Pinochle

I

Introduction

Pinochle, card game played by two, three, or four persons with a special pack of 48 cards. The 48 cards come from two standard card decks where all the cards below the nine have been removed.

II

Two-Handed Pinochle

In this game each player gets 12 cards, 3 at a time. The 25th card is turned up, and its suit is declared “trumps” for that hand; the card is then placed faceup under the closed pack. If the turned-up card is a nine, the dealer scores 10 points; if the trump card is any other card, either player who has a nine of trumps may, after taking a trick, substitute it for the turned-up card, scoring 10 points. The rank of the cards in descending order is ace, ten, king, queen, jack, and nine. The player who receives the cards from the dealer begins the game by placing one card of the player's hand faceup on the table. The other player wins the trick by playing a card of higher rank in the same suit, or by playing a trump card; or loses the trick by playing a card of the same or lower rank in the suit, or by playing a card of any other suit but trumps. After each trick, each player draws one card from the closed pack.

The hand is won by the player who scores the most points. Play usually ends when a player scores 1000 points. Scoring is done by melding and counting. Melding consists of turning faceup various combinations of cards that have specific values. The combinations and their values in melding are as follows: ace, king, queen, jack, and ten of trumps, the so-called flush, 150 points; four aces of different suits, 100 points; four kings of different suits, 80 points; four queens of different suits, 60 points; four jacks of different suits, 40 points; the king and queen of trumps, the so-called royal marriage, 40 points; the jack of diamonds and the queen of spades (known as pinochle), 40 points; the king and queen of any suit but trumps, the so-called common marriage, 20 points; and the nine of trumps, 10 points. A player melds only after a trick is taken. The values of the cards are generally as follows: ace, 11 points; ten, 10 points; king, 4 points; queen, 3 points; and jack, 2 points. When the players have reached the end of the closed pack, the person who loses the last trick takes the faceup card. Both players then pick up their own melds and add them to the 12 cards they already possess. The second part of the hand is then played, the winner of the last trick leading. In this portion of the game the leading suit must be followed. Players must trump if they no longer possess the suit led. If trumps are led, the other player must play a higher trump card if possible. The player who wins the last trick earns another 10 points. The total number of points a player can win based on the point values assigned to each card, counting the 10 for the last trick but not including melds, is 250. The player who wins the majority of points (melds plus count of tricks) wins the hand. Each hand can be counted as the game; the player scoring the greater number of points wins the hand.

III

Three- and Four-Handed Pinochle

In three-handed pinochle, 16 cards are dealt to each player. The dealer turns up the last card as trumps; each player in turn, beginning with the one to the dealer's left, has the right to exchange the nine of trumps for the turned-up trump card; the nine becomes part of the dealer's hand. After the trump card has been redeemed by the nine, the players meld, and then play goes on as in the second part of the two-handed game, with the player to the left of the dealer playing first.

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In four-handed pinochle two players are partners against the other two, forming two teams; a single score is kept for each team, which is credited with the points scored by both partners. Twelve cards are dealt to each player, and the game then proceeds as in three-handed pinochle.

IV

Auction Pinochle

Auction pinochle, a popular variety of the game, is for three or four players. When played by four people, one player deals in each game but does not participate in the play. Each player receives 15 cards; 3 cards, called the widow, are left facedown. The players bid for the privilege of naming trumps, the minimum bid usually being 250 points and sometimes 300 points. The highest bidder names trumps and takes the widow. This player then melds as many of the 18 cards as possible and discards 3 cards which are later added to the trick total. Play for tricks ensues. At the end of the game, if the sum of what the highest bidder melds, plus the trick count, equals or exceeds the amount bid, then that player wins; if it falls below the amount bid, the player loses. The game is usually played for a specified sum for each 50-point bid; starting at 300 the sum is doubled for each extra 50 points, and the entire sum is doubled if spades are trumps. At the end of the hand, if the bidder has won, then preestablished stakes are collected from each of the other players; if the bidder has lost, then each of the others is paid double the stakes. The loser may pay into a kitty, also known as a pot, the same amount paid to a winning player. The player who wins a 350 hand or higher collects an additional specified bonus from the kitty.