This page is based on David Dailey's rules, entitledPinochle is for Fun!
Pinochle Palace – Experience the traditional card game live and play for free against real players. Pinochle, the trick-taking card game with lots of fun! Comparable to games like Whist, Spades. 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 decide who wins each trick, and what that all means. Find over 11 Double Deck Partnership Pinochle groups with 757 members near you and meet people in your local community who share your interests.
Note: There are other pages on this site for Double Deck Pinochle , Three Player Auction Pinochle and Two Handed Pinochle.
There are four players; partners sit across from each other. The deck consists of 80 cards, containing A 10 K Q J in each of the four suits, and with four identical copies of each card. Translate Pinochle. See authoritative translations of Pinochle in Spanish with example sentences and audio pronunciations.
Contents
Introduction
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.
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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.
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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.
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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:
- Give a normal bid by announcing a number 10 points higherthan the last bid.
- Give a 'jump' bid by saying a number at least 20 points higher than the last bid.
- 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.)
- 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
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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
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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.
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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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
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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'.
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Pinochle online, free
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.
This page has been put together from various sources, including information collected by John Hay, and contributions from Toby Thomas and Jim Davis.
Players and Cards
There are four players; partners sit across from each other.
The deck consists of 80 cards, containing A 10 K Q J in each of the four suits, and with four identical copies of each card. This deck can be formed by mixing together two normal Pinochle decks, having thrown out the nines, or from four regular 52 card decks from which you throw out all the numerals 2 to 9.
Idea of the Game
After the deal there is an auction in which players bid the number of points their team will try to win. Whoever bids highest has the privilege of choosing trumps and leading to the first trick. The object of the high bidder's team is to win at least as many points as the amount they bid. Points can be scored in two ways:
- by declaring and showing (melding) combinations of cards held in a players hand;
- by winning aces, tens and kings in tricks
Deal
Deal and play are clockwise. All the cards are dealt to the players, so that everyone has 20. Dealing practice varies; common methods are 4 cards at a time, 5 cards at a time, or 2 cards to each player, and the remainder 3 at a time.
Rank and Value of Cards
In each suit the cards rank, from highest to lowest, Ace, Ten, King, Queen, Jack. At the end of the play, each side counts the points they have taken in tricks. Each Ace, Ten and King is worth one point, and the team who win the last trick get an extra 2 points. Hence there are a total of 50 points available for tricks.
Meld
Points can be scored for certain combinations of cards in hand of one player. These combinations are called meld; they are displayed to the other players before the start of the trick play. Any meld can be single (just one of each card), double (two identical copies of each card), triple (three of each card) or quadruple (all four of each card).
There are three types of meld. Any particular card can only belong to one meld of each type. The point scores for meld are given in the following table:
| Type | Combination | Single | Double | Triple | Quadruple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Type I Runs and Marriages | Run - Ace, Ten, King, Queen, Jack of trumps | 15 | 150 | 225 | 300 |
| Royal Marriage - King and Queen of trumps | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | |
| Marriage - Kings and Queen of the same suit, not trumps | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | |
| Note: A run in a suit other than trumps is not worth anything more than the marriage score for the king and queen. | |||||
| Type II - Pinochles | Pinochle - Jack of diamonds & Queen of spades | 4 | 30 | 60 | 90 |
Type III Arounds | Aces around - An Ace in each suit | 10 | 100 | 150 | 200 |
| Kings around - A King in each suit | 8 | 80 | 120 | 160 | |
| Queens around - A Queen in each suit | 6 | 60 | 90 | 120 | |
| Jacks around - A Jack in each suit | 4 | 40 | 60 | 80 | |
| Note: A set of tens is not worth anything in meld. | |||||
Example: with hearts as trump, the following hand:
A 10 K K K Q Q Jscores 87 for meld: a run (15), a royal marriage (4), a double marriage in spades (4), a pinochle (4) and double queens around (60). There is only one royal marriage as one king and one queen of hearts are already used for the run, and the remaining queen can only marry one of the remaining kings. Notice, however, that one of the queens of spades is simultaneously used in the spade marriage, the pinochle and the around - this is allowed because these melds are all of different types.
Q Q J
Q Q
A K K Q Q J J
The Bidding
The person to the left of the dealer bids first. The opening bid must be at least 50, but may be higher. You may bid by ones until you reach 60; bids above 60 must be multiples of 5 (65, 70, 75 etc.). Turn to bid proceeds clockwise. Each bid must be higher than the previous one, but a player who does not wish to bid can pass. If the first three players all pass, the dealer is forced to bid 50. Once you pass you cannot re-enter the bidding on a later turn. The bidding continues for as many rounds as necessary until three players have passed. Whoever wins the bid (bids highest) has the right to call trump and lead.
Calling Trump and Melding
The bidder now chooses the trump suit and announces what it is. It must be a suit in which the bidder holds at least a marriage. If the bidder does not have a marriage, the hand is not played; in this case the bidding side automatically lose the amount of their bid and neither side counts anything for meld.
Once trump is called all of the players lay their meld face up on the table. A combination must be entirely within one player's hand to count. Note also that you can count the same card in melds of different types (for example a queen of spades could be part of a marriage, a pinochle and a set of queens), but not in more than one meld of the same type (so a king and two queens does not count as two marriages). Partners add together the scores for their meld and this is written down on the score sheet.
The Play
The person who won the bid begins the play by leading to the first trick, and the others play in turn, clockwise. A trick consists of one card from each player and if it contains no trumps it is won by the highest card played of the suit led. If any trumps are played to the trick, then the highest trump wins, irrespective of any other cards in the trick. If there are two or more identical cards in a trick, the first of these cards which was played beats the others. The winner of a trick leads to the next.
When leading to a trick any card may be played. Each subsequent players must follow suit if they can and must crawl (this means that each player must play a card which is higher in rank than the winning card that has been played to the trick so far). A player who cannot crawl (i.e. does not have a high enough card of the suit led to beat the highest so far played to the trick) must follow suit in any case, with a card that will not win the trick.
Any player who does not have any cards of the suit that was led must trump. If someone has already trumped then later players who can follow suit may play any card of the suit led (no card of the led suit can beat a trump). If a trick has been trumped, subsequent players who do not have the led suit either must crawl in trump, that is beat the highest trump so far played. A player who cannot follow suit and cannot beat the highest trump so far played must still play a trump, even though this trump will not be high enough to win the trick.
A player who has no card of the suit led and no trumps may play any card.
Scoring
When all the cards have been played, each team counts the points in the tricks they have won. If the bidding side took in meld and tricks at least as many points as they bid, then both teams add the points they made to their cumulative score.
If the bidding partnership does not 'make' the bid (i.e. their meld and trick points do not equal or surpass their bid), they have been 'set'. In this case they score nothing for their meld and tricks, and instead the amount of their bid is subtracted from their score. The non-bidding partners get to keep their meld and trick points.
If the bidding partners know that they cannot make the bid before play begins, they may call trump and throw in their hand. In this case they score nothing for their meld and their bid is subtracted from their score. The non-bidding partners add their meld points to their score. This allows the bidding partners to avoid losing the trick points to their opponents.
Bidding Systems
It is sensible to use the bids to convey information about what melds are held. In variations with card passing, bids can also be used to indicate what cards you would like your partner to pass. Details of bidding systems vary greatly, and there is no standard that I know of, so the systems below should be taken only as examples. If anyone would like to let me know about their preferred bidding systems, or systems that they regard as standard in some way, I would be happy to add them to this page.
The systems that are possible or sensible are clearly affected by the version of the rules that is in operation. For example some groups do not require the bids to be in multiples of 5 above 60. Some allow extra information to be given with the bid, not just a number. Some play with with exchanging of cards between partners (see below).
A common system, at least for bids up to 60, is to use skip bids to indicate meld and encourage your partner to make trumps. An opening bid of 50 shows a desire to make trumps. Opening 51 indicates that some aces are held in other suits. Opening 52 or more shows meld: 10 points for each point over 50 - so 52 shows 20 meld, 53 shows 30 meld, etc. Subsequent bidders can show meld by the number of points they skip. Bidding just 1 more than the previous bidder indicates that you want to make trump. Increasing the bid by 2 or more shows 10 meld for each point of increase. So if a player opens 52 (indicating 20 meld), the next player might bid 55 - 3 more than 52 showing 30 meld - and so on.
Here is another system, contributed by Jim Davis. This is for use in a game where any number from 50 up can be bid, and in which four cards are passed:
| 50 | ... | Opening Bid |
| 51 | ... | Not yet ready to 'Pass' |
| 52 | ... | I have some meld |
| 53 | ... | I have several parts of Pinochle (J's or Q's) |
| 55 | ... | I need Jacks of all suits |
| 54, 64, 74, etc. | ... | I need a Jack |
| 56, 66, 76, etc. | ... | I need a Queen |
| 58, 68, 78, etc. | ... | I need a King |
| 59, 69, 79, etc. | ... | I need a Ten |
| 60, 70, 80, etc. | ... | I need an Ace |
| Jump ahead to 66 | ... | I need Queens of all suits |
| Jump ahead to 80 or 88 | ... | I need Kings of all suits |
| Jump ahead to 100 | ... | I need Aces of all suits |
During the bidding process jump ahead to the next appropriate number that will give your partner a necessary clue as to what to pass if you were to win the bid. Notice that you have to be careful about the possible confusion between (say) 80 asking for an ace and 80 asking for all kings. If the bidding is in the low 70's and you want to ask for all kings, you should jump to 88 to make this clear. In this case 80, being the next available bid ending in '0', would be a request for an ace.
Variations
Double Deck Pinochle has apparently been played since the 1940's. Many different versions have developed, and there is no universally accepted standard. Here are some fairly widespread variations.
Variations in Bidding Procedure
Some players allow any number to be bid from 50 up. Some play that bids above 100 must be in multiples of 10.
Some play that the bidding goes around once only - each player has just one chance to speak. Some play that it goes around twice only (but if you pass the first time you cannot bid the second time).
Some players allow extra information to be given during the bidding - not just the numbers. This normally takes the form of information about meld held. It is generally agreed that it is illegal to direct attention to any particular suit.
Exchanging Cards and Choosing Trumps
A common variation allows cards to be exchanged between the partners on the bidding side. This usually happens immediately after the dealer has chosen trumps. It has the general effect of leading to higher melds and therefore higher bidding.The high bidder and partner must simultaneously pass three cards to each other face down across the table. They are not allowed to look at the cards passed to them before they have chosen and placed on the table the cards they are going to pass.
The rule requiring the bidder to have at least a marriage in the trump suit is not always followed. Some do not require a trump marriage at all. Some play that it is sufficient for the bidder to have a marriage after the exchange of cards.
Some play that other numbers of cards are passed - the number ranging from one to four depending on the variation.
Some play that the bidder's partner passes cards first. The bidder looks at these and then passes back an equal number of cards (possibly including some of the cards just received).
Some play that the exchange of cards occurs before the trump suit is announced. In that case the bidder may be allowed to suggest a suit in which she would like to receive cards (possibly different from the eventual trump suit).
Variations in scoring
- The cards are not played and the opponents score nothing.
- The cards are not played and the opponents score their meld (if it is at least 20).
- The cards are not played and the opponents score 25 for cards, plus their meld (if at least 20).
- The cards are not played and the opponents score 50 for cards, plus their meld (if at least 20).
- If trumps have been made, the cards are played and the opponents score as usual according to the tricks they win.
Variation contributed by Toby Thomas
Toby Thomas writes: 'My father-in-law, Clare Masek is 81 (Oct 96) and has played pinochle for over 70 years. It seems that he lives for pinochle and as of late we have been playing his brand of double partnership pinochle.'
The differences from the versions described above are as follows:
| Combination | Single | Double | Triple | Quadruple |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type I - runs and marriages | ||||
| Run in trumps | 15 | 150 | 500 | --- |
| Royal Marriage | 4 | 30 | 60 | 240 |
| Ordinary Marriage | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| Type II - pinochles | ||||
| Pinochle | 4 | 30 | 90 | 360 |
| Type III - arounds | ||||
| Aces around | 10 | 100 | 500 | --- |
| Kings around | 8 | 80 | 400 | --- |
| Queens around | 6 | 60 | 300 | --- |
| Jacks around | 4 | 40 | 200 | --- |
- A-10-K-K-Q-Q-J is worth 45 points (15 + 30)
- A-10-K-K-K-Q-Q-Q-J is worth 75 points (15 + 60)
- A-A-10-10-K-K-K-Q-Q-Q-J-J is worth 210 points (150 + 60)
Pinochle Classic
Other Double Deck Pinochle Web Sites
John Hay's Double Pinochle page contains rules and variations, and provided a lot of the source information for this page.
The Power Pinochle site has some useful resources for learning the game and a forum where bidding and playing strategy are discussed.
Pinochle Party
Here is an archive copy of Brad Wilson's former Double Pinochle page.
Pinochle rules from an archive copy of Chris Chapman's site.
Double Deck 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, many of the variations described above, and the ability to customize rules. With a pleasing wooden theme and many other features, it is recommended you give Canasis a try.
The collection HOYLE Card Games for Windows or Mac OS X includes a Double Deck Pinochle program, along with many other popular card games.
The following sites offer on-line double deck Pinochle games:
- Mystic Island organises tournaments, including duplicate tournaments, leagues and ladders.
- PlayOK Online Games (formerly known as Kurnik)
- Marya's World of Card Games
WWW pages for other types of Pinochle
There are separate pages on this site for: