How to play Belot online

Game modes

Belot Arena offers several ways to take a seat, depending on whether you want a quick game, competition or a game with people you know.

Your first game step by step

You do not need to register to try it. Here is the easiest path from opening the site to your first completed hand.

1. Open the home screen and choose a game against bots, or go through the interactive tutorial at least once.
2. Wait for the deal. At the start of each round one player cuts the deck, then everyone receives 5 cards (3 + 2).
3. When it is your turn to bid, choose a suit, No Trumps, All Trumps, contra or pass from the bidding panel.
4. After bidding you receive 3 more cards. If you hold a tierce, quarte, quinte or four of a kind, the system will remind you that you can declare it.
5. Play a card by tapping or clicking it. Cards you are not allowed to play under the rules are dimmed.
6. After the eighth trick a round summary shows the points from cards, declarations and bonuses. The game continues to 151 points.

Once you feel confident against bots, try a casual match with real people, and then ranked.

What you see at the table

You always sit at the bottom, your partner sits opposite you at the top, and the opponents are on your left and right. The other players' cards are face down, and the cards of the current trick appear in the centre.

• Bidding panel – shows only the bids that are allowed. A new bid must be higher than the previous one; contra is only possible against an opponent's contract, and recontra only against a contra on your own contract.
• Cutting – when it is your turn to cut, you choose where to split the deck.
• Declarations hint – reminds you when you hold a combination worth points.
• Score board – the current contract, any contra or recontra, and the running score of both teams.
• Round summary – a detailed breakdown of points after every hand, including hanging hands and capot.
• Quick emotes – short reactions such as Nice or Hurry up, instead of free chat during play.

Timer, inactivity and disconnects

You have 30 seconds for each move. If time runs out, the system plays a move for you so the table does not stall. If you miss several moves in a row, a Still there? dialog appears. If you confirm, you continue normally; if you do not respond or keep missing moves, you are removed from the game and it counts as leaving.

If your connection drops or you close the tab by mistake, the active game is kept. When you return, the home screen will offer to resume the match. Try to come back quickly – while you are away your moves are played automatically, and not always the way you would play them.

Rating and leaderboard

Every player starts with a rating of 1200. After each ranked match the rating changes based on the result and the strength of the opponents – beating stronger players earns more, and losing to weaker players costs more. The leaderboard shows the top players, and in your profile you can follow your statistics and game history.

Casual matches and bot games do not change your rating, so they are a good place to experiment with new tactics.

Fair play and conduct

Cards are shuffled and dealt by the server. Nobody can see other players' cards or choose a deal. Belot is a team game, and the mood at the table depends on everyone.

• Do not leave a match halfway – it ruins the game for three other people.
• Do not use a second account to play against yourself or help someone else.
• Do not share your cards with your partner through another channel – that is cheating.
• Be polite with reactions. After the game you can rate your partner.
• If you notice anything wrong, email us at dumbakod@gmail.com.

Device tips

Belot Arena works in modern browsers on desktop, phone and tablet. On a phone the game is most comfortable in portrait mode. In settings you can change the table colour, card back, sounds, vibration and language.

• Use a stable connection – Wi-Fi or good mobile data.
• Do not let your phone go to sleep during a game.
• If something looks wrong, reload the page – your active game will be restored.