Contract belote for beginners: the game in 5 minutes
Never played contract belote? In five minutes you will grasp the essentials and be ready to start your first game with no stress.
1. Who plays, and with what
Contract belote is played by 4 players in teams of two. Partners sit opposite each other: you play with the person across the table against the two beside you. You use a 32-card deck (7 to Ace in each suit).
2. Bidding: announcing a contract
Before playing, you bid. In turn, each player announces a point target (from 80 to 160, then capot) and a trump suit, or passes. The last bid becomes the contract to fulfil. To start right, read the bidding guide.
3. The cards and their value
In the trump suit the order changes: the Jack is strongest (20 points), then the 9 (14). Outside trumps, the Ace rules. No need to memorise it all at once: keep the value table handy at first.
4. Scoring and countering
A deal is worth 162 points (152 in the cards + a 10-point last-trick bonus). At the end you check whether the taking team reached its contract. And if you sense the opponents will fall short, you can coincher to double the points: that is what gives the game its name. Detail in counting points.
5. Learn by playing
This theory is enough to begin; the rest comes from playing. The simplest path: run a few deals against the computer, make mistakes, try again. Want the full rules first? Head to the coinche rules (reminder: contract belote = coinche).
See also
FAQ
Is contract belote hard for a beginner?
No: the basics (4 players, bidding, winning tricks) take a few minutes to learn. The subtlety of bidding and countering comes later, through play.
How is it different from the belote I already know?
The big addition is the bidding: you announce a contract and a trump before playing, and you can counter the opponents. The rest resembles classic belote.
Where should I start?
Read this summary, keep the card-value table nearby, then run a few deals to lock in the reflexes.