How to play Pinochle
This is partnership pinochle for four players, the way most American families play it: one 48-card deck, bidding, passing four cards to your partner, melding, then twelve tricks. You and North play against West and East. The first team to 1,500 points wins.
The cards
The deck has two of each Ace, 10, King, Queen, Jack and 9 in every suit, 48 cards in all. In each suit the order is A, 10, K, Q, J, 9: the 10 ranks above the King. Each player gets 12 cards.
Bidding
- Starting left of the dealer, each player bids or passes. The opening bid is at least 250, and each bid must be higher than the last, in tens. Once you pass, you are out of the bidding.
- The bid is how many points your team promises to score this hand, from meld and tricks together.
- If the first three players pass, the dealer must take the bid at 250.
Trump and passing
- The player who wins the bid names the trump suit.
- Their partner then passes them four cards, and the bidder passes four cards back. The bidder may pass back cards they were just given.
Meld
Everyone shows the scoring combinations in their hand. A card can count in one meld of each kind (runs and marriages; pinochles; “arounds”), so a Queen of spades can be part of a pinochle and of queens around at the same time.
| Meld | Cards | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Run | A, 10, K, Q, J of trump | 150 |
| Run with an extra King or Queen | the run plus a second K or Q of trump | 190 |
| Run with an extra King and Queen | the run plus a second K and Q of trump | 230 |
| Double run | two of each run card | 1,500 |
| Royal marriage | K and Q of trump | 40 |
| Marriage | K and Q of another suit | 20 |
| Nine of trump | each 9 of trump | 10 |
| Pinochle | Q♠ and J♦︎ | 40 |
| Double pinochle | both Q♠ and both J♦︎ | 300 |
| Aces around | an Ace of each suit (all eight: 1,000) | 100 |
| Kings around | a King of each suit (all eight: 800) | 80 |
| Queens around | a Queen of each suit (all eight: 600) | 60 |
| Jacks around | a Jack of each suit (all eight: 400) | 40 |
Playing the tricks
- The bidder leads first; whoever wins a trick leads the next.
- You must follow suit, and you must play a card that beats the one winning the trick if you can, even if your partner is winning it.
- If you can’t follow suit, you must play a trump, and a higher trump than any already played if you can. Only when you have neither may you play any card.
- The highest trump wins, otherwise the highest card of the suit led. If two identical cards are played, the first one wins.
Scoring
- Each Ace, 10 and King you take in tricks is worth 10 points, and the last trick is worth 10 more: 250 points in all.
- If the bidding team’s meld plus trick points reach the bid, they score all of it. If not, they are set: they score nothing and lose the amount of the bid.
- The other team scores its meld and trick points, but only if it takes at least one counter or the last trick.
- If the bidding team’s meld is so low that even all 250 trick points couldn’t make the bid, the hand isn’t played: they lose the bid and the other team scores its meld.
- The first team to reach 1,500 at the end of a hand wins. If both teams pass 1,500 on the same hand, the bidding team wins.
More detail, a worked example and tips: the full pinochle rules.
How to play here
- When it’s your turn to bid, the panel shows your meld so far. Tap a bid or Pass. Hint tells you what the computer would do.
- When passing, tap four cards, then Pass these 4 cards. Cards your partner passed to you are outlined in green.
- Everyone’s meld is shown and added up for you. Then tap a card to play it; cards you can’t play are greyed out.
Tips
- Count your meld, then add what you expect from tricks and from your partner’s pass. Long trump and Aces win tricks.
- When your partner wins the bid, pass them trumps and Aces: they help most in their hands.
- When your partner is sure to win a trick, play a 10 or King on it to add points.
Questions
Is it free? Do I need an account?
Yes, it’s free with no sign-up. Your game is saved in this browser after every card.
Do the computer players cheat?
No. Each decides using only its own cards, the bids, the cards passed to it, the meld everyone shows and the cards played so far.
Why do I have to beat my partner’s card?
In traditional pinochle you must play higher than the winning card whenever you can, even when your partner is winning. It’s the rule many families still use, and it makes counting cards matter more.
How many points are in a hand?
250 from the tricks (24 counters at 10 each, plus 10 for the last trick), plus whatever meld the players hold.
Can two or three people play pinochle?
Yes, with different rules: two-handed pinochle uses a stock you draw from, and three-handed is usually played with a small extra hand (the widow) for the bidder. This game is the four-player partnership version.