This page is based on David Dailey's rules, entitledPinochle is for Fun!

• Ok Pinnacle Play For Free
• Playok Pinochle Free Online Now

Note: There are other pages on this site for Double Deck Pinochle , Three Player Auction Pinochle and Two Handed Pinochle.

Contents

Introduction

Pinochle Buddy is guaranteed to improve your game. Try it FREE - download the Play Buddy App today! Play Buddy Universal Features; Counts cards automatically in PlayOK rooms. Hint and autoplay options are included to play games automatically. By Masque Publishing. Aces around, dix or double pinochles. Score points by trick-taking and also by forming combinations of cards into melds. Your Gaming History.

David Dailey writes:

My parents taught me to play Pinochle the summer before my sixth birthday. I have been playing for many years since, and I greatly enjoy this opportunity to share my version of Pinochle with you all.

There are many variations of this game. In fact, nearly every aspect of the game is played differently by somebody, somewhere. I call this version 'My Family's Pinochle,' or MFP for short. I have found Pinochle to be a wonderful game for playing in large groups, and it can be an excellent vehicle for social interaction if you play, as I do, not necessarily to win, but to have fun. I hope you also enjoy playing Pinochle.

Please write me with any comments, questions, or suggestions regarding this document. Additionally, I am working on a paper version of these rules (complete with illustrations!) that will be available for sale. Please send e-mail if you are interested in purchasing a copy. I can be reached at Pinochle@CompassRoseEnterprises.com.

Overview

Pinochle is a trick-taking game, like Euchre, Bridge, Hearts,Spades, and even the children's game War. Under Taking Tricks, I'll cover how you decide who leads each trick, how you decidewho wins each trick, and what that all means. But before we get to the trick-taking phase of the game, I'll talk about the deck, how it's dealt, how bidding takes place, and all the other pieces of the game.

For those familiar with Pinochle terminology, My Family's Pinochle (MFP) is single-deck, four-handed, partnership, auction, racehorse Pinochle. For those not familiar with these terms, check out the list below:

• Single-deck means we use only one deck of Pinochle cards. There are variations on the game that use two or more decks, especially to accommodate more than four players.
• Four-handed means that four people play at a time. I also play three-handed pinochle, and I've worked on developing a special deck for playing five-handed pinochle. Two-handed and six-handed pinochle also exist, and I'm sure there are others (eight-handed comes to mind).
• Partnership means that the four people are grouped in two teams of two. There are variations (notably in three-handed) where each player plays independently, and other variations where the player taking the bid has a partner based on which other player is holding a particular card.
• Auction means that the privilege of naming trump is bid for amongst the players. The player winning the bid gets the right to name trump, but also has the responsibility to make sure the team earns the number of points bid. One variation is that trump is determined by the final card dealt from the deck.
• Racehorse means that, after the winning bidder has named trump, that player's partner passes cards across the table. The bidder incorporates those into the hand, then passes the same number of cards back. A common variation is to play cutthroat, where such passing of cards does not take place.

Back to contents

The Deck

My Family's Pinochle is played with a 48-card deck (there are variations). The deck consists of twelve cards in each of four suits - two in each of the ranks Ace, Ten, King, Queen, Jack, and Nine. Note that the rank of cards differs from standard usage: the Ten outranks everything (within its suit) except the Ace. This is likely to be a stumbling block for many people; however, if you are familiar with the bowers in Euchre or the strange role played by the Queen of Spades in Hearts, you should have no trouble with the transition.

In the trick-taking phase of the game, the Aces, Tens, and Kings are worth points, and thus are called 'counters.' Queens, Jacks, and Nines are not worth points (although they can win tricks [and influence people]), so they are called 'non-counters.'

The (at first) unusual order of ranks can be remembered by chanting 'Ace, Ten, King' over and over, much as a beginning or infrequent dancer (such as myself) chants 'one, two, three' while learning to waltz. 'Ace, Ten, King' has become something of a mantra at our pinochle parties.

Back to contents

The Deal

For the first round of a game, the players select a dealer inwhatever manner they choose. At our house, it's generally whoever happens to pick up the cards first. (Throughout this document, a 'round' will refer to the entire sequence from one deal to the next; the set of cards dealt to an individual player will be called a 'hand.')

The dealer shuffles the cards in whatever manner is convenient to mix them thoroughly. (It is considered good form to offer to shuffle and/or deal for somebody whose hands don't work so well.) The shuffled deck is placed on the table to the dealer's right; the player to that side cuts the deck, preferably towardthe dealer.

The dealer picks up the deck (cut portion last) and deals the cards evenly to each players, beginning with dealer's left. Some players insist that the cards be dealt one at a time. I was taught to deal the cards three at a time, and continue to do so. Truth be told, it doesn't matter as long as each player receives twelve cards, the dealer receiving the final card(s). All 48 cards will have been dealt.

It is generally courteous to wait until all the cards have been dealt before picking up your hand. This way, if one player does not have enough cards, they can be re-distributed without having to re-shuffle and re-deal the whole deck.

Once the cards have been dealt, the players pick up, sort, and examine their hands. The next phase is bidding.

Back to contents

The Bid

The winner of the bid (hereafter called the 'declarer') acquires three rights:

• the right to name trump,
• the right to receive cards from his/her partner, and
• the right to lead the first trick.

The minimum opening bid is 250 points, and the player to the dealer's left has the first opportunity to bid. Bids are made in increments of 10 (or multiples of 10) points. Unlike Bridge, no suit is named along with the point value - the bid consists of a number only.

Bid passes to the left, and when the bid reaches you, you have four options:

1. Give a normal bid by announcing a number 10 points higherthan the last bid.
2. Give a 'jump' bid by saying a number at least 20 points higher than the last bid.
3. Say 'Pass,' thereby removing yourself from the bidding for this round. (If it looks as though the other players will be bidding for a while, go get a cup of tea.)
4. Say 'Pass with help.' This phrase removes you from the bidding for the round, but can be used to convey extra information to your partner. Note that some people do not allow the use of 'Pass with help'; always inquire locally before starting play.

When only one person has not said 'pass' (or 'pass with help'), that person has won the bid and becomes the declarer. The amount bid is recorded on a piece of paper which is being used as a score pad.

In My Family's Pinochle, the dealer is 'under': this means that if the other three players pass, the dealer has taken the bid at 250 points.

The winner of the bidding names the trump suit.

Go to bidding tactics
Go to tactics of choosing trumps
Back to contents

Passing Cards

When the bidder has named trump, the bidder's partner selects four cards to pass across the table. Exactly four cards must be sent; no more and no fewer. Once you've selected your four cards, place them in one stack face down on the table in front of you, and slide them across to your partner.

The bidder picks up these four cards and sorts them into his or her hand and chooses four cards to send back across the table in the same way. These may include some of the cards just received.

Go to tactics for passing cards
Back to contents

Laying Down Meld

Now that the cards have been passed back and forth across the table, all four players lay down their meld. My dictionary calls meld 'a combination of cards declared, especially by putting them face up on the table,' and that definition is appropriate. Each combination is called a piece of meld, and each piece is worth a particular number of points.

There are three types of meld, and an individual card may belong to several different pieces of meld as long as they are of different types. Each player places face-up on the table only those cards necessary to show the value of their meld.

In My Family's Pinochle, the various pieces of meld are worth the following numbers of points:

TYPE I

TYPE II

TYPE III

Although it seems arbitrary, Tens Around is worth nothing. Nines Around, if you really want to meld it, is (facetiously) worth 10 points, because you automatically have the deece.

When all four players have laid down their meld, both teams count their points and record them on the score pad. Here's where it starts to get interesting: There are only a total of 250 points available during the trick-taking phase of the game. If the amount that was bid is more than 250 points above the amount melded by the declarer's team, there is no way that team can make their bid. They are not 'on the board,' and they will 'go set' for this hand. (See the Taking Tricks section for what happens when you've 'gone set.')

If the difference between the amount bid and the amount the declarer's team has melded is 250 points or less, the hand can be played out. However, if the declarer feels there is absolutely no chance of making the required points, he or she can 'throw in the hand' and the consequences are the same as if that team had not been 'on the board'. General courtesy calls for all players to wait until the declarer picks up his or her own meld; then they may pick up theirs. This gives the declarer a fair chance to see what he or she is up against.

Back to contents

Taking Tricks

Once all players have picked up their melded cards, the declarer leads to the first trick. Proceeding to the left, each player plays a card on the trick (following the rules outlined below). When four cards have been played to the trick, the highest-ranking card of trump - or, if there is no trump in the trick, the highest-ranking card of the suit led - wins the trick. If there is a tie for highest-ranking card, the trick is won by whichever of the equal cards was played first. The player who played the winning card leads to the next trick, and so on until twelve tricks have been played.

There are some rules about what must be played on the trick. The first, or lead, card, may be anything in the leader's hand (although some plays are smarter than others). The basic rules of engagement are as follows:

1. If you have a card of the same suit as the lead card, you must play it. If possible, you must play a card that beats the card that currently controls the trick.
2. If you do not have any cards in the suit led, but you have a card in trump, you must play it, thereby 'trumping the trick'. If you have no card of the suit led and the trick already contains trump, you must beat it with a higher trump card if you can; even if you can't win the trick you must in any case play a trump if you have one.
3. If you cannot follow suit and you cannot trump the trick, you may 'slough', that is, play any other card.

Notes:

• The first played of two identical cards beats the second.
• The rule obliging you to beat the card currently winning the trick applies even if the card you are obliged to beat is your partner's.
• If you have no card of the suit led, you must play a trump if you can, even if someone before you has already played a higher trump than yours. The only case in which you are allowed to throw a card of a non-trump suit different from the led suit is when you have no cards of the suit led and no trumps.
• The obligation to play higher only applies if you are able to beat the card that is currently winning the trick. If you are unable to do this you may play any card, subject always to the necessity to follow suit and to play a trump if you have no card of the suit led. For example, if the non-trump lead has already been trumped, and you have cards in the suit led, you cannot beat the trump that is currently winning the trick (since you have to follow suit), so you may play any card of the suit that was led.

Once all four cards have been played to a trick, it should be clear which player has won the trick. Each team should designate one partner to 'pull' the tricks, or gather them from the center of the table. For the declaring team, this is usuallythe non-declarer (giving the declarer time to concentrate on what to lead next). The puller collects the cards, turns them face-down, and places them in a stack in front of him or her on the table. As a courtesy, the puller shows the cards to the other players (especially the declarer) before they are turned face-down.

Go to tactics of playing tricks
Back to contents

Counting Points

Once all twelve tricks have been played, both teams collect their stacks of pulled cards and count the Aces, Tens, and Kings (the 'counters') collected during the round. Each counter is worth 10 points. The final trick, in and of itself, is worth an additional 10 points. This make 250 points total: 240 for the twenty-four counters in the deck, plus 10 for the final trick.

The scores obtained by each side are recorded on the score pad.

If the declaring team 'makes the bid' (earns enough points, through melding and trick-taking combined, to meet or exceed the amount bid), all the earned points are added to the team's previous score. If they do not, they 'go set'. This means that they do not score any points melded, they score no points taken in the tricks, and their previous score is reduced by the amount bid.

If the non-declaring team fails to earn points while taking tricks (that is, they pulled no counters and failed to capture the final trick), they do not score any points that were melded. (It is said that they failed to 'save their meld.') The exception is that if their only meld was one or both deeces, the points are scored. Nines of trump are said to 'save themselves'. If the non-declaring team does capture points in tricks, the meld is added to their previous score, along with any points earned in tricks.

If the declaring team were not 'on the board' (their meld fell short of their bid by more than 250 points) or they decided to throw in the hand without play, they lose the amount of their bid, and the opponents score their own meld. The cards are not played, so there is no score for cards won in tricks. Note that if the declaring side have no chance of making their bid, it is advantageous for them to throw in the hand, as this prevents the opponents from scoring for cards taken in the play.

It is a great coup for the declaring team to take all 250 points during the trick-taking phase of the game. It is also a great coup for the non-declaring team to steal enough points that the declaring team cannot make their bid. This tension, and waiting to see how it will be resolved, is part of the great fun of Pinochle.

My Family's Pinochle is generally played to 1500 points when there are only four people playing (and if both teams exceed 1500 on the same round, the declaring team wins regardless of the actual score). If we have several more people, however, we call four rounds a game and switch partners and/or tables. Pinochle is a lot of fun when you can play with four or five different people during the course of an evening - plus, you build up a lot of stories about 'the big one that got away'.

Back to contents

Variations

Some play that no extra points are scored for a single extra king or queen added to a run. This is probably more usual than the way of scoring meld described in the main account. A-T-K-K-Q-Q-J of trumps would score 190 for a run plus a marriage in trumps.

The rules of play given in most card game books published since 1945 are somewhat different from those give in the taking tricks section of this page. According to these rules:

• If a trump is led, the other players must play trumps if they can, and if possible they must beat the highest trump so far played to the trick.
• If a non-trump is led, the other players must follow suit if they can, and must trump if unable to follow suit, but there is no obligation to beat the highest card in the trick. It is neither necessary to overtake when following suit, nor is it necessary to beat the highest trump so far played when trumping.

The older rules, as given on this page, require players to beat the highest card in the trick whenever possible, even if a non-trump was led, and many players, perhaps the majority, still observe these older rules.

Many players divide all the scores by 10 - so a pinochle is worth 4, a run is worth 15, each counter (A, T, K) taken in a trick is worth 1, and so on.

Robert J Gauen reports a different method of scoring frequently used in the Pacific northwest of the USA. This uses chips. Each team is allotted 14 colored chips (one team red, the opponents blue) representing 100 points each and 10 white chips representing 10 points each. One player from each team is assigned to hold the chips at the start and pass them to partner as points are scored. At the conclusion of each hand one colored chip for each hundred points won and one white chip for each ten points won is passed across to the partner. The first side to pass all chips to the opposite side of the table wins. There is one notable difference in scoring. When the bidding partnership 'goes set' on a hand (fails to make the points for their bid), they do not lose points; instead, the other team scores the failed bid in addition to the points which they made on meld, and the counters they took in their tricks. This method of scoring makes for a much faster game.

Further Pinochle WWW Pages

For other forms of Single Deck Partnership Pinochle, see John Hay's Pinochle page.

Steve Birnbaum's Stonebridge Pinochle site describes a different version of Single Deck Partnership Pinochle, with plenty of useful information on strategy and the meanings of bids. Some key differences in the rules there are:

• The minimum bid is 190.
• There is no passing of cards between partners.
• There are no special scores for double melds. A double run just scores a two single runs, a double pinochle as two pinochles and a double around as two arounds.
• When a non-trump is led, you must trump if void, but you do not need to beat the highest card in the trick.
• In the play, Kings are worth just 5 points, not 10; Queens are also worth 5 points so the total is still 250.

Associated with this page is a separate page on Pinochle Tactics (for the single deck partnership game) and a Pinochle Glossary. The material for both of these was also contributed by David Dailey.

B.J. Herbison's Playing Pinochle page describes a variation of Single Deck Pinochle, and a detailed set of suggested bidding conventions.

Other Types of Pinochle

There are separate pages on this site for:

Eventually, more types will be covered.

Pinochle Software and On-Line Games

Free Canasis.com is an online pinochle site that offers the most variations of pinochle including both single deck and double deck styles, both the old and new rules, and most of the variations described above. With a pleasing wooden theme and many other features, Canasis is definitely worth a long look.

You can play Pinochle online at

• AOL games (formerly games.com / Masque publishing)

The collection HOYLE Card Games for Windows or Mac OS X includes a partnership single deck Pinochle program, along with many other popular card games.

Pinochle is a more advanced card game with points being scored from a melding phase and a trick-taking playing phase. Find the video tutorial and written explanation for how to play four player pinochle, followed by two player pinochle, below.

Four Player Pinochle Tutorial

Needed

48 card pinochle deck; four players; pen and paper for scorekeeping

Card Rank

Highest to lowest - Ace, 10, King, Queen, Jack, 9

Deal

Each player is dealt 12 cards in sets of 3 cards at a time.

Objective

The objective is to be the first team to score 150 points. Points are scored through the melding and playing phases.

Bidding

The player left of the dealer is first to bid. The minimum amount to bid is 20, or a player can pass on bidding. Bidding continues clockwise, with each player bidding higher than any previous bids or passing. Players can bid multiple times. A player wins the bid when all other players have passed.

Card Pass

The bid winner’s partner will pass three cards to his/her partner. The bid winner looks at the cards and then decides on three cards to pass back to his/her partner. No cards are passed between the team that did not win the bid.

The Meld

Players count the points in their hands. The points are as follows:

• Trump Run (Ace, 10, King, Queen, Jack) = 15 points (2x = 150 points)

• Trump 9 = 1 point

• Trump Marriage (King and Queen) = 4 points

• Non-Trump Marriage = 2 points

• Ace in Each Suit = 10 points (2x = 100 points)

• King in Each Suit = 8 points (2x = 80 points)

• Queen in Each Suit = 6 points (2x = 60 points)

• Jack in Each Suit = 4 points (2x = 40 points)

• Pinochle (Queen of Spades and Jack of Diamonds) = 4 points (2x = 30 points)

Playing Phase

The bid winner plays the first card. Play moves clockwise, with each player having to play a card in the same suit that was led whenever possible. If a player cannot follow the lead suit, he/she has to play a trump suited card. If a player cannot follow the lead suit or play a trump suited card, he/she can play any card. Also, a player must beat the high card played if possible, even if the card is your partners.

Ok Pinnacle Play For Free

The winner of the trick is the player who played the highest ranking trump card. If no trump suited cards were played, the winner of the trick is the player who played the highest ranking card in the lead suit.

Each Ace, 10, and King won in a trick counts for 1 point each. The team that wins the last trick receives an additional point.

Scoring

The points from the melding phase are added to the points from the playing phase.

Rules

• If two cards of the same rank are played, the first card played wins the trick.

• The non-bidding team must take at least one point during the playing phase, or else they lose any melded points for the round.

• If a team does not make their bid, it is known as going set. If set, the team loses the amount of points bid.

• If both teams go over 150 points in the same round, the bidding team wins the game even if the non-bidding team ends up with more overall points.

• If a player is dealt a hand with five or more nines and no melds, the hand can be thrown in and re-dealt. The hand must be thrown in before bidding begins.

Two Player Pinochle Tutorial

Needed

48 card pinochle deck; two players, pen and paper for scorekeeping

Deal

Twelve cards are dealt to each player in sets of four cards. The top card of the remaining deck is flipped up and partially placed under the deck. The suit of the flipped up card is the trump suit for the round. If the dealer flips up a 9 from the deck, he/she is awarded 10 points.

Objective

The object of the game is to be the first player to score 1,000 points. Points are scored through melds and winning tricks that include aces, tens, kings, or queens.

Playok Pinochle Free Online Now

Card Rank

Highest to lowest - Ace, 10, King, Queen, Jack, 9

Game Play

The round begins with the non-dealer playing the first card. The dealer will then play any card from his/her hand. The trick is won by the player who played the highest ranking trump suited card. If no trump suited card was played, the winner of the trick is the player who played the highest ranking card in the lead suit.

After a trick is won, the winning player is able to lay down a meld if he/she has one. The melds are listed below. After a meld is laid down, the points are awarded to the player of the meld. Although the meld is laid down, the cards in the meld can be played into a trick as if they were in the player’s hand.

After a meld is played, or if the winning player did not have a meld to play, the winner of the last trick will draw the top card of the deck, and the loser of the last trick will draw the next card to return their hands to 12 cards. The player that won the last trick will lead the next trick.

If a player has the 9 of trump, he/she is allowed to switch it with the flipped up card from the deck after winning a trick. A player that switches a 9 of trump is awarded 10 points. 10 points are also awarded to a player who melds a 9 of trump or plays a 9 of trump into a trick.

When the deck only has one card left face down and the trump card face up, the winner of the next trick takes the last card from the deck, and the loser of the trick takes the flipped up trump card. After the last cards are drawn, no more melds can be scored.

The last 12 cards are played for taking tricks only. On these last 12 tricks, a player has to follow the lead suit if possible, and obligated to win the trick if possible. The player that wins the last trick is awarded 10 points. Each player will count the number of aces and tens won, and are awarded 10 points for each. Each player will count the number of kings and queens won, and are awarded 5 points for each.

Meld Points

• Trump Run (Ace, 10, King, Queen, Jack) = 150 points

• Trump 9 = 10 point

• Trump Marriage (King and Queen) = 40 points

• Non-Trump Marriage = 20 points

• 4 Aces in Each Suit = 100 points (2x = 200 points)

• 4 Kings in Each Suit = 80 points (2x = 160 points)

• 4 Queens in Each Suit = 60 points (2x = 120 points)

• 4 Jacks in Each Suit = 40 points (2x = 80 points)

• Pinochle (Queen of Spades and Jack of Diamonds) = 40 points (2x = 80 points)

Rules

• If the same card is played by both players, the first one played wins the trick.

• Only one meld can be scored after a trick is won. When multiple melds are laid down together, another trick must be won before scoring an additional meld. For example, the queen of spades from a previously melded marriage, and a jack of diamonds currently being melded with four jacks can be combined to form a pinochle, but the player can only score the four jacks or the pinochle on the turn. The other is score upon winning another trick.

• A card can be used for multiple melds if the melds are different. A queen of spades can be melded in a marriage, a sequence, a pinochle, and four queens. If a queen is played from a melded four queens, another queen cannot be added to the remaining three queens to score again. All four queens must be different to score again.

• A player is not able to play a sequence, and then later take the points for the trump marriage contained within the sequence. A player is able to play a trump marriage, and later add the cards to make it a sequence in order to score for the marriage, and then later the sequence.