How to keep score in Belote

Each deal of Belote is worth 162 points, plus any announcements and 20 for belote and rebelote. The team that took must score more than the other team, or the other team takes everything. The first team to 1,000 wins.

At a glance

• Players: 4 in two teams of 2

• Who wins: First team to 1,000

• Each deal: 162 points, plus announcements

• Cards: 32, seven to ace

What each card is worth

The comptage des points starts with the cards in each team's tricks. In the trump suit the jack and the nine become the top cards. The last trick, the dix de der, adds 10.

Trumps add up to 62 and each other suit to 30, so the cards make 152. With 10 for the last trick, every deal is 162. Dutch Klaverjassen uses the same values.

Belote, rebelote and announcements

Holding the king and queen of trumps is belote and rebelote: say belote as you play the first and rebelote as you play the second, and your team scores 20. You keep those 20 even if your team loses the deal.

Other announcements (annonces) are made during the first trick. Only the team with the best announcement scores theirs, but belote and rebelote always counts.

• Tierce, three cards in a row in one suit: 20

• Cinquante, four in a row: 50

• Cent, five in a row: 100

• Carré of jacks: 200

• Carré of nines: 150

• Carré of aces, tens, kings or queens: 100

Making the contract, dedans and capot

The team that chose trumps, the takers, must score more than the other team, announcements included. With no announcements, that's 82 or more of the 162. If they make it, both teams score what they took.

If they don't, they're dedans: they score nothing but belote and rebelote, and the other team scores 162 plus every announcement.

If it's a tie, such as 81 all, it's a litige: the defenders score their points, and the takers' points wait to go to whichever team wins the next deal.

A team that takes every trick makes capot: 252 instead of 162, plus announcements.

When the game ends

Keep a running total for each team. The first to reach 1,000 at the end of a deal wins. If the totals are level, play another deal. For a shorter game, play to 501.

Some tables round each deal's score to the nearest 10. Agree how before you start, so nobody argues over a 6.

Coinche, a variant with its own scoring

In belote coinchée (also called contrée), each team bids how many points it will make, from 80 up, or capot. The takers must reach their bid. Scoring varies more than in classic Belote. In one common way, a made contract scores the bid plus the points taken, and a failed one gives the other team 160 plus the bid.

Coinche doubles the contract and surcoinche doubles it again. Games are often played to 2,000. Agree your table's rules before the first deal.

A scoring example

Team A (Ana and Ben) against Team B (Cleo and Dev), three deals.

Deal 1: 96 + 20 for belote. Deal 2: Team A score 162 plus their tierce of 20. The cards in every deal add up to 162: 96 + 66, 88 + 74 and 60 + 102.

Keep score in Tallynight

Belote is set up for you: rounds, highest score wins, to 1,000. Add each team as a player, and after each deal type both teams' points on one keypad. The table keeps the totals, who's in front and who deals next.

• Offers to end the game when a team reaches 1,000

• Play to 501, or 2,000 for coinche, by changing the target

• Tap any deal to fix it

• A winner card for the family chat at the end

• Get Tallynight on the App Store: free, no ads.

• Print a Belote score sheet if you'd rather keep score on paper.

Questions

How many points are in a deal of Belote?

162: 152 in the cards and 10 for the last trick, the dix de der. Belote and rebelote and any announcements come on top.

How many points do you need to make the contract in Belote?

More than the other team. With no announcements, that means 82 or more of the 162. At 81 all it's a litige.

What does dedans mean in Belote?

The takers scored less than the other team. They score nothing but belote and rebelote, and the defenders score 162 plus every announcement.

How much is a capot in Belote?

252 points instead of 162, for the team that takes every trick. Announcements and belote and rebelote come on top.

Does belote and rebelote count if you lose?

Yes. The team holding the king and queen of trumps keeps its 20, even when it goes dedans.

How many points do you play to in Belote?

1,000 is the usual target, and 501 for a shorter game. Coinche games often go to 2,000.

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