Rules
How to Play Belot.
Belot is a trick-taking card game for 4 players in 2 teams. Played with 32 cards, it combines strategic bidding, announcements, and careful card play.
Game Flow
From deal to score.
Create or Join a Room
Create a private room and share the code with friends, or join a public lobby. You can also use matchmaking to be paired with players at your skill level. Four players are needed — two teams of two, seated across from each other.
Dealing
Each player receives 5 cards counter-clockwise from a 32-card deck (7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A of each suit) — dealt as 3 then 2. After bidding succeeds, 3 more cards are dealt to each player for a total of 8.
Bidding
Starting from the player to the right of the dealer, players bid or pass. Bids declare the trump suit (Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, Spades), All Trumps, or No Trumps. Each bid must be higher than the previous. Three consecutive passes after a valid bid ends bidding. Players can also Double or Redouble an opponent’s bid, multiplying the stakes.
Announcements
When playing their first card, players can declare sequences (Tierce = 3 cards, Quarte = 4, Quinte = 5 of the same suit) and sets (Carré = four of a kind). The team with the highest announcement scores all their team’s announcements. Belote (King + Queen of trump) can be declared anytime during the game.
Playing Tricks
In a trump game, you must follow suit and, if you must trump, play a higher trump than already played if you can. In All Trumps, you must always follow suit and play higher regardless of which team is winning the trick. In No Trumps, you only need to follow suit — there is no mandatory trumping. The highest card wins the trick.
Scoring
Card points are totalled after all 8 tricks, then divided by 10 (rounded). The last trick is worth a bonus 10 points. In No Trumps, all card points are doubled. The bidding team must score more than the opponents ("outside") to keep their points. If both teams score equally, it is "hanging" — the bidding team scores nothing and the points carry to the next round. If the bidding team scores fewer points ("inside"), the opposing team takes all points. First team to 151 points wins — but a round won by valat cannot end the game.
Card Values
Card rankings & points.
Trump Suit
Total: 62 points per trump suit
Non-Trump Suit
Total: 30 points per non-trump suit
Key Rules
Special mechanics.
Valat
Win all 8 tricks to earn a 90-point bonus on top of the last trick’s 10 points. A valat is rare — but it cannot end the game. Even if a team crosses 151 on a valat, play continues until a non-valat round decides the winner.
Hanging Points
Hanging occurs when both teams score equal points. The bidding team scores nothing and their points carry to the next round’s winner. This is different from "inside", where the bidding team scores fewer points and the defenders take everything.
Double & Redouble
After a bid, the opposing team can Double (2x multiplier). The bidding team can then Redouble (4x). This dramatically increases the stakes.
Ready to play?
Now that you know the rules, jump into a game. Create a private lobby or let matchmaking find you the perfect opponents.