Buzz
K
60 points, 40 Jacks
Beyond melds, Pinochle offers two additional scoring methods: accumulating points and successful bidding.
Earning Points
Bidding Strategies
Player Count:Objective:meldsThe Deck:deucesDistribution:DistributekittyThe Bidding Process:bidspassestabletrumpshand
Scoring: Successfully meeting your bid means collecting points from each opponent as per the scoring table. Failing to meet your bid results in losing points to each opponent. Missing your bid after playing the hand leads to a double penalty, known as going bete (pronounced bait). For instance, bidding 370 and achieving 405 in spades earns you 30 points from each opponent. Bidding 400 and reaching 405 wins you 50 points from each. However, bidding 410 and only making 405 means going bete in spades, costing you 100 points to each opponent. Tips: Avoid relying on the face-down widow, or kitty, for melding assistance. The odds of finding a specific card in the widow are slim, roughly one in six. When calculating potential losses, assume opponents will play high cards on your losing tricks. As a defender, keep track of the bidder's melded cards you can beat and ensure you win those tricks. Occasionally, the bidder may have additional cards of that suit in hand, beyond trumps. Variations: Bidding traditions vary. In one, after two passes, the dealer must bid at least 250. In another, the dealer can pass the hand or open at 290 (but not 250) or 320 and above. A third approach mandates the first hand to start at 300, allowing a minimum-stake loss if the hand is thrown in. Next, we'll explore an exciting variation: Partnership Pinochle.
Partnership Pinochle
This four-player version of Pinochle is sometimes also called Racehorse Pinochle. Here's how to play: Number of players: Four, playing in pairs. All playersdrawPartnerships are determined by drawing cards from a deck. The two players with the highest cards form one team, while the two with the lowest cards form the opposing team. Partners sit across from each other.Objective: Be the first team to reach 1,500 points or more. (Refer to the sidebars in the first section for scoring details.)The Deck: A 48-card Pinochle deck, created by removing all 2s through 8s from two standard 52-card decks. Ensure the decks have identical backs. Card rankings are ace (high)-10-K-Q-J-9 (low).Dealing: The dealer is decided by cutting to the highest card, whodealsin a clockwise direction. Traditionally, three cards are dealt at a time until each player holds 12 cards, with the dealer receiving the final batch.Bidding:Biddingbegins to the dealer's left. Players maybidorpassduring any round. The initial bid must be a minimum of 250 points, with subsequent bids increasing in ten-point increments. Players can pass initially and bid later, but three consecutive passes end the auction. If no bid is made in the first round, the hand is discarded, and the next dealer shuffles and deals a new hand. Otherwise, the highest bidder becomes thedeclarer.
With your partner's
Q, you can now create a Pinochle and a Flush (in spade trumps) for a combined 100 points. Additionally, you gain 20 points for a plain marriage in diamonds, bringing your total to 210 points. By passing, you’ve eliminated your hearts to trump heart leads.Passing: After the declarer names the trump suit, the declarer receives four cards from their partner. After reviewing these cards, the declarer passes four cards back to their partner. The returned cards may include none, some, or all of the initially passed cards. Melding: Following this exchange between the declarer and their partner, all players reveal theirmeldson thetable, with points tallied for each team.Scoring the meld: Suppose you secure the bid at 360 with a hand of
K-Q-J-
Q-J-10-
A-A-10-K-K-J. You designate spades as trump, and your partner hands you theQ,10,K,Q. You pass back theA,K,Q,10 to your partner. Given your strong position, you’re likely to fulfill yourcontract(even if your partner contributes no meld points, you only require 150 points from your winningtricks), you opt to proceed with thehand. However, if your combined meld points total 100 or fewer, fulfilling your contract becomes impossible, as only 250 points are available in play. In such a scenario, you should concede. As the declarer, you don’t require your partner’s agreement to proceed or concede. If you concede, you forfeit your meld points, and your opponents score their melds plus a 250-point bonus. If you proceed and fail to meet your contract, you lose your meld points and any points from tricks. Your opponents gain their meld points, a 250-point bonus, and points from tricks they win. When a contract is fulfilled, both teams retain their points.Playing: The player to the dealer’s left leads the first trick. Play proceeds clockwise, with the winner of each trick leading the next. You must alwaysfollow suit, and if you cannot follow suit in a nontrump suit, you must play a trump card if available. When a trump isled, you must play a higher trump than the one previously played. Always aim to play the highest possible card. The highest card of the led suit (or the highest trump) wins the trick. If the same card appears twice in a trick (e.g., theK), the first card played wins the trick.Tips: To make a bid, you’ll likely need 80 or more melding points, which largely depends on the hand distribution after the card exchange. Before starting, players can strategize on exchange tactics and decide which cards the high bidder’s partner should pass.Variation: Partnership Pinochle without an auction is also widely played. Trump is determined by flipping the last card, which becomes part of the dealer’s hand. Players reveal their melds, and the player to the dealer’s left leads the first play. Each team scores points from tricks and melds, with the first to 1,500 points winning. There’s more to Pinochle! Continue reading to explore the two-player version, Two-Handed Pinochle.Two-Handed Pinochle
Two-Handed Pinochle was once the top choice for a two-player card game across the United States. Here's a guide on how to play: Number of players: Two Objective: To accumulate the highest score bycombining cardsand capturingtricks. AmatchThe game concludes when one or both participants achieve or exceed 1,000 points, with the player holding the highest total declared the victor. (Refer to the sidebars in the initial section of this article for details on scoring.) The Cards: A 48-card Pinochle deck. This deck can be created by combining two standard decks and removing all cards from two through eight. Ensure both decks have identical back designs. Card rankings are as follows: ace (highest)-10-K-Q-J-9 (lowest). Dealing: Place the deck face down, andselecta card. The player who draws the highest-ranking card becomes the dealer. If both players draw cards of the same rank, repeat the process until the dealer is decided. Cards aredistributedCards are distributed in sets of three or four until every player holds 12 cards. The leftover cards create thestockpile. Once the deal is complete, the dealer reveals the top card from the stockpile; thisface-up carddetermines thetrumpsuit. This card is then partially revealed at the stock's base. If it’s a 9, the dealer instantly earns 10 points. Following each trick, both players draw a card from the stock, with the dealer drawing last. Playing: Each round consists of two phases: trick-taking and melding, followed by the endgame. After the nondealer makes the first move, the dealer can play any card; there’s no obligation tomatch suits. The highest card wins the trick unless a trump card is played. If identical cards are played, the first one played takes the trick. The winner of a trick leads the next one. Until the stock is exhausted, players aren’t required to follow suit. Melding: Melds can only be declared one at a time during a player’s turn, provided they’ve won a trick but haven’t drawn from the stock yet. The exception is the 9 of trumps, which can be scored independently. At least one card from the player’s hand must be used to create a meld. Points are tallied as each meld is formed. Melds remain faceup on the table until the stock is depleted, after which they are collected and kept inhand. Until the last card is drawn, these cards can be played at any point during the game in place of a card from your hand. However, once a card is played in a trick, it’s no longer in play for the remainder of the hand. A card used in a meld can be reused in another meld, but not for the same type of meld. For example, if oneKing has been part of amarriagewith oneQueen, thatKing cannot later form a marriage with anotherQueen, but it can be reused in a flush or a set of four Kings across different suits. The Dix (pronounced "deece"): If the first 9 of trumps (or Dix) is revealed, you earn 10 points. The first player to receive the Dix, either through the deal or by drawing it from the stock, swaps it with the upcard at the stock's base. The player holding the second 9 of trumps simply reveals it to claim 10 points. Endgame: When only the upcard and one stock card remain, the winner of the previous trick takes the stock card, while the loser takes the upcard, which is the Dix. At this stage, no additional melds can be declared. Players return all melded cards to their hands. The winner of the previous trick leads next. From this point onward, players must follow suit if possible. If a trump is led, you must play a higher trump if available. If a nontrump suit is led and you lack cards in that suit, you must play a trump if possible. Tips: Cards used in tricks during the first phase are no longer eligible for melding. Only play a potential melding card if you’re certain you can afford to lose it. Kings and queens (particularly theQueen) are excellent for melding. Hold onto these cards as long as melding opportunities exist. Jacks are generally not worth keeping for melding (except theJack). A set of four different jacks scores only 40 points, so unless you have this meld, discard jacks. If you’ve seen bothKings, other kings lose value since an 80-point meld is no longer possible. If your opponent plays a strong melding card early, it’s likely a duplicate. However, they might lack the rest of the meld and be forced to play it. Use a trump early to free up cards for melding or to block your opponent’s melds. In the endgame, a long trump suit can secure extra tricks and the final trick. Be cautious with a singleton ace in the endgame. If your opponent plays the other ace, you’ll have to follow suit and lose. Play yours first. Finally, one of the most dynamic Pinochle variants is Cut-Throat Pinochle.
