Pinochle, << PEE nuhk uhl or PEE nok uhl, >> is a card game played with a special deck consisting of 48 cards. Each of the four suits has 12 cards, two each of every card from the nines through the aces. The aces are the highest-ranking cards, followed by the tens, kings, queens, jacks, and nines.
There are many variations of pinochle. One of the most popular forms of the game is auction pinochle. It is played by three people, often with a fourth acting as dealer. The object of the game is to bid a certain number and then to reach that score. Players make points in two ways. The winner of the bid melds—that is, the bidder lays down certain combinations of cards and scores the points they represent. After the hand has been played, the bidder also receives specified points for the cards in the tricks he or she has taken.
To begin play, the dealer gives 15 cards to each player and deals the remaining three, called the widow, facedown. The player to the dealer’s left bids first. The minimum bid is usually set at 250. Every overbid must be a multiple of 10, such as 260, 270, or 280. The player who bids highest turns up the widow for the other players to see and adds those cards to his or her hand. The bidder then names the trump suit and melds. The bidder next discards three cards.
The bidder’s opponents play as partners. The bidder picks up the meld cards and leads a card to start the first trick. Each player, if able, must play a higher ranking card than any cards previously played on the trick. The other two players each play a card in turn, following suit. A player who cannot follow suit must play a trump card. Each trick of three cards is taken by the person who plays the highest card in the suit led, or who trumps highest. If the two highest cards are alike, the one played first wins the trick.
A winning bidder collects a certain number of points or chips from each opponent. The number, which varies according to local custom, is based on the size of the bid. A losing bidder pays each opponent twice this amount, or just once this amount if the bidder concedes defeat before playing out the hand. When spades are trumps, all points or chips gained and lost are doubled. Double deck pinochle, with four players divided into partners, is another popular form. It uses two pinochle decks from which the nines have been removed. A simpler form of pinochle, with no bidding, is a popular two-player game.
