
Pinochle quick fact: A pinochle deck has 48 cards in it as opposed to a normal deck, which has 52.Īnother popular card game-Gin Rummy-has similarly contested origins. Pinochle is so popular a game that the National Pinochle Association hosts a yearly tournament, but it is also pervasive among recreational players. The exact meaning of the word pinochle is contested, but some believe it stems from the French word “binocle,” meaning eyeglasses with two lens, and refers to the pinochle deck, which contains two cards of each the aces, face cards, tens, and nines of all four suits. It comes from the French game of “Bezique,” which is a melding card game, meaning that players of the game work toward obtaining matching sets of cards. Pinochle is a classic card game that came to the United States from Germany. This blog post will explore three common card games and their history.

Thanks to the invention of woodblock printing, and later the printing press, more and more people were able to enjoy playing cards. As trade routes spread over the globe, playing cards did, too. And sometimes, you don’t even need the people (see: Solitaire)! Card games have been amusing people since as early as the 10 th century, when playing cards were mainly reserved for wealthy or royal individuals. Play continues until one team goes out.Just a deck of cards and a couple of people-that’s all you need to have hours of fun.
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SCORING: If the high bidder fails to make the bid (his team's total meld plus trick points is less than the bid), the bid amount is subtracted from the team score. Each trick has a winner, who gets 1 point per ace, ten or king. TRICKS: Play begins with the high bidder, and proceeds around the table to the left, 4 cards per trick. Pinochle (queen of spades and jack of diamonds) is 4 points, or 30 points for double pinochle (two of each). A run (or straight) in the trump suit is worth 15 points. MELDING: Players get points by showing various card combinations. High bidder names the trump suit for the hand and optionally exchanges cards with her partner. A typical high bid is 35 points (for 48 cards) or 60 (for 80 cards). Players who pass are out of the bidding for that hand.

Player to the dealer's left is required to bid, and bidding proceeds to the left. In this version, one human player (South) plays with a computer partner (North) and two computer opponents (West and East).īIDDING: Each player bids the number of points she thinks she can make with her hand. Players score points by melding various card combinations and by taking tricks.

The game consists of a repeating sequence of bidding (for the right to name the trump suit and optionally to pass cards), melding, and trick-taking. Pinochle is a card game played with a 48- or 80-card deck of 9s, 10s, jacks, queens, kings and aces.

If you prefer, our other pinochle app with no advertising, Pinochle Gold, has more card backs and tabletops to choose from, and adds support for several languages. To try before you buy, see our free, ad-supported Pinochle app. Pinochle Plus is updated frequently with user-suggested features and AI improvements. Play single- or double-deck with configurable options including meld bids and shoot the moon. This is a no-ads version of the first and most popular pinochle app for iPhone, iPad and Mac.
