How to Play Coinche

What is Coinche?

Coinche, also called belote coinchée or belote contrée (contrée for short), is the bidding form of Belote and the way most French players play it today, at the club and online. Four players in two teams, partners opposite, play eight tricks with a 32-card deck, and the cards are worth points exactly as in Belote.

The difference is how trumps are chosen. Instead of taking a turned-up card, the players hold an auction: each team says how many points it will make, from 80 to 160 or a capot, and in which trump suit. The highest bid becomes the contract. An opponent who thinks the bidders are dreaming can coincher (double) the contract, and the bidders can surcoincher (redouble) if they are sure of themselves.

This page explains the common rules of belote coinchée as played in French clubs and online. They are also the rules you play at bs.fyi, where the options your table may want (sans atout and tout atout, announcements, game length) are chosen before the game.

Without an auction: classic Belote rules

Coinche rules at a glance

Players

4, in two teams of two; partners sit opposite

Deck

32 cards: 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A in each suit

Deal

8 cards each, 3 then 2 then 3; nothing is turned up

Bidding

From the dealer's left: 80 to 160 in tens, or capot (all 8 tricks), with a trump suit; each bid must be higher. Three passes after a bid end the auction; four passes and the cards are dealt again.

Coinche

An opponent may coinche (double) the last bid; the bidders may surcoinche (redouble)

Trump order

J (20), 9 (14), A (11), 10 (10), K (4), Q (3), 8, 7 (0)

Plain suits

A (11), 10 (10), K (4), Q (3), J (2), 9, 8, 7 (0)

Play

Follow suit. Out of the suit, trump unless your partner is winning. Always overtrump if you can.

Contract

The bidders' points (cards, belote, announcements) must reach the contract; a capot needs every trick

Winning

First team to 1000 points (or 2000, or 500 in a short game)

How to play Coinche, step by step

1. 1

   Sit in teams

   The four players form two teams of two, partners sitting opposite each other, so the play alternates between the teams. Everything is counted by team.

2. 2

   Deal eight cards

   The dealer gives each player three cards, then two, then three, starting with the player on their left. No card is turned up. The deal moves one seat to the left every hand.

3. 3

   Bid for the contract

   Starting left of the dealer, each player either passes or bids: a number of points from 80 to 160 in steps of ten, or capot, together with a trump suit. Every bid must be higher than the one before; the suit does not matter. A player who has passed may bid again when their turn comes back.

4. 4

   End the auction

   When a bid is followed by three passes, it becomes the contract and its suit is trumps. If all four players pass without a bid, the cards are thrown in and the next dealer deals.

5. 5

   Coinche and surcoinche

   Instead of bidding or passing, a player of the other team may say "coinche" on the last bid: the contract will count double. The bidding team can then say "surcoinche" to make it count four times. A coinche ends the auction.

6. 6

   Play eight tricks

   The player left of the dealer leads. Everyone must follow suit, must trump when they can't follow (unless their partner is winning the trick) and must play a higher trump than those already played whenever they can. The highest trump wins the trick, otherwise the highest card of the suit led.

7. 7

   Say belote

   If you hold the king and queen of trumps, say "belote" when you play the first and "rebelote" when you play the second: 20 points for your team.

8. 8

   Count and score

   Each team adds up its cards, plus 10 for the last trick (dix de der) and belote. If the bidders reached their contract, they score the contract plus their points; if not, the defenders score 160 plus the contract.

Card order and card points

The cards rank and score exactly as in Belote. In the three plain suits the ten sits just under the ace: A, 10, K, Q, J, 9, 8, 7. In the trump suit the jack becomes the highest card and the nine the second highest: J, 9, A, 10, K, Q, 8, 7.

The 32 cards are worth 152 points together, and the team that wins the last trick scores 10 more, the dix de der: 162 points in every deal. A team that wins all eight tricks makes a capot, which counts 250 points instead of 162.

Jack

20 in trumps, 2 otherwise

Nine

14 in trumps, 0 otherwise

Ace

11

Ten

10

King

4

Queen

3

Eight, seven

0

Last trick

+10 (dix de der)

The auction

A bid is a promise: "our team will make at least this many points with this suit as trumps". The smallest bid is 80, the largest 160, in steps of ten, and above them all is capot, the promise to win every trick. Each new bid must be higher in points than the last; you can't bid the same number in another suit.

Partners talk through their bids. Opening at 80 in a suit usually shows the jack of that suit with a couple of other trumps. When your partner has bid, raising their suit by 10 or 20 tells them you hold help: the nine or the jack of their trumps, or an ace on the side. Bidding a different suit says you'd rather play your own.

The auction ends when a bid has been followed by three passes, or right after a coinche (see below). If nobody bids at all, the four hands are thrown in and the next player deals.

Coinche and surcoinche

When it is your turn and the highest bid belongs to the other team, you may say <strong>coinche</strong> instead of bidding or passing. You are betting that they will not make it, and the contract now counts double. Nobody can bid any more.

The bidding team gets one last chance: either player may answer with <strong>surcoinche</strong>, and the contract counts four times. On bs.fyi the bidding-side player to the left of the coincher speaks first, then their partner; a surcoinche, or two passes, ends the auction and the play begins.

Following suit, trumping and overtrumping

The rules of play are those of Belote. If you have a card of the suit led, you must play one. If you don't, you must play a trump, unless your partner is currently winning the trick; then you may play anything.

Whenever trumps are led, and whenever someone has already trumped the trick, you must play a higher trump if you hold one, even over your partner's trump when trumps are led. If you can't go higher you must still play a trump if you have one. Only with neither the suit led nor a trump may you play any card.

Making the contract

At the end of the deal the bidding team adds up the points of the cards it won, the 10 for the last trick, 20 for belote if it held the king and queen of trumps, and its announcements if the table plays them. If that total reaches the contract, the contract is made ("rempli"); if not, it has failed ("chuté", or the bidders are "dedans").

A capot contract is different: it is made only if the bidding team wins all eight tricks, whatever the points.

Scoring a deal

bs.fyi uses the common online count, "points made plus contract", with real points and no rounding. Belote-rebelote always stays with the team that held it, whatever happens to the contract.

Made

Bidders score the contract plus their points; defenders score their own points

Failed

Defenders score 160 + the contract (+ any announcements); bidders score nothing

Coinched

The team that wins the contract scores 160 + twice the contract; the other team nothing

Surcoinched

The team that wins the contract scores 160 + four times the contract; the other team nothing

Capot

All eight tricks count 250 card points; a capot bid made scores 250 + 250 = 500

Example

100 hearts, bidders make 112 + belote 20: they score 100 + 132 = 232, defenders 50

Sans atout and tout atout

Many tables also allow two special contracts, which bid like a suit (only the points count in the auction). On bs.fyi they are an option you switch on before the game.

In <strong>sans atout</strong> (no trumps) every suit ranks A, 10, K, Q, J, 9, 8, 7 and nothing can be trumped: follow suit, otherwise play anything. The ace is worth 19. In <strong>tout atout</strong> (all trumps) every suit ranks like trumps, J, 9, A, 10, K, Q, 8, 7: you must follow suit and go higher than the best card of the suit led whenever you can, and the jack is worth 14. Both scales add up to 152, so a deal is still 162 with the dix de der. There is no belote-rebelote in either.

Sans atout

A 19, 10 10, K 4, Q 3, J 2, 9 8 7 0

Tout atout

J 14, 9 9, A 6, 10 5, K 3, Q 1, 8 7 0

Announcements (optional)

Most coinche tables, and most online games, play without announcements, so they are off by default. Switch them on and they work as in classic Belote: in the first trick, before your first card, you may announce a sequence of three or more cards in one suit (tierce 20, cinquante 50, cent 100) or four of a kind (four jacks 200, four nines 150, four aces, tens, kings or queens 100). Only the team with the best announcement scores, and its announcements count towards the contract.

Winning the game

Scores add up from deal to deal, and the first team to reach the target wins. The usual target is 1000 points; on bs.fyi you can also play a long game to 2000 or a short one to 500. If both teams pass the target in the same deal, the higher total wins; if they are level, another deal is played.

House rules on bs.fyi

Coinche strategy tips

• •Open with the jack. The jack of trumps is the one card nobody can beat. With the jack, two more trumps and an ace on the side, 80 in that suit is a sound opening.
• •Raise with the nine and aces. If your partner has bid, the nine of their trumps or an ace on the side is worth about 10 points each: raise by that much rather than bidding a suit of your own.
• •Count your defence before you coinche. A coinche costs dear if the contract is made. Coinche when you sit over their trumps with three or four of them, or hold masters they cannot avoid.
• •Draw trumps when you bid. Lead your top trumps early so the defenders can't use theirs to cut your aces later.
• •Feed your partner's tricks. When your partner is sure to win a trick, play your tens and aces on it. When the trick is still in doubt, play your smallest card.
• •Mind the last trick. The dix de der is worth 10 points, often the difference between a made contract and a chute. Keep a winner for the end if you can.

Frequently asked questions