Clobyosh (Bela) 1.7

It is believed that historically Debertz has spread throughout the world due to Jewish communities which are present in most of the world’s big cities. In Western European countries this game became widely known approximately in the beginning of 1930. First rising to prominence in Russia during the 1970’s, Debertz quickly became a popular game among professional card sharps. Over the years different variations of the game have emerged. Well established variants include Moscow Debertz, Kharkov Debertz, as well as Debertz augmented for two and three handed play.

A point-trick card game, Debertz is built on a familiar structure where players need to rack up the highest possible score for themselves by picking up the most valuable card sets, with value determined both by cards’ face values as well as their suits. In the same gaming realm as timeless classics such as Bridge, Spades, and Hearts, Debertz is equal parts exhilarating and interesting.

Debertz goes by many different names, depending on what part of the world you may be in. In Odessa, Ukraine it’s called Klabor, in most Western European countries players refer to it as Bela, and in many other parts of the world it’s simply known as Clobyosh.

Though Debertz’ exact origins remain unclear, its appeal as a game could not be easier to understand. Debertz translates well to commercial gaming (playing the game for money), as well as from a sporting perspective as it can easily be played in a tournament format as well as in a long term format (where average and maximum results play an important role).

All in all, Debertz is a game that’s as complex as it is engaging. In fact, the only no-brainer is why it became popular and why it stayed popular among serious card players year in and year out.