Belot declarations: tierce, quarte, quinte, four of a kind and belot

Declaration table

Declarations come in three kinds: sequences (tierce, quarte, quinte), four of a kind, and belot (king and queen of the trump suit). Their points are added to the team's raw total and take part in deciding whether the contract is made.

Four sevens and four eights are not a declaration and score nothing.

How sequences are formed

Sequences use the natural card order: 7, 8, 9, 10, jack, queen, king, ace. This order is the same in every contract - the trump power of the jack and nine does not matter here. All cards in a sequence must be of the same suit.

A run of five to eight cards counts as a single quinte worth 100 points. If you hold two separate runs in one suit, split by a missing card, they count separately. Sequences in different suits also count separately, as long as your team wins the comparison.

• 7-8-9 of hearts - tierce, 20 points.
• 9-10-jack-queen of spades - quarte, 50 points.
• 10-jack-queen-king-ace of diamonds - quinte, 100 points.
• 7-8-9-10-jack-queen of clubs (six cards) - one quinte, 100 points.
• 7-8-9 and jack-queen-king of one suit, without the ten - two tierces, 40 points in total.
• A tierce in hearts and a quarte in clubs in one hand - 70 points if the team wins the comparison.

Four of a kind

Four of a kind means all four cards of one rank - one from each suit. The most valuable is four jacks (200), followed by four nines (150), while four aces, tens, kings or queens score 100 each. Four sevens or four eights are not recognised.

Four of a kind beats every sequence: even four queens worth 100 beat a quinte worth 100. In Belot Arena one card may be part of both a four of a kind and a sequence - for example the jack of hearts can belong to four jacks and to a jack-queen-king tierce in hearts.

Which declaration wins

Both partners' declarations are pooled for the team, but only one team scores - the one holding the strongest single declaration. If it wins, it records all of its declarations and the opponents record none. The comparison is made automatically after the first trick, once all declarations are known.

• Example: we have a quarte (50), the opponents have two tierces (2 × 20 = 40). A quarte is stronger than a tierce, so we record 50 and they record 0, even though they hold more declarations.
• Example: we have a quinte (100), the opponents have four queens (100). Four of a kind beats a sequence, so the opponents win.
• Example: in a spades contract we hold a 9-10-jack tierce in spades, the opponents a 9-10-jack tierce in hearts. The top cards are equal and ours is in trumps - we win.

1. Each team puts forward its strongest single declaration.
2. Four of a kind always beats a sequence.
3. Between two fours or two sequences, the one worth more points wins (four jacks > four nines > other fours; quinte > quarte > tierce).
4. Between sequences worth the same, the one with the higher top card wins - a tierce to the ace beats a tierce to the king.
5. If the top cards are also equal, in a suit contract the sequence in the trump suit wins.
6. If the declarations are still completely equal, neither team scores any declaration points.

Belot: rules and timing

Belot is the king and queen of the trump suit held by the same player. It is worth 20 points and differs from other declarations in two ways: it is announced during play, not at the start, and it does not take part in the comparison - belot always counts for the team that holds it, even if the opponents won the comparison of the other declarations.

Belot is announced when you play the first of the two cards - the king or the queen. The announcement succeeds if you lead with it or play it to follow the suit that was led. If you play it to ruff a trick in another suit, the belot is lost.

In a suit contract belot can only exist in the trump suit. In All trumps every suit is trump, so belot is possible in all four suits and one player may hold more than one belot. A king and queen can be a belot and part of a sequence at the same time.

• You lead the king of trumps - the belot is announced.
• Hearts (trumps) are led and you follow with the queen of hearts - the belot is announced.
• Clubs are led, you have no clubs and ruff with the king of hearts (trumps) - the belot is lost.

Declarations in each contract

The contract decides whether declarations count at all. In No trumps no declarations are played - no sequences, no fours and no belot. That is one reason No trumps is a riskier choice when you hold a strong declaration.

The strategic value of declarations

Declarations affect bidding. A quinte adds 100 raw points - about 10 game points - and can turn an average hand into a good contract. Four jacks are a strong argument for All trumps: besides the 200 points you hold the strongest card in every suit. If you have a big declaration, avoid No trumps, where it loses its value.

Declarations count when deciding whether the contract is made, so they work both ways. A strong declaration held by the defenders can push the declaring team "inside". If the opponents are bidding and you hold four of a kind, a contra becomes more tempting. Remember too that contra and recontra multiply declaration points as well.

Declarations reveal information. After the comparison you know that an opponent holds, for example, 9-10-jack-queen of clubs, and you can plan your play. The same applies in reverse - after you declare, the opponents know part of your hand.

Common mistakes

• Expecting points for four sevens or four eights.
• Counting on declarations in No trumps.
• Adding up all the team's declarations for the comparison - only the strongest single declaration decides.
• Ruffing with the king or queen of trumps and losing the belot.
• Thinking a six- or seven-card run is worth more than a quinte.
• Forgetting that the defenders' declarations also count and can defeat the contract.