GameTwist Belote Guide - How to play the popular French game?

Belote is a card game at the height of its popularity in France, Belgium, and Germany. It has a long history and was revered among aristocrats. Playing Belot is recommended in company, as most often you can find variations of the game for 4 players or pairs. When it comes to GameTwist Belote, however, it is easy to pick up distribution partners here.

Brief History of the Game of Belote

The history of Belote can be traced back to France, although there is no documented or scientifically proven evidence. It is among the French that it is most popular. They perceive the game as a national sport and actively gather companies to play together. 

The game owes its origin to the Dutch game Clavirios. They have a number of similarities. This is mainly seen in the fact that both games belong to the card class, and they can also be played as bribes. A distinctive element is that the game of Belote is based on card counting. This brings it closer to popular card variations like baccarat and blackjack. 

In addition, the course of the Belote game involves trading and shenanigans. Historically, it is known that the official rules were published in 1921. The popular French game is presented in three main varieties. There are different types of Belote:

• modern;
• contract;
• classic. 

Variations differ due to the game stages, as well as the rules for counting cards. Belote can be played by 2 or 5-7 people. That said, the number of players is important at the handing stage. 

The rules of the game in Belote GameTwist

To play Belote, a deck of 32 cards is used. At the beginning of the hand, each player is dealt 6 cards. It's also worth taking the time to decide who the dealer will be. Most often this is done by drawing lots, but other methods of determination are also possible.

The suit of trump is determined by the top card. To win in Belote GameTwist, you need to score 50 points before other players or before a pair of opponents. Since the game is based on card counting, the results of each deal will be different.

Once the trump suit is chosen, the game begins. At this stage, players are dealt 3 more cards per round. In the end, each player should have 9 cards in their hands.

Points and combinations

There are two ways to get points during the Belote game: for bribes and for combinations. Each bribe varies in value, with the last one earning 10 points. Only the player who manages to get the combination that leads in seniority will get points. 

Rules for forming combinations

In Belote, card combinations are formed using bribes that players receive for winning a round. Card combinations allow players to get extra points based on their value and the cards they enter.

Here are some basic rules for forming combinations in Belote:

• Card seniority. In Belote, card suits have different seniority. It is defined as follows: trumps > ace > king > queen > jack > 10 > 9 > 8 > 7. Thus, trumps are the strongest cards, and cards of other suits are ordered in descending order.
• The number of points for bribes. Tricks in Beloit give different numbers of points. For each trick in the combination you can get the following number of points: trumps - 20, ace - 11, king - 4, queen - 3, jack - 2. 
• Card Combinations. Card combinations in Belote can consist of one or more types of cards taken during a round. Let's look at popular card combinations in more detail below. 
  Scoring. When the round is over, the card combinations are counted and the players receive the corresponding number of points. If both teams have the same card combinations, no points are counted.

As mentioned, back to the popular card combinations. They vary in content and number of points. We are talking about these combinations:

• White. A king and queen of the same suit come in.
• Straight. Formed from cards of the same suit, ordered by seniority.
• Royal Sequence. This combination includes a ten, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace. These cards must be of the same suit.
• Four of a Kind. A combination of four cards, consecutive in rank.
• Sequence. A sequence of five cards in order of precedence. It counts only if there are no trumps. 

Thus, forming card combinations in Belote is an important element of the game, allowing players to get extra points for winning the round.

Bribes in Belote

A bribe in the game Belote is a set of cards that a team wins during one round. The team that wins a bribe receives points, which are added to their total score.

The bribes in Belote are particularly important because they determine which team wins at the end of the game. The bribes are also important in order to fulfill the announcement that was made at the beginning of the round. 

For example, if a player announces Belote, he must win a bribe containing the King and Queen of the trump suit in order for his team to receive 20 extra points. If a team fails its declaration, it receives no additional points for doing so.

Several rules can be distinguished that affect bribes:

1. Bribes can be won by using the trump card, which is the strongest card in the entire game. 
2. If a bribe contains a trump card, that bribe is won by the team with the highest trump card. If a bribe does not contain a trump card, it is won by the team that has the highest card in the suit that was started in that bribe.
3. The bribes can be won by bluffing. A player may discard a card that can't beat the previous card in that bribe, but it may confuse the opponent. This would make him think the player doesn't have a card of that suit and discard the stronger card. This allows the player to win the bribe with a stronger card of the same suit.

Payoffs are an important part of the game of Belote. Players must be able to use their cards effectively to win bribes and score points for their team. In addition to this, it is also important to consider announcements and try to complete them to gain extra points. 

Game progression

At the beginning of the game, players are divided into two teams of at least 2 people. They must take turns in the game. At the beginning of the round is the delivery of cards. It is performed in 4 stages: 

• Each player is dealt a certain number of cards.
• The top card of the deck is set as the trump card before the trade begins.
• Once the trade ends, each player receives the remaining cards. After that there is a resumption of trading.
• Drawing begins after all the cards are dealt.

The round ends with a card count. At the same time the dealer for the next round is announced. He is the player who managed to get the most points in the previous round. The game can sound confusing, especially for beginners, but after 2-3 hands it will be easier and easier to understand. 

In the course of the game it is customary to distinguish the winning move. It is easy to determine, as the player gets the most points. In some cases, the winning move is assigned to the player who has collected the combination of trump cards. But according to the rules, victory is awarded to the player who announced the combination with the highest value cards. 

Trading Rules

The rules of trade in Belote determine which cards will be involved in a given round and which will be trump cards. Trading begins after the cards are dealt and before the first take.

Here are some basic rules for trading in Belote. So, players take turns betting. The player who starts the trade is called the first bidder and his partner is called the second bidder. Each player can make one bet.

Bets can be of the following types:

• Pass - the player does not place a bet and passes the right to trade to the next player.
• Contra - a player doubles his bet. If his partner agrees to a counter, the bet is doubled again. If his partner refuses the counter, the player who made the counter loses points.
• Recontra is double the counter that can be made by the team that was subjected to the counter. If the partners decide to accept the counter, the bet is doubled again. If the partners refuse, the team that made the recontra loses points.

There are three trade options:

1. The first option is "take". The player who starts the trade can say "take", which means that he agrees to take the trump suit that has been played on the table. In this case, trump changes to the lowest card in the suit that the player has chosen. For example, if the player has chosen the "clubs" suit, the lowest "clubs" card becomes the trump card. If the player chooses "spades", the lowest card of "spades" becomes a trump card.
2. The second option is "pass". The player can say "pass", which means he does not want to take the trump suit. Then the right to choose a trump suit passes to the next player.
3. The third option is "pass". A player can say "pass", which means he does not want to take the trump suit or pass on the right to choose a trump suit.

Trading is a key aspect of the game of Belote. Successful trading requires players to have tactical skills, as it allows them to determine the further course of the game. You should be guided by the cards you have in your hand. 

Possible Game Developments

In the game of Belote there are various possible game developments that can affect the outcome of the round and determine the winner. Some of these include:

• Winning on a dry run. If a team is able to take all 8 takedowns in a round, this is called a "dry win" and results in bonus points.
• Earning extra points. There are additional ways to earn points in the game, such as Belote (holding a King and Queen of the same suit), Mariage (holding a King and Queen of the same color group) and others.
• Draw. If both teams earn the same number of points in a round, it is considered a tie. 

The winner of the game is the team that first earns enough points to win, such as 201 points. The required number of points is usually set in advance. On average, it ranges from 100-200 points. This is the optimal number to get a dynamic game. 

For a variety of reasons, players can interrupt the game. Most often this is due to an error in scoring or lack of time. As a separate outcome of the game should consider the exchange of cards between partners. It is possible only at the end of the round and allows you to determine a strategy for further dealings. 

A brief conclusion about the game of Belote

GameTwist Belote has several pluses, including simple rules, the social aspect, a variety of strategies, and versatility. However, there are also some disadvantages. These are the inconvenience of playing in pairs, the need to calculate points and the variety of game options. More advantages of this popular card game are collected in the table below:

In conclusion, the game of Belote is suitable for all fans of card games. Its rules are simple, but there are subtleties and strategies that can raise the probability of victory. The French game Belote is a team game, with the GameTwist platform providing an individual mode of play. There is some element of randomness in the game, making each round unique and exciting.

Author: Tatyana Storozhenko

Site Editor

Tatyana is the author of expert articles on ReallySpins. She has been working in the gambling industry for more than 4 years. She knows the essence of online casinos from beginning to end, so the information on the site is carefully checked by many criteria. When writing reviews and analyses, the emphasis is on truthfulness and usefulness.

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