The last trick in Belot: why the final 10 decides the deal

The rule in short

Capot is not doubled in No trumps – only the cards and the last trick are. How the totals and rounding work is in Belot scoring.

Why 10 points decide so much

The declaring team needs strictly more points than the opponents. If the two sides are close before the last trick, those 10 points turn everything around. Four real situations show how big the swing is.

To check a similar situation from your own game, enter the numbers in the score calculator.

Planning the last trick

The eighth trick is won long before the eighth play. These habits make the difference.

1. Keep the master card for the end. If you hold the highest remaining trump, don’t spend it on a trick that is yours anyway. The last trump in hand almost always wins the last trick.
2. Count trumps. How many have been played and how many you hold tell you whether anyone can still overtrump you on trick eight. How to do it without strain: counting cards.
3. Think about who leads to trick seven. Whoever leads the second-to-last trick often decides the last one too. If you can choose between winning trick six or seven, win the one after which you lead a card nobody can beat.
4. Let the opponent lead. Near the end it can be right to lose trick seven on purpose if that forces the opponent to lead into a suit where you hold the top card.
5. Don’t reveal your last card early. If you hold belot, announce it with the first of the two cards, but there is no need to hurry – sometimes the king or queen of trumps is exactly the card that wins trick eight.

As a defender: taking the last ten

Defenders often watch only whether the declarers fail and forget that the last 10 points can make the deal hang or fail. If the declarers are on the edge, every point counts.

• Keep one trump for the end if the declarers haven’t drawn them all. Trumping trick eight is worth 10 points plus the cards in it.
• Don’t break the suit where your partner may hold the last master card – if partner keeps the ace to the end, leave it there.
• Count the points. If the declarers have 76 and the last trick is their only chance to make it, fighting for that trick matters more than anything else in the deal.

The last trick and capot

When one team has won the first seven tricks, the eighth is worth 100 points: 10 for the last trick and 90 for capot. The defenders must do everything to win at least one trick – and if they have only one sure winner, it is best taken last, so the 10 points come with it.

If your team is going for capot, don’t plan only the last trick – check whether the opponents hold a card that can win earlier. More on the capot page.

Common mistakes

• Playing your last trump on trick six or seven “to be safe” and losing trick eight.
• Forgetting that in No trumps the last trick is worth 20, not 10.
• Concluding “we have more points” before the last trick – the count isn’t finished until you know who takes it.
• Leading into the opponent’s master suit at trick seven when you could force them to lead instead.