Belot is the most popular card game in Bulgaria. It is played in cafés, on holiday with friends, at family gatherings and, for years now, online. Yet few people know where the game comes from and how it reached us. Its story runs through Switzerland, the Netherlands and France, and relatives of Belot are still played today from Croatia to Saudi Arabia.
The roots: the Jass family of games
Belot belongs to a large family of games that card players call the “Jass” family. The oldest and best-known game in it is Swiss Jass, which is mentioned as early as the late 18th century and is still regarded as Switzerland's national game.
The defining feature of this family is the unusual strength of the trump cards: the jack and the nine of the trump suit are the strongest cards in the game – stronger even than the ace. This very rule, which surprises every beginner, was inherited by Belot directly from its predecessors.
In the 19th century, closely related variants spread to the Netherlands (Klaverjas), Germany and Austria-Hungary (Klaberjass). They were played with a 32-card deck – from seven to ace – just like today's Belot.
The birth of Belot in France
The game under the name Belot (belote) appeared in France at the beginning of the 20th century and quickly became one of the best-loved games in French cafés. By the 1920s and 1930s, Belot was already a true national passion there.
The origin of the name itself is not entirely clear. The best-known legend tells of a Monsieur Belot who supposedly invented or popularised the game, but there is no historical evidence for this. One thing is certain: the word “belot” made its way into the game itself – it is the name of the king and queen of the trump suit, a combination worth 20 points.
The road to Bulgaria
Belot reached the Balkans in the first half of the 20th century and found its second home in Bulgaria. Here the game developed its own variant, which today we call Bulgarian Belot:
- four people play in two teams, with partners sitting opposite each other;
- each player receives 8 cards – first 5, then 3 more after the bidding;
- besides the four suits, the bidding includes “No Trumps” and “All Trumps”, and the opponents can call “Contra” and “Recontra”;
- the game continues until one team reaches 151 points.
Over several generations, Belot became an inseparable part of Bulgarian everyday life. Expressions such as “you're inside” (the declaring team failed its contract and loses the deal's points), “valat” (taking all the tricks) and “belot” are known even to people who rarely pick up a card.
Belot's relatives around the world
Today Belot and its relatives are played in many countries, each with its own rules:
- France – classic Belote and the “belote contrée” variant;
- Croatia and Serbia – Bela, which is often played by three people;
- Armenia – Blot, also known as “Bazaar Blot”;
- Saudi Arabia – Baloot, one of the most popular card games in the country;
- The Netherlands – Klaverjas, Belot's direct “cousin”;
- Switzerland – Jass, the oldest member of the family.
If you play any of these variants, you will quickly recognise what they have in common: the powerful jack and nine of trumps, announcements for runs of consecutive cards and the spirit of partnership play.
Belot today
More than a hundred years after it first appeared, Belot still brings people together around the table – now a virtual one too. The online game keeps everything that makes Belot special: the partnership, the tactics and the excitement of every deal, while adding the chance to play at any time against players from all over the country.
At Play Belot you can play a quick game, sit down at a table with a stake or join a tournament – following exactly the Bulgarian Belot rules you know.