Strategy · Counting cards
How to count cards in Belot
Nobody remembers all 32 cards from their first deal – and you do not need to. Good players track a few things, but they track them every time: how many trumps are left, where the jacks and nines are, which aces and tens have gone, and how many points their team has. That is enough to know when your ace is safe and when the contract is already made.
Here you will find a step-by-step method, from the easiest to the hardest, and a trainer to practise it without playing a full deal. Once it becomes a habit, move on to reading your partner’s hand – the last part covers that.
6 min readUpdated By the Belot Arena team
What counting gives you
Counting is not a goal in itself. It answers three questions that come up in every deal: can I cash my ace without it being ruffed; is my ten already the top card of its suit; and how many more points do we need.
Without answers to those questions you are playing on luck. With them you know when to take a risk and when to play safe – and you stop losing tens under other people’s aces.
Step 1: the trumps
In a suit contract start with the trumps only. There are eight. Before the first card, count yours and subtract from eight – that is how many are out. After every trick subtract each trump that fell: on a lead, when following, when ruffing.
Example: you play hearts and hold J♥ 10♥ 8♥. Five are out. In the first trick someone ruffs with 7♥ – four left. In the second you lead J♥ and three hearts fall – one left. Now you know only one player can still ruff, and you probably know who.
| Moment | In my hand | Fallen | Out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| Ruff with 7♥ | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| I lead J♥, three hearts fall | 2 | 4 | 1 |
Count down, not up: “one is still out” is easier to remember than “six have fallen”.
Step 2: jacks, nines, aces and tens
Once counting trumps is a habit, add the big cards. In a suit contract these are the jack and nine of trumps and the aces of the other three suits. Then the tens. You do not need to remember queens and eights: they rarely decide a trick.
A handy method is to keep a small “ladder” for each suit. In a plain suit you ask: has the ace gone? If yes, the ten is the top card. In trumps: has the jack gone? If yes, the nine is top. Two questions per suit tell you which card is the “master”.
| Suit | Master if nothing has gone | Next, once the first has gone |
|---|---|---|
| Trumps (suit contract) | J | 9, then A |
| Plain suit | A | 10, then K |
| No trumps | A | 10, then K |
| All trumps | J | 9, then A |
The card order in every contract is explained in detail in the card ranking.
Step 3: the points
A suit contract deal has 162 points: 62 in the trump suit, 30 in each of the other three and 10 for the last trick. Without declarations the declaring team needs 82, because it has to beat the defenders outright.
Do not count every card. Count only your own team’s tricks, and round: ace and ten in one trick are “about 25”, the jack of trumps with something “over 20”. If after five tricks you have about 70 and you know the last trick is yours, the contract is almost made.
The count gets sharper if you remember declarations too. An opponent’s tierce adds 20 to their side – and the line you have to cross moves. If you lose track, check the deal afterwards with the score calculator.
Step 4: three checkpoints during the deal
Instead of thinking non-stop, stop three times – after the third, fifth and seventh trick – and answer a few short questions.
| After trick | Questions |
|---|---|
| 3 | How many trumps are out? Have the jack and nine of trumps gone? |
| 5 | Which aces and tens are left? Who is void in which suit? How many points do we have? |
| 7 | What is everyone’s last card? Whose will the last trick be – and its 10 points? |
The trainer below does exactly this: the bots play a few tricks in a suit contract, you study them, hide them, and answer how many trumps the other three players still hold and which of the big trumps have not appeared yet. Start with three tricks and raise the number once you answer without mistakes.
Step 5: who is void in what
The most valuable information comes when someone does not follow suit. In a suit contract it means they have none of that suit – and if an opponent held the trick, they had to ruff, or to overruff if an opponent had already ruffed. If they did not play a trump, either they have none, or their partner held the trick, or their trumps are lower than the one on the table.
| You see | It means |
|---|---|
| A player does not follow and ruffs | They are void in that suit. They will ruff it again while they still have trumps. |
| A player does not follow or ruff, an opponent holds the trick, no trump on the table | They have neither that suit nor any trumps. |
| A player does not follow and does not overruff the trump on the table | They are void and hold no higher trump. They may still have small trumps – underruffing is not required. |
| A player does not follow and discards, their partner holds the trick | They are void in that suit. You learn nothing about their trumps – they did not have to ruff. |
Play a game against bots and after the third trick of every deal say to yourself how many trumps are out.
Count against botsWhat your partner tells you
Once counting is a habit, you start to see your partner’s hand as well. If they return the suit you led, they probably have more of it or want you to continue. If they smear a ten on your ace, they usually have no better place for it. These inferences are legitimate because they come only from the cards played – more on them and on signals in the advanced strategy guide.
Do not overdo it: with an unknown partner online, do not rely on complex signals. Count what is certain – the cards played – and only then guess.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to remember all 32 cards?
No. Start with the trumps, then jacks and nines, then aces and tens. That covers almost every important decision.
How do I avoid losing count of the trumps?
Count down – how many are still out, not how many have fallen. Update the number after every trick, including when someone ruffs.
How many points do I need to make a suit contract?
Without declarations at least 82 of 162, because you need more than the defenders. At 81–81 the deal is hanging. Declarations and belots move that line.
Read next
Playing a trump contract
Drawing trumps, discarding and keeping trumps for the end.
Advanced strategy
Card counting, partner signals and choosing the right contract.
Beginner strategy
First good habits: hand evaluation, leading and partnership play.
Card ranking
Card order in suit trumps, No trumps and All trumps – with a comparison tool.