Play Pinochle Online
Shuffling the cards…
Loading Pinochle…
Tap or drag a card to play it. Keyboard: arrows and Enter to play, U undo, H hint, N new game, F full screen.
Pinochle is a classic American trick-taking game played with a special 48-card deck. Each hand has three parts: bidding, showing your melds, and playing tricks. It rewards careful planning and good teamwork with your partner.
- Players
- You and a computer partner vs 2 computer players
- Cards
- 48 cards (two each of 9 to Ace)
- Game length
- 20–30 min
- Difficulty
- Hard
How to play Pinochle
- Four players play in two teams. Each player gets 12 cards from a 48-card deck.
- Players bid on how many points their team will score, starting at 20. The highest bidder names trump.
- Everyone shows their melds, such as runs, marriages, pinochle (jack of diamonds and queen of spades) and arounds.
- Players then take tricks. Aces, tens and kings are counters worth 1 point each.
- The bidding team must reach its bid with melds plus counters, or it loses the bid amount. The game is played to 150.
How to win at Pinochle: strategy and tips
Pinochle is a partnership game with two parts: meld, which you show before play, and counters, the aces, tens and kings you win in tricks. Good teams win by bidding sensibly and by feeding counters to the partner who is winning.
Bid on meld plus help
Before you bid, count the meld you would have for each possible trump suit. Add the counters you expect to take, and a little for your partner's meld. A long trump suit with a marriage is the best reason to bid high.
Choose a long trump suit
You must play a trump when you cannot follow suit. So a long trump suit wins many tricks late in the hand, when the others have run out of suits. Length usually matters more than a few high cards.
Cash your aces early
Aces in side suits win only while the other players can still follow suit. Lead them early, before the opponents run out of that suit and can trump.
Feed counters to your partner
Aces, tens and kings are worth a point each. When your partner is sure to win a trick, play your counters on it. When an opponent is winning, play a card that is worth nothing, like a jack or a queen.
Remember the playing rules
You must beat the best card of the suit led if you can, and trump if you have no cards of that suit. These rules force cards out of every hand, so count which aces and trumps have already gone.
Bid as a team
If your partner has bid and you hold good meld, raising the bid tells them the team is strong. With a weak hand, pass and let your partner play at a level they can make.
Save something for the last trick
The last trick is worth an extra point. Keeping a high trump or an ace until the end often wins it, and it can decide whether a close bid is made.
Mistakes to avoid
- Bidding on meld alone without counting the tricks you can win.
- Giving counters to an opponent's winning trick.
- Leading a side-suit ace after the opponents have run out of that suit.
Pinochle questions
What is a pinochle meld?
A pinochle is the jack of diamonds together with the queen of spades. A double pinochle uses both copies of each card.
Why does pinochle use a 48-card deck?
The deck has two copies each of the 9, jack, queen, king, ten and ace in every suit, which makes the meld combinations possible.
