So it is the month of card games, and this week it’s back to 1904 for the creation of pinochle.
Pinochle is another well-known trick taking 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.
The idea of bidding, and having to achieve the target set is not unusual to card games. It is in fact quite common, suggesting it is a well-liked, and generally understood mechanic.
Pinochle is played with a modified standard deck. That just means a few cards are striped out of a 52-card deck. For pinochle 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).
Why the creator went with the non-standard card array is unknown to me, but formulating a pinochle deck is easily accomplished.
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 a four-player, partnership game.
The game is somewhat unique in that there are two ways to score points.
After the deal there is an auction in which players bid the number of points their team will try to win. Whoever bids highest has the privilege of choosing trumps and leading to the first trick. The object of the high bidder’s team is to win at least as many points as the amount they bid. Points can be scored in two ways:
• by declaring and showing (melding) combinations of cards held in a players hand;
• by winning aces, tens and kings in tricks
The game is won by the first partnership to achieve a score of 500 or more. If both sides reach 500 on the same hand, the bidding side wins.
Points can be scored for certain combinations of cards in hand of one player. These combinations are called meld; they are displayed to the other players before the start of the trick play. Any meld can be single (just one of each card), double (two identical copies of each card), triple (three of each card) or quadruple (all four of each card).
At the end of the play, each side counts the points they have taken in tricks. Each Ace, Ten and King is worth one point, and the team who win the last trick get an extra 2 points. Hence there are a total of 50 points available for tricks.
What I found particularly interesting is that there is a National Pinochle Association.
The NPA “is an organization that promotes the game of pinochle and creates opportunities for friendship, goodwill and social development. NPA has six (6) sanctioned tournaments throughout the year. A sanctioned tournament is hosted by a NPA Chapter and only NPA members can play in these tournaments. However, some Chapters host non-sanctioned tournaments throughout the year. Any Pinochle player can attend a non-sanctioned tournament. Please see Tournament Information for upcoming sanctioned and non-sanctioned tournaments,” details their website at www.npapinochle.org
The Association even has a Hall of Fame. It “was established to promote and advance the game of pinochle. It also recognizes members who have made noteworthy contributions to a local chapter and or the National Pinochle Association. Any person or group may nominate an individual for consideration for induction into the National Pinochle Association Hall of Fame. A nominee must have been a member of NPA a minimum of 15 years, living or dead, prior to the nomination. Candidates will be evaluated on their contributions and their admiration for the game of pinochle.”
I note the criteria because I find it interesting people would be so dedicated to a single card game, but obviously there are such fans out there.
The game of pinochle certainly has a following, and that alone suggests the game has something to offer card players enjoy, in many cases enjoying it a lot. So why not give the game a try. Who knows a pinochle league in Yorkton might be the result.
