How to play Coinche

Belote is a trick-taking card game for four players in two partnerships, played with 32 cards, in which the bidding decides the trumps and which side has to make the contract.

Belote with a computer partner against two computer players, under Coinche rules to 1000 points.

About Coinche

Coinche differs from the Bulgarian game in its auction: you bid the number of points your side will take, from 80 to 160 or capot, along with the trumps, and the side that wins the auction must reach that number.

Coinche deals all eight cards, three, two and three, before the auction. It rounds each side's points to the nearest ten rather than dividing them, and is played to 1000.

Starting to the dealer's right, each player may pass or bid 80 to 160 in steps of ten, or capot, worth 250, for all eight tricks, naming clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades, No trumps or All trumps. Each bid must be higher than the last, and anyone may bid, including your partner or a player who has passed. Three passes after a bid end the auction, and four passes without a bid throw the cards in.

A player may coinche the other side's bid, which doubles it and closes the auction to further bids. The bidders may then surcoinche, which doubles it again, or pass, and the auction ends when one of them surcoinches or both pass.

In No trumps every suit ranks as a plain suit, and the ace is worth 19, the ten 10, the king 4, the queen 3 and the jack 2. In All trumps every suit ranks as a trump suit, and the jack is worth 14, the nine 9, the ace 6, the ten 5, the king 3 and the queen 1. Either way a hand is worth 162 with the last trick.

In a suit contract, when you cannot follow suit and your partner is not winning the trick, you must play a trump if you have one, beating any trump in the trick if you can and otherwise playing a lower one. When your partner is winning you may play any card, but a trump played over another trump must beat it if you can. In All trumps you must play a higher card of the suit led whenever you can, even over your partner, and in No trumps you only have to follow suit.

Declarations count in every contract. A card counts in only one declaration, and a run of six or more cards is one quint. In No trumps four aces are worth 200, four tens 150 and four kings, queens or jacks 100, and there are no fours of nines or lower.

The side holding the best single declaration at the table counts all of its own: the one worth more points, then a four of a kind before a sequence, then the longer sequence, then the higher top card, then in a suit contract a sequence in trumps. If the best two are still equal, no declaration counts.

Belote, the king and queen of trumps played by the player who held both, is worth 20. In All trumps it can be made in every suit, and in No trumps there is none.

The bidders make their contract when they take at least 82 card points and their card points, declarations and belote reach the bid, or, on a capot bid, when they take every trick. If they make it, they score their points plus the bid and the defenders score theirs, each rounded to the nearest ten. If they fail, they keep only their belote, and the defenders score 160, the bid, every counted declaration and their own belote. A side that takes every trick counts 250 for its cards instead, so a capot bid is worth 500 whether it is made or lost.

After a coinche, the side that wins the hand scores 160, or 250 after a capot or a capot bid, plus the bid and every counted declaration, times two, or times four after a surcoinche, and each side keeps its belote. The game ends after a hand in which a side reaches 1000 points: the higher score wins, and equal scores go to the side that won that hand.

The goal of Belote

Belote is a trick-taking game for four players in two partnerships, with partners sitting opposite each other. You play with a computer partner against two computer players. Each hand the bidding decides the trumps and which side has to make the contract, and the first side to reach the target score wins.

How to set up Belote

Belote is played with 32 cards, the seven to the ace of each suit, and every player ends up with eight. In the Bulgarian game, French Belote and Bela some are dealt before trumps are chosen and the rest after, while Coinche deals all eight first. The deal and the play go counter-clockwise, and the deal passes to the next player after every hand.

Belote rules

The player to the dealer's right bids first and leads the first trick, and whoever wins a trick leads the next.

In the trump suit the cards rank jack, nine, ace, ten, king, queen, eight, seven, and are worth 20, 14, 11, 10, 4 and 3, with nothing for the eight and seven. In the other suits they rank ace, ten, king, queen, jack, nine, eight, seven, and are worth 11, 10, 4, 3 and 2, with nothing for the rest. In a suit contract that makes 152 points in the cards, and the last trick adds 10 for 162.

You must follow the suit led if you can. When trumps are led, you must play a higher trump than any in the trick if you have one, even when your partner is winning. When you cannot follow suit, the rules you play decide when you must trump.

A sequence of three cards in one suit, in the order seven, eight, nine, ten, jack, queen, king, ace, is a tierce worth 20, four is a quarte worth 50, and five is a quint worth 100. In a suit contract four jacks are worth 200, four nines 150, and four aces, tens, kings or queens 100.

You announce your declarations as you play your first card, and a declaration you do not announce does not score. They are shown after the first trick and compared, and the side with the weaker declarations does not score them.

The king and queen of trumps in one hand are worth 20 points, whichever side has the better declarations. The pair is called belot in the Bulgarian game, belote in French Belote and Coinche, and bela in Bela.

The full Belote guide, with strategy tips and common questions