Rules of Belote
Belote has many variations. The game is played by many people around the world with rules specific to the region. Belote Royale engine only implements one of these specific veriations. The rule set implemented within Belote Royale is neither the right nor wrong version. It is just one of the veriations. This version of the game engine implements is "Original Belote". The specific rules are as follows.
The Deck
A 32 card deck is needed (A K Q J 10 9 8 7 of each suit).
Card Point Values
In Belote, trump card point values rank and score differently from those in another suits.
| Trump suit points | A | K | Q | J | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 |
| 11 | 4 | 3 | 20 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 0 | |
| Other suits points | 11 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Dealing & Bidding
Players form two teams of two partners. Partners sit at opposite seats. The direction of deal, bidding and play is clockwise. The dealer gives a set of three cards to each player, then another set of two cards, and turns the next card face up. The player after the dealer in rotation (the player to dealer's left) can now "take", i.e. choose the turn-up card suit as a trump, or pass. If this player passes, the next player can take or pass, and so on around the table. If all 4 players pass, each in turn has a second chance to take, choosing a trump suit other than that of the face up card. If all players pass a second time, the cards are collected together and the next player in rotation deals.
As soon as a player takes (in the first or second round of bidding), the bidding ends. The taker is given the turn-up card and the deal resumes. Each player except the taker is dealt a further packet of three cards, and the taker is dealt only two cards. These cards are dealt in rotation, beginning to dealer's left and ending with the dealer.
Decloration
Declarations are particular sets of cards held in players' hands, which give players extra points. There are three types of declarations:
Four cards of the same rank (square)
4 jacks: 200 points
4 nines: 150 points
4 aces: 100 points
4 tens: 100 points
4 kings: 100 points
4 queens: 100 points
Sequences
Sequences from 3 to 5 cards of the same suit. The ranking of card for sequences is by descending order.
Sequences longer than 5 cards are declared and counted as any of the 5-card sequences which they include.
A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7
Belote and Rebelote
The trump King and Queen held together in one player's hand is called Belote, and
this sequence is counted for 20 points.
Ranking of Declorations
Belote-Rebelote always scores 20 points, irrespective of other declarations. Apart from Belote-Rebelote, only the team holding the highest declaration is entitled to count its declarations. The other team scores nothing even if it holds several inferior declarations giving a point total higher than the highest declaration. A square is higher than a 5 card sequence. Between equally long sequences, the one containing the higher ranked cards wins. If there are two sequences of equal rank, and one is trumps, the trump sequence wins. If none is trump, the one held by the player who is earliest in rotation wins (playing clockwise, the player to dealer's left is first in rotation and the dealer is last). A particular card may not be involved in two declarations (except in Belote-Rebelote). Each player makes his declaration(s) at the moment right before he plays his card during the first trick. A player who holds the king and queen of trumps declares "Belote" when playing the first of these card and "Rebelote" when playing the second.
The Play
The next player in rotation after the dealer (the player to dealer's right) leads a card.
The subsequent players must follow suit if they can. If the card led is trump, subsequent
players must not only follow suit, but also play a trump card that beats all previous cards
if they can, whoever holds the trick at this stage. Trumping If a player is
unable to follow to a non-trump suit, and at his turn to play the trick is held by an opponent,
he must trump if he can, otherwise he may discard any card. If his partner holds the trick he
is free to either trump, or discard any card. Overtrumping and undertrumping
If a player is the third or the fourth to play, and is unable to follow a non-trump suit, and
the opponent just before him has trumped, he must overtrump if he can. If he has trumps but is
unable to overtrump, he must still play a trump, although he does not benefit from doing so.
If a player is the fourth to play, his partner has trumped, the opponent before him has either
discarded or undertrumped, and he is unable to follow suit, he may discard even if he hold trumps.
He may also choose to overtrump if he holds a higher trump and is unable to follow suit.
If none of the trumps which he holds is high enough to win the trick, and he is unable to
follow suit, he may choose to undertrump. But if he is unable to follow suit, and he holds a
trump high enough to win the trick, he is not allowed to undertrump.
To summarize these last rules, the trumping, overtrumping and undertrumping requirements
are relaxed when the partner holds the trick. As in most trick-taking games, the player who
won the trick has the lead to the next one. The last trick counts 10 points for the team who
wins it. The point total including these 10 is 162 points.
Scoring
The tricks taken by each team are added to the team's scoring declarations. If the team who "took" wins at least as many points as the other team, the taking team has made its contract, and both teams add their scores into their column. If the taker's team's points are less than those of the opponents, the takers are inside, and the opponents score 162 points plus the losing team's declarations, if any, plus their own declarations. If the team who took wins all the tricks, that team scores 100 points, giving a total of 252 points plus declarations. The team which took no tricks forfeit their own declarations other than Belote-Rebelote, if any. In some exceptional cases it turns out that the team who took wins no tricks at all. Despite the likely derision in this case the other team wins only the regular 252 points, plus all the declarations of both teams. The winning team is the first to reach a total of 1000 points. If both sides reach 1000 points on the same hand, the game is drawn.