Belote () is a 32-card, trick-taking, Ace-Ten game played primarily in France and certain European countries, namely Armenia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia (mainly Guria), Greece, Luxembourg, Moldova, North Macedonia (mainly Bitola), Bosnia and Herzegovina and also in Saudi Arabia. It is one of the most popular card games in those countries, and the national card game of France, both casually and in gambling. It was invented around 1920 in France, and is a close relative of both Klaberjass (also known as bela) and Klaverjas. Closely related games are played throughout the world. Definitive rules of the game were first published in 1921. Within the game's terminology, belote is used to designate a pair of a King and a Queen of a trump suit, possibly yielding the game's name itself. Variations on the game include Belot in eastern Europe, Baloot in Saudi Arabia, and Pilotta in Cyprus. Deck Much like Skat, German style cards are used widely in former Yugoslav countries as well as Germany (mostly in Bavaria) for playing this card game while French style cards are used widely in French-speaking countries for playing this card game. Belote is played with a deck of 32 cards (A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7) Rules The game is played differently in different locations, but most versions share a considerable set of common rules. The rules below describe the common version of this game. A typical 32-card piquet deck is used, 4 suits with 8 ranks, or { } × {A K Q J 10 9 8 7}, and is not shuffled between games. The game is mostly played by four people, but versions exist for five, three and two players, including a non-trivial two-player "open cards" version. Players form two teams in the usual 4 players version: North-South and East-West, and playing in turn in counterclockwise direction. Dealing The deck is never shuffled, but rather cut by the player who precedes the dealer, except for the first dealing in a game when the dealer's partner does that. The first dealing in a game is done by the winners from the previous game. At least three cards must be cut. The cards are dealt counter-clockwise starting from the dealer's successor (to their right), each player receives a packet of three cards, then another set of two. The rest of the cards remain temporarily face-down. If a contract is agreed upon, the