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- The rules of how to play 500
- Vital strategies for playing 500
- The rules for variations of 500
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500 Basics
500 is a trick-taking card game in the same family as euchre, auction bridge, and partnership auction pinochle. In cards, a trick refers to a set of cards played by different players in sequence, with the highest card played winning.
500 was likely derived from euchre and is considered more of a skill-based game than its predecessor. 500 first became popular in the early 1900s and remained one of the most popular trick-winning games of the early 20th century, but its popularity was eventually surpassed by that of bridge. Since its heyday, the game has become much less prominent in the United States. However, it is still very popular in Australia and New Zealand and is the national card game of both countries.
Number of Players in 500
500 can accommodate two to six players, but its best with three or four players. (Both the three-player and four-player versions are described in detail in How to Play 500. The other versions are covered in 500 Variations.)
The Object of 500
The object of 500 is for you or your team to be the first to earn 500 points. As in bridge, each round of game play is divided between a bidding phase and a playing phase. In the bidding phase, players declare their intention to earn various point values. In the playing phase, points are awarded to those players who successfully complete their bids. Those players who don’t bid or who don’t offer the highest bid also earn a specific number of points for each trick they win. The game ends once a player or team successfully earns 500 points—
a process that often requires multiple rounds of play.
The Cards Used in 500
The cards used in 500 vary depending on the number of players in the game. Each player in the game receives a 10-card hand, so the number of cards must increase with each added player. The two- and three-player versions of 500 use a 33-card deck, derived from a standard 52-card deck, with one joker added and all 2–6 cards removed.
The six-player version of 500 requires a special 63-card deck that features 11s, 12s, and 13s in various suits. These decks are more common in Australia but can often be found in specialty game shops in the United States. Consult the following table for the cards used in all versions of the game.
Players |
Cards |
Deck Construction |
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2 |
33 |
Standard deck with one joker added and all 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, and 6s removed |
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3 |
33 |
Standard deck with one joker added and all 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, and 6s removed |
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4 |
43 |
Standard deck with one joker added and all 2s, 3s, and black
4s removed |
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5 |
53 |
Standard deck with one
joker added |
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6 |
63 |
Special deck consisting of a standard deck plus one joker, 11s and 12s in each suit, and 13s in hearts and diamonds |
Suit and Card Rankings
The value of the cards in a round depend on whether a trump suit has been set or whether the hand is being played no trump (without a trump suit). The trump suit (or no trump) is established during the bidding round.
Card Ranks When Playing with No Trump
If a hand is no trump, the ranks of the cards in each suit proceed from highest to lowest as follows: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4. The joker is not included in these rankings because there are special rules regarding how the joker can be played in no trump (see How to Play 500).
Card Ranks When Playing with Trump
If a particular suit has been established as trump during the bidding, then the ranks of the cards in the deck, from highest to lowest, proceed as follows:
- Joker: The joker is treated as though it belongs in the trump suit. It is the highest-ranked trump card.
- Right bower: The right bower is the name given to the jack of the trump suit. The right bower is the second highest trump card.
- Left bower: The left bower is the name given to the other jack of the same color as the trump suit. For instance, if hearts is trump, then the right bower would be the jack of hearts, while the left bower would be the jack of diamonds. The left bower is the third highest trump card, and, like the joker, is treated in all respects as if it is part of the trump suit.
- Trump cards: The next highest-ranking cards include all cards in the trump suit, with values from highest to lowest as follows: A, K, Q, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4.
- Nontrump cards: All cards in nontrump suits are lower in rank than the trump cards, with ranks from highest to lowest as follows: A, K, Q, J (excluding the left bower), 10, 9, 8, 7.
The following illustration depicts the card rankings with spades as the trump suit.
| Acknowledgments & Disclaimer |
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