Coinchée Rules — Tournament Belote Guide

1. What is Coinchée?

Coinchée (also called “Coinche” or “Belote Coinchée”) is the tournament and competitive variant of Belote. It is preferred in French card clubs, at tournaments, and by experienced players. The key difference from classic Belote is the bidding system: instead of simply “taking” or “passing,” players place point bids and commit to reaching a minimum score. This makes Coinchée more tactically demanding and creates thrilling duels at the table.

2. Differences from Classic Belote

Coinchée is based on the same core rules as Belote — 4 players, 2 teams, 32 cards, 8 tricks. The key differences are:

• Bidding instead of Take/Pass: Players bid point values (80, 90, 100…), not just “yes” or “no.”
• Free trump choice: There is no face-up card. Any player can propose any suit as trump — or even “All Trump” (Tout Atout) or “No Trump” (Sans Atout).
• Coinche & Surcoinche: Opponents can “coinche” (double) the bid, and the bidding team can “surcoinche” (quadruple).
• All cards dealt at once: Each player receives all 8 cards before bidding begins.
• Higher risk, higher reward: Point bids and multipliers can make individual rounds worth enormous points.

3. Card Values

Card values are identical to classic Belote. The total point value of all cards is 162 points (152 card values + 10 for the last trick).

4. The Bidding (Enchères)

The bidding phase is the heart of Coinchée and what sets it apart from classic Belote. All players receive their full 8 cards first, then bidding begins clockwise.

• Minimum bid: 80 points. The first bid must be at least 80.
• Increments of 10: Each new bid must be higher than the previous one (80, 90, 100, 110…).
• Trump choice: With each bid, the player also declares the desired trump suit — or chooses “Tout Atout” (All Trump) or “Sans Atout” (No Trump).
• Passing: A player who does not wish to bid passes. Once you pass, you cannot bid again in this round.
• End of bidding: Bidding ends when three players pass in a row. The last bid stands — that team must reach the bid value.
• Capot bid: A player can bid “Capot,” promising to win all 8 tricks (= 250 points).
• Générale bid: The highest possible bid — a single player promises to win all 8 tricks alone. Their partner puts down their cards and does not play.

5. Coinche & Surcoinche

The coinche system is the tactical highlight of Coinchée, adding a psychological dimension to the game.

A coinche can be called at any time during bidding by the opposing team. It immediately ends the bidding — unless the bidding team responds with a surcoinche, which doubles the stakes again. After that, play begins. The coinche is a powerful tactical tool: it signals strength and puts the opponent under pressure.

6. All Trump & No Trump

In addition to the four standard trump suits, Coinchée offers two special modes:

Tout Atout (All Trump)

All four suits count as trump. This means: in every suit, the trump ranking applies (Jack = 20 points, 9 = 14 points). The total point value increases to 258 points. You must follow suit and — if possible — overtrump.

Sans Atout (No Trump)

There is no trump. All suits use the non-trump ranking (Ace is the highest card). You cannot trump — if you cannot follow suit, you must discard. The total point value is 130 points (120 card values + 10 for the last trick). Aces and 10s become extremely valuable.

7. Gameplay

After bidding, play proceeds as in classic Belote:

• The player to the left of the dealer leads the first card.
• Following suit is mandatory. If you cannot follow and an opponent is winning, you must trump (if possible).
• When trump is led, you must — if possible — overtrump.
• Declarations (Tierce, Cinquante, Cent, Carré) and Belote-Rebelote apply as in classic Belote.
• The last trick is worth 10 bonus points.

The crucial difference: the bidding team must reach the bid value — not just half the total points.

8. Scoring

Scoring depends on whether the bidding team met their bid:

Bid Met

The bidding team receives their earned points plus the bid value. The opposing team receives their own earned points. With coinche, all points are doubled; with surcoinche, quadrupled.

Bid Not Met

The bidding team receives 0 points. The opposing team receives 160 points plus the bid value. With coinche/surcoinche, the bonus is multiplied accordingly.

9. Capot & Générale

The two highest bids in Coinchée are especially risky and especially lucrative:

Capot

The team promises to win all 8 tricks. If successful, the team receives 250 points (162 + 88 bonus). If the capot bid fails, the opposing team receives 250 points plus the capot bid value. A capot can also happen “accidentally” (without a capot bid) — then the 250 points are added as a bonus to the normal score.

Générale

A single player promises to win all 8 tricks alone — their partner puts down their cards and does not play. This is the highest possible bid and extremely rare. The bonus for success is 500 points. A Générale requires a near-perfect hand: typically the trump Jack, the trump 9, several additional trumps, and side Aces.

10. Strategic Tips

Coinchée demands significantly more strategic thinking than classic Belote:

• Bidding as information: Every bid reveals something about the player's hand. A bid of 80 in Hearts says: “I have good Hearts.” Higher bids signal stronger hands.
• Partner communication: Through clever bidding, partners can “describe” their hands without showing cards.
• When to coinche? Coinche pays off when you are confident the opponent cannot meet their bid. But beware: a wrong coinche doubles the opponent's points!
• Bluffing: You can bid higher than your hand warrants to force the opponent out of a strong position. The risk is high, but so is the reward.
• All Trump timing: “Tout Atout” is especially strong with multiple Jacks and Nines, as they score 20 and 14 points in every suit.
• No Trump specialists: With many Aces and 10s, “Sans Atout” shines because nobody can trump and those cards are guaranteed winners.