Pinochle
The jack of diamonds and queen of spades are the "pinochle" meld of pinochle. | |
| Type | Trick-taking |
|---|---|
| Players | 4 in partnerships or 3 individually; variants exist for 2–6 or 8 players |
| Skills | |
| Cards | 48 (double 24 card deck) or 80 (quadruple 20 card deck) |
| Deck | French |
| Rank (high→low) | A 10 K Q J 9 |
| Play | Clockwise |
| Playing time | 1 to 5 hours |
| Chance | Medium |
| Related games | |
| Bezique, Marjolet, Binokel | |
Pinochle (English: /ˈpiːnʌkəl/), also called pinocle or penuchle, is a trick-taking ace–ten card game, typically for two to four players and played with a 48-card deck. It is derived from the card game bezique; players score points by trick-taking and also by forming combinations of characters into melds. It is thus considered part of a "trick-and-meld" category which also includes the game belote. Each hand is played in three phases: bidding, melds, and tricks. The standard game today is called "partnership auction pinochle".