequence, or the highest ranked four cards is considered the higher. For the purposes of sequences only, the sequential ordering of the cards is, as follows: 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace.

In addition to these standard Declarations, a player can also declare a "Pilotta". A Pilotta consists of the King and Queen of the trump suit. Announcing (and showing) a Pilotta earns that team 20 points, regardless of whichever team actually was entitled to score for any Declarations.

As in other games similar to Belote, certain cards captured in tricks carry a point value. Both teams calculate the total number of points captured during the hand based on the following card values:

Card	Point Value if in trump suit	Point Value in other suits
Jack	20	2
Nine	14	0
Ace	11	11
Ten	10	10
King	4	4
Queen	3	3
Eight, Seven	0	0

Winning the last trick also earns the capturing side 10 bonus points.

If the high bidding team manages to capture at least as many points (from card points captures in tricks and the 10 points bonus for last trick) during the round as bid, both teams are entitled to add a number of points to their accumulated Game total. However, if they are unable to capture as least as many points as bid, the opposing team will earn all points awarded during the hand.

To determine the number of Game points earned from the hand, the winning team would then truncate the last numeral of their total score. If both teams earn a truncated score that shows as 15 on the same hand, the team that had a higher digit in the ones place would earn 16 and the other 15.

The first team to earn 162 or more Game points is declared the winner of the game. If both team, at the end of a hand have reached or exceeded this value, the team with the highest total is declared the game winner.

Tarabish: Tarabish is a game which plays somewhat similarly to Pilotta and is most popular in Nova Scotia, Canada, particularly in the city of Cape Breton. The game is also sometimes called by it's shortened names of Tarbish or Bish. It is actually of Middle Eastern descent, believed to have been brought to Canada around 1901 by an immigrant from Lebanon by the name of George Shebib.

Tarabish uses a 36 cards which can be created from one standard deck and removing all cards of rank 5 or lower. The specific ranking of the cards in the Tarabish deck will be directly dependent on which suit is designated the trump suit for the hand. As with most other games with similar rules, the game is designed to be played by four players in two partnerships.

Determination of partnerships and first dealer can be performed in the same manner as Belote. Each player should sit directly across the table from his partner.

Once the deck has been shuffled and cut, the dealer then begins dealing the cards in three card packets, starting with the player to his immediate right and continuing in a clockwise direction around the table. The players should not yet examine their hand on the table.

Once each player has his requisite nine face-down cards, he then picks up six of these cards, with the other three cards of his remaining, for the moment, face-down in front of him, known as the kitty.

The player to the immediate left of the dealer has the first opportunity to name a trump suit. He may name any suit of his choice to be set as the trump suit for the hand. He may also pass. If the player passes, the privilege moves to the next player who has the same options. If the first three players pass, the dealer must name a trump suit, which can be any suit of his choice. The player to first name a trump suit becomes the trump maker for that hand and must attempt to capture more than half the points during the hand.

A trick in Tarabish

After the trump suit has been determined, the players then pick up the remaining three face-down cards which were initially dealt to their hand (the kitty). The play then begins with the player to the immediate left of the current dealer.

The leader to a trick can play any card from their hand to start the trick. Each other player in a clockwise rotation then adds one card from his own hand to the trick. A trick consists of one card played by each player at the table. When playing a card to a trick that was led by another player, the player must play a card of the same suit as was originally led to the trick. If the player does not have a card of that same suit he must play a card of the designated trump suit for the hand if he has one, and, if the trick already contains at least one card of the trump suit, the player must player a higher card of the trump suit if possible. If he does not have a card in the trump suit he may play any card from his hand.

The player of the highest card of the trump suit to the trick is considered to have won the trick. If no cards of the trump suit have been played to the trick, the trick is instead won by the highest card of the suit originally led to it. The leader of each trick leads the first card to the next trick.

If a player does not follow the specific rules of play (particularly in regards to playing a card to a trick), another player may state this (called a misplay). The tricks previously played are turned over to determine if a misplay did, in fact, occur. If so, the opponents of the team who committed the misplay earns all the points for the hand. However, if no misplay is found to have occurred, the opponents of the team who announced the misplay earns all points for the hand.

Before playing the first card to the first trick, each player has the opportunity to announce any Melds (Runs) they may have in the hand. The sequence of the cards, for the purposes of determining a run, is as follows: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6. The following are the types of melds which can be announced:

Twenty:
Fifty:

Only the player announcing the highest meld can score for the meld (as well as any other melds that player has in his hand). His partner and the members of the opposing team can thus not add any points for those lower melds in the hand. Thus, players may need to indicate the specifics of the meld when announcing them if there is any question. A Twenty meld is considered higher than a Fifty meld. Amongst two melds of the same type, the higher meld would be that in which the highest card of the meld is of a higher rank than the top card in any other similar meld (using the sequential ranking for melds, as described above). If both high melds are of the same type (i.e. a Twenty) and the highest card in the meld is the same, if one of the melds is in the trump suit, that meld is considered higher. If neither of those tied melds are in the trump suit, the runs are considered to cancel out and no one scores for melds during that hand. The announcer of the highest meld must then show the meld before play of his first card to the second trick. As mentioned, the player with the highest meld can also score for any other melds in his hand.

Another source of bonus points during the hand is the declaration of a "Bella". Bella is the same player having both the King and Queen of the trump suit. In order to score for the Bella, he must announce Bella when playing the second of the two cards to a trick. If both cards of the Bella are part of a run, the player could also call the Bella (and score 20) when showing that meld. The team who so announces the Bella scores 20 bonus points during the hand.

Winning the last trick of the hand also earns the team doing so 10 bonus points.

After all 9 tricks have been played and won, the hand is scored. Each card captured in tricks by a team has a corresponding point value, as per the following chart:

Card	Point Value in trump suit	Point Value in other suits
Jack	20	2
Nine	14	0
Ace	11	11
Ten	10	10
King	4	4
Queen	3	3
Eight, Seven, Six	0	0

If the team who declared the trump suit managed to score more than half the total points scored by both teams during the hand (including bonus points for melds, Bellas and last trick), that team has fulfilled the contract. In that case, both teams score the total number of points earned during the hand which is added to that team's Game score. However, if the team which set the trump suit for the hand earns less than half the total points earned by both teams during the hand, the opposing team scores all the points for the hand (melding points, Bellas, last trick and card points). This is called bate. A half-bate is when the team who set the trump suit for the hand scores exactly half the points for the hand. While the opposing team adds to their Game score all the points that team was able to earn during the hand the team who set the trump suit for the hand scores nothing.

The game continues until one partnership manages to earn 500 or more Game points. If both teams reach or exceed 500 such Game points, the team with the higher total is declared the winner of the game.

Clabber : Clabber is a game with many similarities to Belote which is quite popular in certain areas of the State of Indiana in the U.S.A. (particularly in and around the cities of Evansville and Indianapolis). The game also goes under several other names, including Klob, Clob, Clobber and Dad.

Clabber is designed for play by four, in two partnerships consisting of two players each. The game is played using a further reduced 24 card deck in which all cards lower than the Nine have been removed. The ranking of the cards is different in the trump suit as in the other suits. In the designated trump suit for the hand, the ranking of the cards in that suit is (from high to low); Jack, nine, Ace, ten, King, Queen. In any non-trump suit the ranking of the cards in those suits is (also listed from high to low); Ace, 10, King, Queen, Jack, nine. It should also be noted that for purposes of sequence melds there is yet another ranking of the cards in the deck, which will be described later.

Determination of partnerships and seating positions is done as follows. Any player then takes the shuffled deck and begins dealing the cards in a clockwise direction around the table, one card at a time, face-up to each player. The first player to receive a Jack is then set as the first dealer in the game (and has first choice of seats at the table). However, the dealing continues, skipping the player who had received the first Jack. The second player to receive a Jack during this deal is then set as the partner of the player first receiving a Jack. The remaining two players are then set as the opposing partnership. Each partner should set directly across the table from his partner. After each hand, the role of dealer rotates around the table in a clockwise direction.

Dealer's hand in Clabber

The cards are then all gathered by the first dealer who then thoroughly shuffles the deck and passes the cards to the opponent at his immediate right to cut. After the cut, the dealer then begins dealing the cards one-by-one and face down around the table, starting with the player at his immediate left. He continues dealing in a clockwise direction around the table until player, including himself, has a total of 6 cards. The dealer's last dealt card is dealt face-up in front of the dealer, with that suit of that card designating the trump suit for the hand.

After the cards have been fully dealt, and the players have examined the hand, a round of bidding occurs, starting with the player at the dealer's left and moving in a clockwise direction around the table. Each player then has the opportunity to state "I Play", indicating he elects to play the hand, accepting the suit of the turned up card as trump suit for the hand, or he may elect to pass by stating "I Pass" or alternatively knocking on the table. Accepting the trump suit also obligates the accepting player and his partner to earn more points during the hand than the opposing partnership. As soon as one of the players accepts the bidding ends and play of the hand will begin.

However, if all four players pass during the bidding round, a second round of bidding is then performed, again starting with the player to the dealer's immediate left. The dealer also immediately takes into his hand the card originally intended to indicate the trump suit for the hand. During this second round of bidding a player may elect to Pass or Play. If electing to Play, the bidder would also state a trump suit of his choice to be used for the hand. The player may not name the same suit as was originally turned up for determination of the trump suit. A player may never elect to "Play" using a trump suit of which he has no cards in that suit. To do this is a breach of the rules and subject to a renege penalty (see below). If all four players again pass on this second bidding round, the hand is not played, all the cards are gathered, shuffled and dealt again by the same dealer.

After the Contracting team has been determined for the hand, play of the hand begins, with the Contracting team attempting to earn the majority of the points earned during the hand. As each player leads his first card to the first trick, immediately before playing to the trick, the player has the option to announce his highest meld in his hand. Whichever player announces the highest meld entitles he and his partner to score for all melds found in their hands while the opposing partnership is not entitled to score for melds found in the hand. The following chart shows all the melds, listed from highest to lowest which a player can announce:

Meld	Description	Scoring Value
Four Jacks (Mule)	One player having all four Jacks in the hand	200
Hundred - Four Nines	A player having all four nines in the hand	100
Hundred - Four Aces	A player having all four Aces in the hand	100
Hundred - Four Tens	One player having all four tens in the hand	100
Hundred - Four Kings	One player having all four Kings in the hand	100
Hundred - Four Queens	One player having all four Queens in the hand	100
Hundred- Sequence	Sequence of five consecutive cards, all in the same suit	100
Fifty	Sequence of four consecutive cards, all in the same suit	50
Dad	Sequence of three consecutive cards, all in the same suit	20

Trivia: The names Dad and Bell originate from some
older European variants of Jack Nine card Games
in some of which a three card sequence is called Darda
and the King and Queen of the trump suit is called Belle.

For purposes of sequence melds only, the cards in the deck are considered to have the following ranking; Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9. If comparing two melds of the same rank (such as two Dad melds), the higher meld is considered the one which contains higher ranked cards. If the rank of all the cards in the meld are also the same in both melds, if one meld is in the trump suit and the other not, the meld in the trump suit is considered the higher. If two melds of the same type contain the same cards, and neither is in the trump suit, neither partnership is entitled to score for melds on that hand. The same card may never be used in more than one meld for a player. After each player has declared his highest meld, the player who has announced the highest meld is entitled to score for that meld as well as any other melds that either he or his partner have in the hand.

Example trick in Clabber

In addition to the melds listed above, there is another special meld which any player may score for during the hand, called Bell. This meld consists of having both the King and Queen of the trump suit designated for the hand. This meld is declared by a player upon playing the second card which would normally form the Bell, and entitles that player's partnership to score 20 points. This meld can be scored regardless of which team earned the right to score for the other melds, and the Bell may include cards which were used in other melds, such as a Sequence.

The player to the immediate left of the dealer leads the first card to the first trick, and each other player in a clockwise direction around the table contributes a card from his hand to the same trick.

In leading to a trick, a player may play any card remaining in his hand. After the lead to that trick, each additional player must play a card of the same suit as originally led to the trick if he has one. If the player has no cards of the suit originally led to the trick, but has cards of the trump suit, he must play a card in that suit, and must play a higher card in the trump suit than any other cards in the trump suit have been played to the trick if he has one. If the player has no cards of the suit led or in the trump suit, he may play any card from his hand to the trick.

The highest card in the trump suit played to the trick, if any, wins the trick. If the trick contains no cards in the trump suit, the trick is won by the highest card of the suit originally led to the trick. Cards won in tricks should be set aside, face-down by one of the players in the partnership winning that trick, for scoring purposes at the end of the hand. The winner of each trick leads the first card to the next trick.

After every trick has been played to and won, each partnership calculates the number of "card points" won during the hand. Players thus score for melds, Bell, and winning the last trick earns a partnership 10 points. In addition to these points, certain cards captured in tricks earn points for the partnership of the player capturing the card:

Card	Points earned for card in trump suit	Points earned for card in non-trump suit
Jack	20	2 Each
Nine	14	0
Ace	11	11 Each
Ten	10	10 Each
King	4	4 Each
Queen	3	3 Each

If, after all scores during the hand are calculated, the Contracting side managed to earn more total "card points" during the hand, both partnerships score a number of game points for that hand equal to the total number of "card points" earned during that hand. However, if the Contracting team scores equal to or less than the opponent (called being "set" or "hicked"), the Contracting team score nothing for the hand (which is marked as XX on the score sheet and called Turkey Tracks), while the opposing team earns a number of game points for the hand equal to the total "card points" they managed to earn during the hand for captured scoring cards, last trick, melds and Bell.

As mentioned previously, accepting or announcing play in a trump suit of which the announcer has no cards of that trump suit is considered a Renege. In addition, there are several other events in the game which can result in a Renege, including the following:

Incorrect play to a trick, such as not following suit when able or not playing a card of the trump suit when required
Declaring or showing a meld out of turn
Announcing Bell out of turn, or before playing the second card of the Bell to a trick. The exception to this is that the Bell may be declared at the time another meld (or melds) is declared that contains both cards forming the Bell
Looking at cards played previously in the previous trick, after either player in that partnership has played a card to the next trick
Providing information to the partner as far as gameplay or melding, during play
Exposing any card from the hand illegally

If both teams perform a Renege on the same hand, no scores are calculated for that hand and a new hand is dealt by the same dealer. If one team causes a Renege on a hand, the other team scores the entire possible 162 points for the hand, as well as any melds that may have been scored during that hand.

The game continues until, at the completion of a hand, one or both partnerships have reached or exceeded a total "game points" score of 500. The team with the higher score in total game points at that time is then declared the winner, which is recorded on the score sheet with a large "W" in the column for the winning team. If both teams have equal scores, the game is considered a tie.