For example, suppose the first player bid 53 to show they have 30 meld. If a player bids 2, 3, 4, or more points than the previous bidder, they are telling their partner how many 'trumpless meld points' they have. If a player bids 1 more than the previous bidder, it indicates a desire to choose trump. Similarly, 53 bid indicates 30 melds, etc. It indicates 20 meld points of this type (2 x 10 = 20). Remember that if the dealer is forced to choose trump but does not have a marriage, their team immediately gets 50 points deducted from their score!Īn opening bid of 51 means you want to choose trump in a specific suit and also have some Aces in other suits (so the hand is reasonably strong).Īn opening bid of 52 or more is an indication of the 'trumpless' meld points in the player's hand (i.e., all meld except Runs or Royal Marriages). If their partner is the dealer, it may also mean that they have a marriage and are offering to choose trump in order to save their partner from being forced to choose trump. If a player opens with a bid of 50, they usually want to choose trump. Partners often develop unique systems for signaling via bidding, but a commonly used pattern works as follows: In Pinochle, it is a valid strategy to use your bid to signal something about your hand to your partner. If you want to improve your skills even more, read through our Double Deck Pinocle strategy guide for in-depth tips and tricks to the game. We've summed up the most important strategic points below. Furthermore, you want to get good at managing trump suits and meld points to maximize your trick-taking and scoring opportunities. Much of the strategy revolves around signaling your partner through the bidding process to develop unique systems to communicate hand strength. Strategyĭouble Deck Pinochle is a game of communication. Tricks are played in clockwise order, with players needing to play higher-ranking cards if possible. The highest bidder chooses the trump suit and must have a marriage (King and Queen) in that particular suit. Each team must score no less than 20 points in both melds and tricks to avoid penalties.Īt the start of the game, each player is dealt 20 cards, and the trump suit is determined by having each player bid.

Kings, Aces and 10s are each worth 1 point in a trick, and the last trick has a bonus of 2 points. Points are earned through melding and trick-taking. The goal of the game is to reach 500 points first. On that page, you'll also find an interactive tutorial that'll teach you the rules by having you play a game while explaining the rules.ĭouble Deck Pinochle is a 4-player game where the players are split into 2 teams of 2 players. For people new to the game, we suggest going through our in-depth guide on how to play Double Deck Pinochle. If you're in need of brushing up on the rules of Double Deck Pinochle, we've summed them up below.

Pinochle games for personal computers