Belote glossary

Atout, capot, dix de der, monter, couper… Belote has its own words, mostly French. Here they are, explained simply.

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Trumps (atout)

The suit chosen for the hand. Its cards beat all others, and its Jack (20 points) and 9 (14) become the strongest.

Belote and rebelote

The trump King and Queen in the same hand: say "belote" when playing the first, "rebelote" with the second. 20 points.

Capot

Winning every trick of the hand. In Belote, 252 points; in Coinche, a contract worth 500.

Carré

Four cards of the same rank, declared at the start of the hand: four Jacks 200, four 9s 150, four Aces, 10s, Kings or Queens 100.

Cinquante

A declaration of four cards in a row in the same suit: 50 points.

Coinche (contrée)

Belote with bidding. To coinche is to bet the other team won't make its contract: the points are doubled.

Contract

In Coinche, the winning bid: a number of points (80 to 160) and a trump suit the bidding team commits to.

Trumping (couper)

Playing a trump when you can't follow the suit led.

Going down (dedans)

Failing your contract: the defenders score the points.

Dix de der

The 10 bonus points for winning the last trick of the hand.

Hand (donne)

One round: from the deal to the last trick.

Following suit (fournir)

Playing a card of the suit led, which you must do when you can.

Master card (maître)

The highest card still in play in its suit; the player who is master of the trick is the one winning it so far.

Overtrumping (monter)

Playing a higher trump than the one already in the trick, which you must do when you can.

Trick (pli)

The four cards played in turn, one per player; the highest wins it.

Taker (preneur)

The player who chose trumps (Belote) or won the bidding (Coinche).

Surcoinche

The answer to a coinche: the bidding team stands by its contract, and the points are multiplied by four.

Tierce

A declaration of three cards in a row in the same suit: 20 points.