How to Play Pinochle

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Step 1: Deal
Deal 12 cards face down to each player. After a deal, the remaining cards are the "stock."

Tip
Ace is high, then 10, King, Queen, and Jack. Nines have no value.

Step 2: Name trump suit
Pick the top card from the stock and turn it face up. This will be the trump suit, or the suit designated a higher rank than any other suit.

Step 3: Meld your hand
Arrange your hand into melds; three or more cards of one suit in a sequence, or three or more cards of the same rank and different suits. Place melds face up on a table.

Tip
The highest value meld is the "run," or the Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 10 in the trump suit worth 15 points. One ace in each suit is 10 points.

Step 4: Play lead card in trick
Pick one of your cards to play as lead card in the first trick of the game. A trick is a pinochle round played one card at a time from each player’s hand.

Step 5: Win first trick
Win your first trick. After the lead card is played, an opponent tries to pick a card from the hand with a higher meld value than your lead card.

Step 6: Score the game
Mark card values taken in tricks on a score sheet. The last trick taken in the game is worth 10 points. Add card values together to determine the game winner.

Did You Know?
German immigrants popularized pinochle – from the German dialect word Binokel – in the U.S. in the late 1800s.