Pinochle Online
The classic 4-handed partnership pinochle: bid for the contract, name trump, trade cards with your partner, lay down your meld and win the counters in the tricks.
You and your partner (across) vs. 2 computer opponents. First team to 150 wins!
With passing, the bidder’s partner sends 4 cards to the bidder, who sends 4 back before the meld.
How to play Pinochle
Pinochle uses a 48-card deck with two copies of every 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace in each suit, ranked A, 10, K, Q, J, 9. You and your partner (sitting across) play against two opponents, and everyone gets 12 cards. Players bid in turn, starting at 20; once you pass you’re out, and the highest bidder names trump. If everyone else passes, the last player is stuck with the minimum bid.
With passing turned on, the bidder’s partner passes 4 cards to the bidder, who then passes 4 back. Next, everyone shows their meld, which is counted automatically: a run in trump (A-10-K-Q-J) is 15, a royal marriage (K-Q of trump) 4, a marriage 2, the dix (9 of trump) 1, a pinochle (Q♠ + J♦) 4 and a double pinochle 30, and aces, kings, queens or jacks “around” (one in each suit) are worth 10, 8, 6 and 4. Doubling a run or an around multiplies it by ten.
The bidder leads the first trick. You must follow suit and, if you can, beat the highest card in the trick; if you’re out of the suit you must trump, and overtrump if someone already did. Every Ace, 10 and King you win is a counter worth 1 point, and the last trick is worth 1 more. The bidding team needs meld plus counters to reach its bid, or it loses the bid amount. A team must take at least one trick to keep its meld, and the first team to 150 wins.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I bid in pinochle?
Add up your own meld in your best suit, roughly 10 to 12 for the counters your team usually wins, and a few points for what your partner may bring. Long trump and Aces are worth extra, and with passing on your partner will send you their best trump.
What should I pass to my partner?
When your partner won the bid, send them trump and Aces, since they help win tricks and complete runs. When you won the bid, pass back cards you don’t need for meld, ideally off-suit cards, while keeping your trump.
Why do some sites use bigger numbers?
Older pinochle scoring counts Aces, 10s and Kings as 10 points each, so a hand is worth 250 and the minimum bid is often 250 with a game to 1,500. It works the same way; we use the simpler modern scoring that most online games use. Single-deck 2-handed pinochle also exists, but the 4-handed partnership game with bidding is the most popular.