surcoinche

Surcoinche is a term used in the card game Coinche, a variant of Belote. It refers to a re-doubling of the stakes after the opposing side has doubled the contract (coinche). The bidding phase proceeds as in standard coinche; when one side declares a contract with a trump suit, the other side may say contre to double the stakes. If the declaring team believes they can still fulfill the contract, they may respond with surcoinche to re-double, increasing the stake again. The usual effect is that the contract value is quadrupled relative to the base points. If the contracting side makes the contract, they receive the higher score; if they fail, they pay the higher penalty to the defenders.

The precise rules for surcoinche vary by variant and region. In many clubs and online platforms, surcoinche is allowed only once per hand, setting the stake at four times the base; some rule sets also permit multiple surcoinches or offer separate scoring tables. Because of this variation, players typically agree on the rule-set before play.

Origin: The practice arises from the bidding system in Belote Coinche in France; the term surcoinche reflects a second-level counter-bid.