Frequently Asked Questions.

Belot (also known as Belote) is Bulgaria's most popular trick-taking card game. It is played by 4 players in two teams of 2, using a 32-card deck (7 through Ace in each suit). The game combines strategic bidding, announcements, and careful card play.

You need exactly 4 players, divided into two teams of 2. Teammates sit across from each other. You can play with friends in a private lobby or let matchmaking find opponents for you.

Belot uses a standard 32-card deck: 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace in each of the four suits (Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs). Cards 2 through 6 are not used.

The first team to reach 151 points wins the game. Points are accumulated over multiple rounds. Each round consists of bidding, playing 8 tricks, and scoring. However, a round won by valat (taking all 8 tricks) cannot end the game.

Trump is a dominant suit chosen during bidding. Trump cards beat non-trump cards and have a different point hierarchy — the Jack is worth 20 points and the 9 is worth 14, making them the most powerful cards. There are also All Trumps and No Trumps variants.

Starting from the player to the right of the dealer, each player can bid or pass. Bids declare the trump suit (Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, Spades), All Trumps, or No Trumps. Each bid must be higher than the previous one. Three consecutive passes after a valid bid ends the bidding phase. Players can also Double or Redouble.

Announcements are bonus point declarations made when playing your first card. They include sequences — Tierce (3 consecutive cards of one suit, 20 pts), Quarte (4 cards, 50 pts), Quinte (5 cards, 100 pts) — and Carré (four of a kind, 100 pts; four 9s = 150 pts; four Jacks = 200 pts). The team with the highest announcement scores all their team's announcements.

Belote is a special declaration of the King and Queen of the trump suit, worth 20 points. Unlike other announcements, Belote can be declared at any point during the round when playing either of those cards.

After all 8 tricks, card points are totalled and divided by 10 (rounded). The last trick earns a 10-point bonus. The bidding team must outscore the opponents to keep their points. If the scores are equal ("hanging"), the bidding team scores nothing and the points carry to the next round. If the bidding team scores fewer ("inside"), the opposing team takes everything.

Valat means winning all 8 tricks in a round. It awards a 90-point bonus on top of the last trick's 10 points. Valat is rare and carries a special rule: even if a team crosses 151 points through a valat, the game continues until a non-valat round decides the winner.

After a bid is made, the opposing team can Double it (2x multiplier on the round's stakes). The bidding team can then Redouble (4x multiplier). This dramatically increases the points at stake for that round.

Count your strong cards before bidding. A hand with the Jack and 9 of a suit is very powerful in trump. Consider your partner's likely cards too — if they passed, they may still have support. Avoid overbidding with a weak hand, as going "inside" gives all the points to the opponents.

Focus on tracking trump cards and Aces first — these decide most tricks. Count how many trumps have been played and note which high cards in each suit are still out. With practice, tracking the 32-card deck becomes natural.

Double when you're confident the opposing team's bid will fail — for example, when you hold strong trumps or many Aces. Redouble only when you're very sure of your hand, since the 4x multiplier means a big swing either way.

As the bidding team, lead with trumps early to clear the opponents' trump cards, then cash your strong side-suit winners. As the defending team, try to force the bidders to use trumps on your strong suits and communicate with your partner through your card choices.

In Belot, you communicate through which cards you play. Playing a high card in a suit suggests strength; discarding a low card from a suit suggests weakness. Pay attention to what your partner leads and discards to coordinate your play.

Yes, you can create an account and start playing for free. We may introduce optional premium features in the future, but the core game experience will always be accessible.

Belotly works on web browsers, Android, iOS, and desktop. Your account, stats, and rankings sync across all platforms.

Belotly uses an ELO-based matchmaking system. When you join the queue, the system finds players close to your skill level. The search range expands over time to ensure you find a match. Teams are balanced by interleaving players by rating.

ELO is a competitive rating system adapted from chess for 2v2 team play. Your rating goes up when you win and down when you lose, with the change depending on the relative strength of the teams. You need at least 5 games to appear on the leaderboard.

Yes. Create a private lobby and share the room code with your friends. Private rooms are hidden from the public room list and can only be joined by code.

Yes, you need to create an account to play. This lets you track your stats, build your ELO ranking, appear on leaderboards, and maintain your progress across sessions.