How to Play Pinochle
Bid for trump, count your melds, and beat the trick whenever you can.
Also known as Partnership Pinochle · Four-Handed Pinochle · Penuchle
Learn partnership Pinochle: the 48-card deck, bidding for trump, melds counted for you, follow-beat-trump play and 250 counters a deal. Work through one deal, then play in your browser.
Spades are trump: meld, then a forced play
You win the bid at 300 and name spades. Your hand holds A♠ 10♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ and J♦: the app counts a run for 150 and a pinochle for 40, the Q♠ serving in both, 190 meld. Later hearts are led and the A♥ is winning; you hold 10♥ and K♥, cannot beat the Ace, so either heart is legal. With 190 meld you need 110 of the 250 counters to make 300.
| Situation | Result |
|---|---|
| A♠ 10♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠, spades trump | A run: 150; the K♠-Q♠ inside it is not counted again as a royal marriage |
| Q♠ and J♦ | A pinochle: 40; the Q♠ counts in the run and the pinochle at once |
| Hearts led, A♥ winning, you hold 10♥ and K♥ | You must follow suit; you cannot beat the Ace, so either heart is legal |
| Hearts led, no hearts in hand, a 9♠ has already trumped | You must overtrump with a higher spade if you have one |
| Bid 300, meld 190, counters 120 | 190 + 120 = 310 makes the bid; with 100 counters you would lose 300 |
The 10 ranks above the King, and of two identical cards the first played wins. Counters are the Aces, 10s and Kings taken in tricks, 10 each, plus 10 for the last trick. The first partnership to the target, 1500 by default, wins; if both reach it in the same hand, the bidding side does.
Practise this game in your browser🎯 Objective
With the partner across the table, make your bid from meld plus the counters you take in tricks, or set the opponents when they bid. The first side to reach the target (1500 by default) wins the game.
🃏 Pinochle Setup & Rules
- Exactly 4 players in two fixed partnerships, partners sitting opposite. The app plays 4 seats only; app opponents can fill up to 3 of them.
- The 48-card deck has two each of the Ace, 10, King, Queen, Jack and 9 in all four suits. Cards rank Ace (high), 10, King, Queen, Jack, 9: the 10 beats the King.
- Every player gets 12 cards; the whole deck is dealt, and the deal passes to the left after each hand.
- At setup choose the target score (1500 by default, 500 to 2500) and the minimum bid (250 by default, 150 to 350).
▶ How to Play Pinochle
- Starting left of the dealer, each player bids higher than the last, in multiples of 10 from the minimum bid, or passes. A player who passes is out for the deal. If the other three pass, the dealer must take the contract at the minimum bid.
- The highest bidder names the trump suit. The app then counts and shows every hand's melds; nothing is laid out by hand, and there is no passing of cards between partners.
- The bidder leads the first trick. You must follow suit, and you must beat the highest card in the trick when you can, even if your partner is winning it.
- If you cannot follow suit you must play a trump, and overtrump a trump already in the trick when you can. Only with no card of the suit led and no trump may you play anything.
- The highest trump wins the trick, otherwise the highest card of the suit led; of two identical cards the one played first wins. The winner leads to the next trick.
- Every Ace, 10 and King taken in a trick is a counter worth 10, and the last trick is worth 10 more: 250 counters in a deal.
🎬 Watch: How to Play Pinochle
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📖 Detailed Guide
Setting up your table
- From the game menu choose Pinochle. The table always has 4 seats in two partnerships, you and the seat opposite against the other two; fill the empty seats with app opponents at Easy, Medium or Hard.
- Set the target score: 1500 by default, from 500 to 2500 in steps of 100. The first partnership to reach it wins the game.
- Set the minimum bid: 250 by default, from 150 to 350 in steps of 10. It is the opening bid, and what the dealer must take when the other three pass.
- The app deals 12 cards to each player from the 48-card deck: two each of the Ace, 10, King, Queen, Jack and 9 in every suit. The deal passes to the left after each hand.
Bidding and meld
- Starting left of the dealer, bid any multiple of 10 above the last bid, or pass. Passing puts you out for the rest of the deal, and the highest bidder names trump.
- If the other three pass without a bid, the dealer cannot pass: the dealer must bid the minimum or more and play the contract.
- Once trump is named the app counts every hand's melds and shows them. Run 150, royal marriage 40, marriage 20, pinochle (Q♠ and J♦) 40, 9 of trumps 10; Aces around 100, Kings 80, Queens 60, Jacks 40; doubles 1500, 300, 1000, 800, 600 and 400.
- A card may count in melds of different kinds at once, a run, an around and a pinochle, but never twice in the same kind. A run already includes its royal marriage. There is no card passing between partners.
Playing the tricks
- The bidder leads the first trick; the winner of each trick leads the next. The app's hint line tells you what the rules ask of you: follow suit, beat the trick, trump or overtrump.
- Follow suit when you can, and beat the highest card in the trick when you can, even if your partner is winning it. Following suit comes first: you must follow even when a trump has already taken the trick.
- With no card of the suit led you must trump, and overtrump a trump already played when you can. Only with neither may you play any card.
- The highest trump wins, otherwise the highest card of the suit led. Two identical cards: the one played first wins. The 10 ranks above the King.
Scoring the deal
- Every Ace, 10 and King in your tricks is worth 10, and the last trick 10 more, so 250 counters are at stake in each deal.
- If the bidding side's meld plus counters reaches the bid, it scores both. If not, the bid is subtracted from its score and its meld counts for nothing.
- The defenders score their meld and counters as long as they took at least one trick; with no trick they score nothing.
- Hands continue until a side reaches the target. If both sides reach it in the same hand, the bidding side wins.
📊 Pinochle Scoring
Melds: run (A-10-K-Q-J of trumps) 150, royal marriage (K-Q of trumps) 40, marriage (K-Q of another suit) 20, pinochle (Q♠ and J♦) 40, 9 of trumps 10 each; Aces around 100, Kings 80, Queens 60, Jacks 40; double run 1500, double pinochle 300, double Aces 1000, Kings 800, Queens 600, Jacks 400. Both partners' melds count for the side. If the bidding side's meld plus counters reaches its bid, it scores both; if not, the bid is subtracted from its score and its meld counts for nothing. The defenders score their meld and counters if they took at least one trick. Hands continue until a side reaches the target, 1500 by default; if both sides reach it in the same hand, the bidding side wins.
❓ Pinochle — Frequently Asked Questions
How many players do you need for Pinochle?
Pinochle is played with 4 players. On Vanikar, empty seats can be filled with AI opponents so you can always start a game.
How many players does Pinochle need in the app?
Exactly 4, in 2 fixed partnerships with partners sitting opposite. App opponents can fill up to 3 of the seats. The app plays only this partnership game: there is no 2-player or 3-player deal and no double-deck version.
Do you have to beat the trick in Pinochle?
Yes, when you can. You must follow suit, and among the cards of that suit you must play one that beats the highest card in the trick if you hold one, even against your partner. With no card of the suit led you must trump, and overtrump a trump already played if you can.
What happens if the bidding side falls short?
The bid is subtracted from its score and its meld counts for nothing, so a side that bids 300 and makes 290 loses 300. The defenders score their meld and counters as long as they took at least 1 trick.
What is a pinochle worth?
The Q♠ and J♦ together score 40, and both copies of each, a double pinochle, score 300. The same Q♠ can count in a run or a marriage and in Queens around at the same time, since a card may be used in melds of different kinds but not twice in the same kind.
