What you need
A 48-card pinochle deck: two copies each of A, 10, K, Q, J, and 9 in all four suits. Four players in two partnerships, plus a score pad.
Object of the game
Win the bid and make it with meld plus trick points—or stop the other side from making theirs. Games are usually played to 1,500.
Setup and deal
- 1Remember the rank in every suit: A, 10, K, Q, J, 9. The 10 outranks the king.
- 2Deal all 48 cards, so each player has 12.
- 3Starting at the dealer’s left, players bid in steps of 10, usually from a minimum of 250. The high bidder names trumps.
- 4The bidder’s partner passes four cards across; the bidder then passes four back.
How to play
- 1Everyone lays down meld. Common values: a run in trumps (A-10-K-Q-J) 150; royal marriage (K-Q of trumps) 40; other marriage 20; pinochle (Q♠ with J♦) 40, double pinochle 300; aces around (one in each suit) 100, kings around 80, queens 60, jacks 40; each 9 of trumps 10.
- 2The bidder leads the first trick. You must follow suit; if you can beat the card currently winning, you must; if you cannot follow suit you must trump if you can.
- 3The highest trump wins the trick, otherwise the highest card of the suit led. Between two identical cards, the first one played wins.
- 4Each ace, ten, and king captured is worth 10 points, and the last trick is worth 10—250 in all.
How the game ends
- If the bidding side’s meld plus trick points reach the bid, they score everything they earned. If not, they score nothing and lose the amount of the bid.
- The defending side keeps its meld only if it wins at least one counter or the last trick.
- The first side to 1,500 wins; if both pass it in the same hand, the bidding side wins.
Common variations
- Many families score at one-tenth the size: counters 1 point each, run 15, game to 150.
- Cutthroat or three-handed Pinochle has no partners and adds a small widow for the bidder.
- Double-deck Pinochle uses 80 cards with no 9s, for bigger hands and bigger melds.
Tips for your first game
- Bid on meld you can count plus about half the trick points; a long trump suit is worth more than it looks.
- As the partner, pass aces and trumps to the bidder.
- Lead aces early so they are not trumped later.
Pinochle FAQ
What cards are in a pinochle deck?
Forty-eight cards: two each of the ace, 10, king, queen, jack, and 9 in every suit.
What is a pinochle in the game Pinochle?
The queen of spades together with the jack of diamonds, worth 40 points of meld (300 for both pairs).
Why does the 10 beat the king in Pinochle?
Pinochle uses the old ranking from Bezique, where the ten sits just below the ace.