Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Low interaction
How it plays
How does it play?
Classic trick taking card game in which players bid how many points they will score for the right to set trump, then have to make their bid to get their points. Pinochle is played with a modified standard deck.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Auction/Bidding
Bid against other players to determine who receives an item, action, or priority.
Trick-taking
Play one card each and award the trick according to suit and rank rules.
Melding and Splaying
Combine cards into sets and spread them to expose additional icons or effects.
Team-Based Game
Players compete in fixed teams and coordinate toward a shared team result.
Read the full game description
Classic trick taking card game in which players bid how many points they will score for the right to set trump, then have to make their bid to get their points. Pinochle is played with a modified standard deck. It consists of a 48 card deck with all 2-8's discarded, and two of each card (a Pinochle deck can be made by combining two 52 card decks and stripping all 2-8's). Pinochle has several unique elements not found in other trick taking games: - Before playing the hands, players form melds (runs, marriages, pinochle, sets) which are added to their score. - Played with a double (and sometimes quadruple) deck of cards: A 10 K Q J 9 - Players are required trump when void and over trump if they can. The original version of Pinochle is a two-handed version which is derived from the virtually identical Bezique. The game was modified for more players with several popular variants including Partnership Pinochle, Partnership Auction Pinochle, and Double Pack Pinochle (Partnership). (The origin date listed for this game is approximate.)