Belote facts for kids

Belote is a popular French card game played with 32 cards. It's a "trick-taking" game, which means players try to win rounds (called "tricks") by playing the highest card. Four players usually play, divided into two teams.

There are different versions of Belote, like "Belote," "Belote Coinchee," and "Belote avec annonce." All these games come from an older Dutch game that people have been playing since the 1600s!

How to Play Belote

Dealing the Cards

Before starting, one player acts as the dealer. The dealer can shuffle the deck of 32 cards. The player to the dealer's left then cuts the deck.

Cards are dealt to all players in three rounds. Each player gets 3 cards first, then 2 more cards, and finally 3 more cards. This way, everyone gets 8 cards in total.

Making a Bet

After the cards are dealt, players start to "bet." Betting means they guess how many points their team will score in the game. To make a bet, a player chooses a "trump" suit. The trump suit is special because its cards are more powerful than cards from other suits.

• The first player must bet at least 80 points.
• Each new bet must be at least 10 points higher than the last one.
• If a team has the King and Queen of the chosen trump suit, they get an extra 20 bonus points!

There are four regular suits in a deck: Clubs (♣), Diamonds (♦), Hearts (♥), and Spades (♠). But in Belote, you can choose from six types of "trumps":

• Clubs ♣
• Diamonds ♦
• Hearts ♥
• Spades ♠
• "No trump" (no suit is special)
• "All trumps" (all suits are special)

Basic Game Rules

All versions of Belote share some main rules:

• When a card is played, you must play a card of the same suit if you have one.
• If you don't have a card of the same suit, you must play a trump card.
• However, if your teammate has already played the strongest card in the trick, you don't have to play a trump.
• If a trump card is played, you must play a stronger trump card if you have one.
• The last trick played in the game gives the winning team an extra 10 points!

Card Order and Points

The order of cards from highest to lowest is different for trump cards and non-trump cards:

• Trump Cards: Jack (J), 9, Ace (A), 10, King (K), Queen (Q), 8, 7
• Non-Trump Cards: Ace (A), 10, King (K), Queen (Q), Jack (J), 9, 8, 7

Here's how points are counted for each card:

• Trump Cards:
  • Jack (J) = 20 points
  • 9 = 14 points
  • Ace (A) = 11 points
  • 10 = 10 points
  • King (K) = 4 points
  • Queen (Q) = 3 points
  • 8 = 0 points
  • 7 = 0 points
• Non-Trump Cards:
  • Ace (A) = 11 points
  • 10 = 10 points
  • King (K) = 4 points
  • Queen (Q) = 3 points
  • Jack (J) = 2 points
  • 9 = 0 points
  • 8 = 0 points
  • 7 = 0 points

Game Strategies

A good strategy in Belote is to keep track of the trump cards. Since there are only 32 cards in the deck, it's also helpful to remember which cards from other suits have been played.

Betting Strategy

Betting isn't just about points; it's also a way to talk to your teammate! Even if your hand of cards isn't super strong, making a bet can give your teammate clues. This helps them decide their own bets or how to play their cards later.

Playing Strategies

Defending Strategy

Your team might play a "defending" strategy if you have fewer trump cards than the other team. The main goal when defending is to save your points. You should try to win at least one trick for each suit if possible.

Attacking Strategy

If your team has many trump cards, you'll likely play an "attacking" strategy. The goal here is to make your opponents use up their trump cards. This way, they won't be able to "cut" (win with a trump) other tricks.

Once opponents run out of trumps, you can focus on winning tricks with high cards like Aces or 10s. To get an Ace, you often need to "cut" it with a trump. To get a 10, you might play an Ace early in a trick or cut it with a trump.

Images for kids

• 

  A full German suit

• 

  A full French suit

See also

In Spanish: Belote para niños