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How to Play Pinochle
A game of pinochle consists of multiple rounds, and each round consists of four distinct phases. The rules for each phase are slightly different for partnership auction pinochle and double-pack pinochle. For each phase, this section explains the rules for partnership auction pinochle first, followed by double-pack pinochle. In both versions of the game, the four phases of play are:
- The deal
- Bidding
- Melding
- Play
The Deal
Before play can begin, players must choose teams, choose the dealer, shuffle and cut, and deal the cards.
How to Choose Teams
Before play begins, the deck is shuffled and spread out, face down. Each player draws a card, and the players with the two higher-value cards (regardless of suit) play on one team. The players with the two lower-value cards play on the other team. If two or more players draw cards of equal value, they redraw until everyone has drawn cards of differing values.
Players on the same team should sit across from each other. The teams remain the same for the entire game, until one side or the other reaches the preset score. Teams do not change between rounds.
How to Choose the Dealer
Whoever draws the highest card during the team selection will act as the first dealer. The dealer’s partner sits across from him, and the other team sits on either side. The dealer position rotates to the left after each round.
The Shuffle and Cut
The dealer reshuffles the cards, then passes the deck to the player on his right, who cuts the cards. It’s standard practice for the cards to be cut roughly in half.
Dealing the Cards
After the cut, the dealer reassembles the deck and deals clockwise around the table.
- Partnership auction pinochle: The cards are dealt three at a time to each person, for a total hand of 12 cards each.
- Double-pack pinochle: The cards can be dealt either four or five at a time, depending on the players’ convention. Each player receives a hand of 20 cards.
The dealer must reshuffle and redeal entirely if a card is exposed during the deal or if any player receives an incorrect number of cards.
Bidding
Once they’re dealt their cards, players look at their hands and then bid on the number of points they believe that their team will win in that round through melding and trick-taking. Bidding is important in pinochle for two main reasons:
- Determining trump: The player with the highest bid gets to determine the trump suit for the round. Getting to pick the trump suit can vastly improve your scoring chances during the trick-taking phase of the game.
- Scoring: Bidding can also affect your scoring chances because a bid is essentially a promise that the bidder’s team will win a certain number of points in the round. If the team that wins the bid, called the bidding team, fails to equal or surpass the number of points that it bid, then that team loses the number of points it bid. In contrast, the nonbidding team gets whatever points it wins during melding and trick-taking, however many points that is.
Bidding is an important way for partners to communicate the strength of their hands. Generally, players with stronger hands tend to make higher bids and tend to bid more often.
Bidding in Partnership Auction Pinochle
Bidding in partnership auction pinochle starts at 100 points with the player to the dealer’s left and then continues clockwise around the table. Each player decides in turn whether to pass or bid:
- Pass: If you don’t believe that your team can win the number of points already bid (whether it’s at the starting point of 100 or some higher number), you can pass. Once you pass, you can no longer bid during that round.
- Bid: If you believe that your team can score more points than the current bid, then you can make a new, higher bid. Bids must be in multiples of 10 (110, 120, and so on). You can also jump bid, or make more than the minimum required bid (i.e., 10 above the current bid). For instance, if the current bid is 150, it’s your turn to bid, and you think you can score considerably higher than 150, you could bid 200 rather than just 160.
Bidding continues until everyone but the highest bidder has passed. The highest bidder then declares the trump suit. If all four players pass before a bid has been made, the next dealer deals out a new hand.
Bidding in Double-Pack Pinochle
Bidding in double-pack pinochle is the same as bidding in partnership auction pinochle, except the minimum bid starts at 500 points. As in partnership auction pinochle, bids must be in multiples of 10, and jump bids are allowed. By convention, players omit the last digit of their bid (for example, you’d say “50” instead of “500”).
Irregular Bidding in Pinochle
Pinochle has strict rules about how to handle mistakes made during bidding:
- If a player bids out of turn: His bid is eliminated, and both partners must pass.
- If a player makes a bid that’s too low: She must make a legitimate bid, and her partner must pass.
Depending on the conventions your fellow players follow, these penalties may or may not be in force. It’s a good idea to ask before beginning play.
Melding
Once the bidding ends and the winner declares the trump suit, each player melds cards to form specific combinations of cards from the hand he was dealt. These combinations are worth specific point values, which are listed in the following tables.
Classes of Melds
There are three basic classes of melds:
- Sequences: Specific cards in a sequential rank order.
- Groups (ranks): Cards of equal rank.
- Pinochle and the dix: Special melds called pinochle and the dix (pronounced “deess”). Double-pack pinochle does not have the dix but does have pinochles.
Melds in Partnership Auction Pinochle
Sequence Melds |
Points |
|
Flush (A-K-Q-J-10 of trump suit) |
150 |
|
Double flush (two flushes) |
1,500 |
|
Royal marriage (K-Q of trump suit) |
40 |
|
Simple marriage (K-Q of non-trump suit) |
20 |
Group Melds (Rank Melds) |
Points |
|
100 aces (  ) |
100 |
|
All eight aces |
1,000 |
|
80 kings (  ) |
80 |
|
All eight kings |
800 |
|
60 queens (  ) |
60 |
|
All eight queens |
600 |
|
40 jacks (  ) |
40 |
|
All eight jacks |
400 |
Pinochle and Dix Melds |
Points |
|
Pinochle (  ) |
40 |
|
Double pinochle (two pinochles) |
300 |
|
9 of trumps (dix) |
10 |
Melds in Double-Pack Pinochle
Sequence Melds |
Points |
|
Flush (A-K-Q-J-10 of trump suit) |
150 |
|
Royal marriage (K-Q of trump suit) |
40 |
|
Simple marriage (K-Q of non-trump suit) |
20 |
Unlike partnership auction bridge, there’s no bonus value for multiple flushes in partnership auction pinochle. For instance, having two flushes is worth 300 points.
Group Melds (Rank Melds) |
Points |
|
100 aces ( ) |
100 |
|
Double aces (two aces of each suit) |
1,000 |
|
Triple aces (three aces of each suit) |
1,500 |
|
80 kings ( ) |
80 |
|
Double kings (two kings of each suit) |
800 |
|
Triple kings (three kings of each suit) |
1,200 |
|
60 queens ( ) |
60 |
|
Double queens (two queens of each suit) |
600 |
|
Triple queens (three queens of each suit) |
900 |
|
40 jacks ( ) |
40 |
|
Double jacks (two jacks of each suit) |
400 |
|
Triple jacks (three jacks of each suit) |
600 |
Quadruple group melds count as two doubles. For example, having all 16 kings is worth 1,600 points.
Pinochle Melds |
Points |
|
Pinochle ( ) |
40 |
|
Double pinochle (two pinochles) |
300 |
|
Triple pinochle (three pinochles) |
450 |
|
Quadruple pinochle (four pinochles) |
3,000 |
Guidelines for Forming Melds
Follow these important guidelines when forming melds from the cards in your hand:
- Each player must meld separately: You cannot share cards with your partner to produce melds.
-
You can use the same card in multiple melds but only if those melds are from different classes: For example, you can use the
to score points for both pinochle and 60 queens because these are different classes of melds. You cannot use the for both a flush and a royal marriage, however, because these melds are from the same class.
Displaying Melds
You and the other players must lay down your meld (the term used to refer to all your melds collectively) faceup on the table to show them to the other players. Partners’ scores are added together and recorded on a score sheet.
Getting Points for Melds
Note that a team can receive points for their meld only after they win a trick during game play. If the team fails to win a single trick, they do not get the points for their meld.
The Play
After the meld is completed, players pick up all their cards, and play begins.
The Lead
The play phase of pinochle begins when a player leads the first card of the first trick, which means that the player places a card from his hand faceup in the middle of the table. Which player leads, or plays, the first card of the first trick differs between partnership auction pinochle and double-pack pinochle:
- Partnership auction pinochle: The player to the dealer’s left leads.
- Double-pack pinochle: The winning bidder leads.
After the Lead
Play proceeds clockwise after the lead, with each player laying down one faceup card. The four cards played together make up a trick. All players must try to win the trick if a trump is led, and they must play the cards in their hands according to the following rules:
- If you lead: The player who leads can play any card.
- If you can follow suit: Following suit means that you play a card of the same suit as the led card. If you can follow suit, you must. Also, you must play a higher card from the led suit, if possible. If you can’t play a higher card, you may play any card of the led suit.
- If you can’t follow suit but have trump: If the led card is from a nontrump suit and you don’t have a card of that suit, you must play a trump if possible.
-
If another player has already played a trump: If a trump has already been played when it’s your turn, the rules about the cards you can play change slightly.
- If you hold a card of the led suit: You can now play any card in that suit, regardless of whether it’s higher or lower in rank than the led card.
- If you have the led suit and the trump suit: You can play a card from either suit. If you play a trump, you must play a trump that’s higher than the played trump if possible. If you can’t play a higher trump, then you can play any lower trump.
- If you have the trump suit but not the the led suit: You must play a card from the trump suit and must, if possible, play a trump that’s higher than the played trump. If you can’t play a higher trump, then you can play any lower trump.
- If you have neither the led nor the trump suit (if one was played): You may play any card.
Winning the Trick
The player who plays the highest-value trump card takes the trick, regardless of the suit originally led. If no trumps have been played, the player who plays the highest-value card in the led suit takes the trick. If multiple players lay down duplicate cards (such as two players using the 
), whoever plays the card first ranks higher.
), whoever plays the card first ranks higher. The winner gathers the cards and lays them facedown at a spot to her side. The cards captured during play have specific point values (see Scoring in Pinochle).
Playing the Next Trick
The winner of the trick leads the next trick. Play continues until all tricks have been played.
Ending the Round and Tallying Scores
Once all the tricks have been played, the round ends. Both teams then tally up the points they earned during play,
either by winning the last trick or by capturing certain cards, called counters.
Points You Can Win During Partnership Auction Pinochle Play
In partnership auction pinochle, there’s a total pool of 250 points that players can win during play:
- 10 points for whomever wins the last trick of play
- 11 points for each captured ace
- 10 points for each captured 10
- 4 points for each captured king
- 3 points for each captured queen
- 2 points for each captured jack
Points You Can Win During Double-Pack Pinochle Play
In double-pack pinochle, there’s a total pool of 500 points that players can win during play:
- 20 points for whomever wins the last trick of play
- 10 points for each captured ace, 10, or king
Jacks and queens are non-counters, which means they’re worth no points in double-pack pinochle.
Tallying Scores at the End of a Round
At the end of a round, teams tally up their scores (see Scoring in Pinochle).
Penalties for Playing Mistakes
Just as in bidding, there are strict rules about irregularities in game play that your fellow players may or may not choose to enforce. Be sure to clarify these rules beforehand.
- If a player fails to follow the rules of play and uses a card illegally: She must correct the error before her team plays another card. The card used illegally is treated as an exposed card (see below). If the error is not corrected in time, the team forfeits the points won during play. They may keep the points from melding only if they had already won at least one trick before the player’s illegal play.
- If a player accidentally exposes a card during play or plays out of turn: He must use the exposed card as soon as possible while still following the rules of play. If the player does not use the card at the first opportunity and it’s his partner’s turn to lead, the other team can choose the suit to be led.
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