Rules · Scoring
The hanging deal in belot
A deal “hangs” (висяща игра) when the bidding team and its opponents finish on exactly the same points. The contract is neither made nor failed – the bidders’ points are left hanging and go to the team that wins the next deal.
It is the rule people argue about most at the kitchen table, so here it is step by step – with fully worked examples, how hanging points are rounded, how they accumulate and what happens on a hanging deal under contra.
6 min readUpdated By the Belot Arena team
When a deal hangs
At the end of the deal the raw points of both teams are compared: cards, the last ten, winning declarations, belots and capot. The bidders need strictly more. With fewer they are “inside” (вътре). With exactly as many as the opponents, the deal hangs.
In a suit contract without declarations the deal is worth 162, so it hangs at 81 to 81. In All trumps without declarations – at 129 to 129, and in No trumps (260 points after doubling) – at 130 to 130. Once declarations are involved the tie can come at other scores – for example 91 to 91 with a tierce, or 106 to 106 with a quarte.
Who records what
| Team | Records now | What happens to the points |
|---|---|---|
| Defenders | Their own points | Recorded straight away |
| Bidders | Nothing | They hang and go to the winner of the next deal |
The bidders’ points are divided by 10 and rounded at the moment they start to hang, and from then on they are kept as game points. Usually the normal rounding applies. The exception is when both totals end in 6 in a suit contract, or in 4 in All trumps: then the defenders round down and the hanging points round up. At 106 to 106 in a suit contract the defenders record 10 and 11 hang; at 154 to 154 in All trumps 15 are recorded and 16 hang. That way the deal keeps its full value.
Who takes the hanging points
Hanging points are not reserved for the team that earned them. They go to whoever wins the next deal:
- If the next contract is made – the hanging points go to the team that bid it.
- If the next contract fails – the defenders record all the points of the deal plus the hanging points.
- If the next deal is also a tie – the hanging points accumulate and wait for the one after.
That is why the bid after a hanging deal is worth more than usual – the stakes are higher both for the team that bids and for the team that beats it.
Examples
Check a deal of your own – the calculator also takes the hanging points from the previous deal.
Open the calculatorExample 1: a hanging deal with a declaration
North and South play clubs. They take 71 card points and South has a tierce (+20) – 91 in total. East and West take 91 card points (71 + 91 = 162). The deal hangs: East/West record 9 game points, North/South record nothing, and their 9 points hang.
Example 2: who takes the hanging 9
The next deal can end in three ways:
- North/South bid hearts and make it 110 to 52. They record 11 + 9 hanging = 20. East/West record 5.
- East/West bid spades and make it 100 to 62. The hanging points go to them: 10 + 9 = 19. North/South record 6.
- North/South bid hearts but fail 70 to 92. East/West record all 162 points (16) plus the hanging 9 – 25 in total. North/South record nothing.
Example 3: two hanging deals in a row
North and South play diamonds and finish 81 to 81: East/West record 8 and 8 hang. In the next deal East and West play All trumps and it is a tie again – 129 to 129. North/South record their 13 and the hanging points grow to 13 + 8 = 21.
In the third deal North and South make spades 96 to 66. Both totals end in 6, so the smaller one rounds up: East/West record 7 and North/South 9 + 21 hanging = 30.
Example 4: a tie on the boundary – 106 to 106
North and South play hearts. They take 56 card points and North has a quarte (+50) – 106 in total. East and West take 106 card points (56 + 106 = 162). The deal hangs. Both totals end in 6, so East/West round down and record 10, while North/South’s hanging points round up – 11 hang.
The same happens in All trumps at 154 to 154 (for example 104 card points plus a quarte against 154 card points): the defenders record 15 and 16 hang.
Example 5: a hanging deal under contra
Under contra or recontra a tie freezes the whole deal: nobody records anything and the points of both teams, multiplied by 2 or 4, hang.
North and South play spades, East doubles, and the result is 81 to 81. (81 + 81) × 2 = 324 points hang, i.e. 32 game points. In the next deal East and West make hearts 92 to 70 and record 9 + 32 = 41. North/South record 7.
How to use a hanging deal
- As the bidder: if you can see you won’t make it, fight at least for a tie. Failing gives the opponents everything; on a hanging deal they record only their own points, and yours stay in play – you may win them back in the next deal.
- As a defender: when the bidders are right on the edge, the last trick (10 points) often decides between a hanging deal and a failed contract. Count the points in the last three tricks.
- Under contra: a hanging deal postpones everything. If the opponents are close to 151, a tie under contra can buy you one more deal to turn things around.
- After a hanging deal: think twice before bidding on half a hand – if you fail, you also give the opponents the hanging points.
The whole scoring system, including how points are rounded in each contract, is explained in Belot scoring.
Frequently asked questions
What does a hanging deal mean in belot?
The bidding team and the defenders finish on exactly equal points. The defenders record theirs, and the bidders’ points hang until the next deal.
Who takes the hanging points?
The team that wins the next deal – the bidders if they make their contract, or the defenders if it fails.
How are hanging points rounded?
They are divided by 10 as soon as they start to hang. If both totals end in 6 in a suit contract (or in 4 in All trumps), the hanging points round up and the recorded ones round down: 106 to 106 gives 10 recorded and 11 hanging.
What if the next deal also hangs?
The hanging points accumulate: the bidders’ points from the new tie are added and everything goes to the winner of the following deal.
What happens on a hanging deal under contra?
Nobody records anything. All the points of the deal, multiplied by 2 (contra) or 4 (recontra), hang. More in contra and recontra.
Read next
Belot scoring
Card values, last trick, capot, failed and hanging contracts.
Contra and recontra
Who can double, how points are multiplied and when it pays off.
Capot
What capot is, what it scores and how to make or stop it.
Score calculator
Enter a deal’s points and see what each team writes down.
Belot rules
The complete rules: cards, dealing, bidding, play and end of game.