User:Tim Ocean/Belote

Belote is a 32-card, trick-taking, ace–ten game popular in France. It is considered the national card game of France, played both casually and in gambling. It appeared around 1900 in France, and is a close relative of both Klaberjass (also known as bela) and klaverjas. Closely related games are played throughout the world. Definitive rules of the game were first published in French in 1921.

Within the game's terminology, belote is used to designate a pair of a king and a queen of a trump suit, possibly yielding the game's name itself.

Similar games are played in central Europe, Saudi Arabia (baloot) and in Cyprus (pilotta).

Set up
The game is played by 4 players in fixed partnerships with 32-card deck (from ace to 7). Partners sit opposite each other. The game consists of In every deal one suit is trump. Order of seniority in trumps is as follows (from the highest):
 * dealing,
 * bidding,
 * play.
 * J, 9, A, 10, K, Q, 8, 7.

Order of seniority in other suits is as follows (from the highest):
 * A, 10, K, Q, J, 9, 8, 7.

The game focuses on taking tricks and valuable cards. Value of cards is shown in the following table.
 * {|class="wikitable"

Additionally the last trick is worth 10 points. It sums up to 162 points possible to get in tricks. There are also points possible to get for certain combinations of cards (declarations).
 * colspan = "2"|Trump
 * colspan = "2"|Non-trump suit
 * Card
 * Value
 * Card
 * Value
 * J
 * 20
 * A
 * 11
 * 9
 * 14
 * 10
 * 10
 * A
 * 11
 * K
 * 4
 * 10
 * 10
 * Q
 * 3
 * K
 * 4
 * J
 * 2
 * Q
 * 3
 * 9
 * 0
 * 8
 * 0
 * 8
 * 0
 * 7
 * 0
 * 7
 * 0
 * }
 * 0
 * 8
 * 0
 * 7
 * 0
 * 7
 * 0
 * }
 * }

Dealing
5 cards are dealt to every player in batches of 3 and 2. One undealt card is uncovered. There are one or two rounds of bidding afterwards. The bidding will determine a declarer. The rest of the cards remain temporarily face-down. If a contract is agreed upon, the remaining cards are dealt after the bidding – a group of three for each player except the declarer who got the card that was in the middle, who gets two.

Bidding
Bidding consists of two rounds. In the first round every player, begining with the one sitting to the left of the dealer, is asked whether they takes the card and accepts its suit as trump. Players can take the card and become a declarer or pass. If all players pass, there is a second round. Again each player is asked whether they takes the card and becomes a declarer. This time players can choose any trump but the suit of the uncovered card. The dealer can choose any suit as trump.

Play
The play consists of eight tricks, the first one being started by the dealer's successor. The first player in a round can play any card, but subsequent players must obey the following rules (the first one which applies is binding):


 * 1) The led suit must be followed.
 * 2) If the led suit is a trump suit, a higher-ranking card (if available) must be played, except when the current trick winner is the partner.
 * 3) If the led suit is not a trump suit and it cannot be followed, a trump suit card must be played. If the player does not have a trump card, they must play any other card but cannot win the trick.

The winner of a trick starts the next trick. The last trick is a bit more significant, as its winner is awarded 10 points.

Declarations
Declarations (melding) must be announced during the first trick:


 * A tierce – a sequence of three (sequences are in the "A K Q J 10 9 8 7" order of the same suit) – is worth 20 points.
 * A quarte – a sequence of four – is worth 50 points.
 * A quinte – a sequence of five – is worth 100 points (longer sequences are not awarded, a sequence of eight is counted as a quinte plus a tierce).
 * A carré – 4 of the same rank – of Jacks is worth 200 points.
 * A carré of nines is worth 150 points.
 * A carré of aces, kings, queens, or tens is worth 100 points (sevens and eights are not awarded).

It is sufficient to specify the type of a declaration (one of the above), whereas the exact suit or ranks are not required. A card can participate in at most one declaration.

A belote is a "royal" pair of a king and a queen of a trump suit. A belote is worth 20 points, and must be declared when the first of them is played (not necessarily during the first round).

In a "no trumps" contract declarations do not apply (four aces may be considered as a carré of jacks and worth 200 points, but no other bonuses are applied.)

Scoring
Each card rank has a specific scoring value; for Jacks and Nines the value depends on whether the suit is trump or not. The winner of the last trick gets 10 points.

Declarations, including belotes, are added to the score. If the contract was no trumps, the result is multiplied by two, as it is for every double bid. If a team is committed to a contract and has less points, all points go to the opponents, and the losing team are said to be "inside" or the French equivalent, "être dedans". In a doubled contract, both teams are considered committed.

The result is divided by ten, rounded, and added to the global score. The rounding is somewhat complicated as the sum of points is a multiple of ten only for a "No trumps" contract. It is 258 for "All trumps" and 162 for a suit contract. Therefore, the rounding limit is 5 in a "No trumps" contract, 4 in an "All trumps", and 6 in a suit contract.


 * A score below the limit is rounded down. Example: 35 points in a suit contract yields 3 match points;
 * A score above the limit is rounded up. Example: 125 points in an "All trumps" contract yields 13 MPs; 54 points in a "No trumps" contract yields 11MPs;
 * When both teams have scores at the rounding limit, the lower score is rounded up and the higher score is rounded down. Example: if in an "All trumps" contract with two tierces the declarers have 154 points and the defenders have 144 points, both teams will get 15 MPs and it would be a narrow escape.
 * When both teams have equal scores at the end of the round, the points are "hanging". What happens in this case is the following: the committed team doesn't add those points to their score, while the other team does. The remaining points (those that were not added by the committed team) "hang" over to the next round and they are given to the team that wins.

A special valat (or capot) premium of 9 match points exists for not leaving a single trick for the opponents. Note, that this does not lift off the opponent's points from declaration. Valats are doubled at no trumps. If there is a valat in a doubled contract, the winning team's points are doubled.

The first team to reach 151 in the global score is the winner, but the game cannot end while a valat takes place.

French belote
This part describes the main differences between the classic French rules and the ones above.

Dealing
After the four players receive the first five cards, the remaining cards are left face down except the card on the top, which is turned face up.

Bidding
The biddings are made in two rounds. During the first round each player must either pass or accept the card face up. Doing so will set the cards of the same suit as the face up card as trumps. If every player passed, another round is made. The players can propose another card suit as trumps, but must take the face up card. As soon as a player has accepted the card, the remaining cards are dealt :
 * 2 cards for the player who took the card
 * 3 cards for the 3 other players

Scoring
To score the points for a game, the team of the player who accepted the face up card must score more than the other team. Otherwise, the other team wins all the points. Generally, this means a team needs to score at least 81 as there are a total of 162 points in the game. However, bonus points won from belote or declarations might be taken into account.

Worldwide variants

 * Quebec: Bœuf
 * Bulgaria: Бридж-белот, Bridge-belote
 * Greece: Βίδα, Vida; Μπουρλότ, Bourlot
 * Cyprus: Πιλόττα, Pilotta
 * Croatia: Bela or Belot
 * North Macedonia: Бељот, Beljot
 * Armenia: Բազար բլոտ, Bazaar belote
 * Arabian Peninsula: بلوت, Baloot
 * Russia: Белот, Belot
 * Tunisia: Belote
 * Morocco: Belote
 * Moldova: Belot
 * Madagascar: Tsiroanomandidy or Beloty