Belka Online 2.2.7

The online card game "Belka" (Squirrel) is considered one of the most popular games in northern Kazakhstan. Its origins trace back to the city of Karaganda, which is recognized as its birthplace.

Belka bears similarities to the traditional card game Fool but introduces a strategic element that requires players to recall basic algebraic concepts from seventh grade.

Game rules are as follows:

• Each session comprises one deal and eight subsequent draws.
• Card values in points are designated as: ace - 11 points, 10 - 10 points, king - 4 points, queen - 3 points, jack - 2 points; cards numbered 7, 8, and 9 hold no point value.
• The total sum of all card points in the deck amounts to 120. Total points accumulated per game and per draw vary. Jacks are always designated as trump cards, with their hierarchy ranking them above other suits: jack of clubs, jack of spades, jack of hearts, and jack of diamonds.

The dealer for the initial game is chosen randomly. Subsequently, dealing proceeds clockwise or counterclockwise based on players' consensus. The deck is thoroughly shuffled; the player to the dealer's left removes a card before distribution. Each participant receives eight cards in two rounds, dealt counterclockwise. In the initial game, the trump suit is always clubs.

In subsequent sessions, the trump suit is determined according to the position of a specific jack:

• The player who holds the jack of clubs in the previous game is remembered; in subsequent rounds, this player’s assigned suit (clubs) remains the trump for the first game.
• The player to the immediate right is assigned hearts.
• The player directly opposite is assigned spades.
• The player sitting on the left is assigned diamonds.

During card distribution, if a player receives the jack of clubs, they must inform others. The trump suit for that game follows the suit assigned to that player in the first session. The first move is made by a player neighboring either side of the dealer—left or right—based on agreement. This player's played card establishes the lead suit for that draw.

Players must follow the lead suit if possible; if not, they may discard any card. Jacks consistently belong to the current trump suit. The winner of each trick is determined by who plays the highest card in the lead suit or highest trump if any are played. The winning player then leads the next trick. After all eight tricks are played, points are tallied from remaining cards in players' hands:

• If players collectively score between 61 and 90 points, they reveal 1 point.
• If they score between 91 and 119 points, they reveal 2 points.

If during distribution, the jack of clubs was held by opponents, an additional point is awarded. Should players reach exactly 60 points, no bonus points are awarded that round; instead, subsequent games offer an option: either adding four points to their total or awarding opponents a symbolic "Eggs" (Zhumyrtka) title.

A game victory is achieved if a team either scores at least 12 points (referred to as "eyes") within a session or accumulates 120 points in total without conceding any tricks to opponents — even with zero points remaining at hand.

Given these conditions, play proceeds through multiple distributions until objective victory conditions are met or players agree to end the session. The game utilizes a standard deck of 36 cards for all play sessions.