Partnership Auction Pinochle is a 4-player game played with 80 cards (A, 10, K, Q, J of each suit, four identical copies of every card). Each deal, an auction from 50 decides which team names trump. The bidders declare meld (runs, marriages, pinochles, arounds), then 20 tricks are played under forced-win rules. Aces, tens and kings are counters: 50 points per deal. First team to 500 points wins the match.
Play now — it's freeEighty cards are used: Ace, 10, King, Queen and Jack in all four suits — four identical copies of each. Two copies are exactly equal in strength; if identical cards meet in a trick, the first one played wins.
Four players form two partnerships, partners sitting opposite. The whole deck is dealt: 20 cards to each player. There is no kitty in double-deck Pinochle.
Starting left of the dealer, each player either bids or passes. The opening bid must be at least 50; bids go up by one until 60, and above 60 must be multiples of 5 (65, 70, 75 …). A pass is final.
Bidding continues until three players have passed. If the first three players all pass, the last player is forced to bid 50. The high bidder names the trump suit — and must hold at least a marriage (K + Q) in that suit; naming a suit without a marriage throws the hand in and costs the bid.
After the auction everyone shows their meld. A card may serve in one combination of each type — for example the Queen of Spades can count in a marriage, in a pinochle and in queens around — but never twice in the same type. Tens count nothing as meld.
| Combination | Single | Double | Triple | Quadruple |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Run (A-10-K-Q-J of trump) | 15 | 150 | 225 | 300 |
| Royal marriage (K + Q of trump) | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 |
| Marriage (K + Q of a side suit) | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| Pinochle (J♦ + Q♠) | 4 | 30 | 60 | 90 |
| Aces around (one ace in each suit) | 10 | 100 | 150 | 200 |
| Kings around | 8 | 80 | 120 | 160 |
| Queens around | 6 | 60 | 90 | 120 |
| Jacks around | 4 | 40 | 60 | 80 |
A roundhouse (K and Q of every suit) is not a separate entry: it is the royal marriage, three marriages, kings around and queens around counted together — 24 points. A double run is scored as 150.
Meld only counts if the team takes at least one trick; a team that wins no trick scores no meld at all.
The high bidder leads the first trick and the winner of each trick leads next. You must follow suit, and you must beat the highest card so far if you can — even to take a trick your partner is already winning. If you cannot beat it, you still follow suit.
Void in the led suit, you must play trump; if a trump has already been played you must overtrump it if you can, otherwise you still play a trump. Only when you have neither the led suit nor any trump may you discard anything.
Aces, tens and kings are the only counters: 1 point each. Queens and jacks score nothing. The last trick is worth 2 extra points, so every deal contains exactly 50 trick points.
If meld + trick points reach the bid, the bidding team made it: both teams score their own meld and trick points. If the bid fails, the bidding team scores nothing and the bid amount is subtracted from their score, while the defenders keep their meld and trick points.
The first team to 500 points wins. If both teams cross 500 on the same hand, the bidding team wins.
Bid on meld plus trump strength: a run with a solid trump suit supports a bid well above 50.
Pull trumps early when you hold five or more — unprotected aces and tens in the side suits are worth points only if trumps are gone.
Remember the crawl: you cannot duck a trick your partner is winning if you can beat the highest card.
Never name a suit without the K and Q in your own hand — it throws the hand in and costs you the bid.
Double-deck Pinochle uses 80 cards: A, 10, K, Q and J in four suits, with four identical copies of each card.
Four players in two fixed partnerships, partners sitting opposite each other, 20 cards each.
Opening bid is 50; bids rise by one up to 60 and in steps of five above that. A pass is final, and when three players have passed the high bidder names trump. If everyone else passes, the last player must bid 50.
Declared combinations: a run (15, or 150 double), royal marriage (4), side-suit marriages (2), pinochle J♦+Q♠ (4, double 30), and arounds — aces 10, kings 8, queens 6, jacks 4 (doubles score ×10).
Yes — a team that takes no trick at all scores no meld that deal.
Ace, 10 and King are 1 point each in tricks; Queen and Jack score nothing. The last trick adds 2 points, making 50 points per deal.
The bidding team scores nothing and the bid amount is subtracted from their score; the defenders keep their meld and trick points.
Yes — you can play Pinochle online free at pinochle.yeeqia.com directly in your browser, no download or sign-up required to try a table.
Yes, the site is designed mobile-first and runs in any modern Android or iPhone browser.