Contrée: the card game
Updated
In the South of France people simply say contrée. Elsewhere they say coinche or belote contrée, but it is the same card game: four players, 32 cards, an auction and a named trump suit.
Contrée, coinche, contract belote: one single game
First thing to know: contrée = coinche = contract belote. Three regional names, one set of rules. « Contrée » dominates in the South (Marseille, Provence, Languedoc), « coinche » is heard more in the North and East, and « belote contrée » is the full, slightly more formal form. If you learned the game as contrée and land on a coinche guide, everything applies as-is. The vocabulary nuances are covered in coinche, contrée and belote: the differences and on our contract belote page.
What you need to play contrée
You need a 32-card deck (7 up to Ace) and 4 players in 2 teams of two, partners sitting opposite each other. The dealer hands out every card, 8 per player, usually in packets of 3, 2 then 3. A deal is played over 8 tricks, and a match runs through deals until an agreed total, often 1000 or 1500 points.
The auction: from 80 to capot
Before play, each player speaks in turn. A bid names a point target and a trump suit (or no-trump, or all-trump). Steps run from 80 to 160 in tens, then come the special contracts up to capot. Whoever made the highest bid becomes the taker: their side must reach the contract, the other side tries to make it fail.
This is where the game gets its name: if you believe the taker cannot get there, you may counter, also called coincher. The contract's value is then doubled (x2). The taker can fire back with a surcoinche, which quadruples it (x4).
Contrée scoring at a glance
A deal is worth 162 points: 152 held in the cards plus a 10-point last-trick bonus (the 10 de der).
- In trumps: Jack 20, 9 = 14, Ace 11, 10 = 10, King 4, Queen 3.
- Outside trumps: Ace 11, 10 = 10, King 4, Queen 3, Jack 2.
- Belote (King and Queen of trumps in the same hand): 20 points.
- Capot (all 8 tricks): a 90-point bonus makes the deal worth 252; bid as a 250 contract and made, it scores 252 + 250 = 502.
The full table, with the ranking orders, sits on card values, and the rule detail on the complete rules.
Where to play contrée
The easiest way in: start a game against the computer, get it wrong, try again. On Coincheur you play contrée for free in your browser, with no signup, against AIs of several levels, with a coach that explains your choices. Once the reflexes settle in, move on to strategy.
Want to practise? Play coinche online for free: tunable AIs and a coach are waiting for you on Coincheur.See also
FAQ
What game is contrée exactly?
It is a 4-player card game derived from belote, with an auction and a named trump suit. Depending on the region it is called contrée, coinche or contract belote: the rules are the same.
How many points are in a contrée deal?
162 points: 152 in the cards and 10 for winning the last trick. Belote (King and Queen of trumps) adds 20 points, and a capot (all 8 tricks) lifts the deal to 252; bid and made, it scores 252 + 250 = 502.
Why is the game called contrée?
Because you can counter the opposing contract, betting that it will fail: the contract's value is then doubled, and quadrupled if the opponents surcoinche.