Pinochle Free

À deux mains pinochle. Pour deux joueurs. Le jeu pinochle d'origine.

This is two-handed Pinochle, the original Pinochle game. All other variants are derived from it. A 48-card Pinochle deck is used.

The goal is to win tricks, scoring the value of cards taken in on tricks, and to "meld" combinations of cards having values in points.

RANK OF CARDS

A Pinochle deck consists of: A (high), K, Q, J, 10, 9 (low) in each of the four suits, with two of each card.

CARD VALUES/SCORING

You can see the values for all the tricks and melds my clicking the face down deck on the game board.

PLAYING THE GAME

Once a game begins, the YOUR TURN message will tell you when it is your turn to play.

To begin your turn, touch a card of your choice from your hand on the bottom panel or a card already on the game board and then touch the the game board. You can also drag the card to the board and release it or "fling" the cards to the board.

Each trick consists of a lead and a play. The non-dealer leads (the dealer is the player that started the game); thereafter the winner of each trick leads next.

When a trump is led, it wins the trick unless the opponent plays a higher trump. When any other suit is led, the card led wins unless the opponent plays a higher card of the same suit or a trump.

The leader may lead any card, and the opponent may play any card. It is not necessary to follow suit until the Playoff phase of the game.

MELDING

On winning a trick, a player may meld any one of the combinations that have value (you can see the valid combinations by clicking the face down deck on the board).

Meld by touching cards and then touching the board. You can also drag or "fling" the cards.

1) Only one meld may be made in a turn.

2) For each meld, at least one card must be taken from the hand.

3) A card once melded may be melded again, only in a different class, or in a higher-scoring meld of the same class. Eg. A player may not put down KS, QS, JD and score both for the marriage and for the Pinochle; only one meld may be made in any turn. The player may put down QS and JD for 40 points; and, after winning a later trick, they may reuse the QS, and add the KS and score for the marriage.

If you can not or do not want to meld, click the "done" icon ✔ on the action bar.

Once a card has been melded, it may be played to a trick as though it were in the hand.

Melding the dix (the 9 of trumps): If the dix (pronounced "deece") is the initial trump card, the dealer (game starter) scores 10 points immediately. Thereafter, a player holding a dix may score it by melding it on winning a trick.

You can get points for the dix and then can make another meld in the same turn.

If you have a dix, you can exchange it, on winning a trick, for the trump card. Click the "dix" and then click the trump to get the trump in your hand.

THE PLAYOFF

The winner of the twelfth trick may meld if possible. Then they are dealt the last face-down card of the deck which is placed in their play area. The opponent automatically receives the trump card (or the dix, if the exchange has been made).

The last trick winner now leads, and the rules are as follows:

Each player must follow suit to the card led if possible, and must try to win when a trump is led (by playing a higher trump).

A player who cannot follow suit must trump if they have a trump.

The last 12 tricks are played and the winner is declared.

You can review the card values by clicking the "trump" suit symbol on the board.

WINNING THE GAME

The player who scores the most points wins.