Belote strategy & tips — when to take, count trumps & signal

Before taking trump, count your trump strength and your aces. The trump Jack and Nine are worth 20 and 14 — holding one, especially with a second trump and an outside ace, is often enough to take. Weak trump and no aces? Pass and let the other side commit.

In classic Belote the turned card is public information. If you pass, note that the dealer will pick it up if it is taken in the first round — so a strong upcard you can’t use may be about to help an opponent. Factor it into whether you take, and in which suit you name in round two.

There are only eight trumps. Track how many have been played and who is likely to hold the rest. Once trumps are exhausted from the opponents, your plain-suit aces and tens run free — that is when you cash them.

As the taker, leading trumps early draws them out of the opponents’ hands and protects your side-suit winners. When you are void in the led suit you must cut (play trump) — unless your partner is already winning the trick, in which case you can safely throw off. Never under-trump when you can over-trump.

Belote is a partnership game. Do not overtrump your own partner. When your partner is winning a trick, feed them your high plain-suit cards (Ace, Ten) to bank the points. Small signals — the suit you discard, the order you play — tell a good partner what you hold.