About Pinochle
This two-player Pinochle edition uses forty-eight cards with two copies of each nine-to-ace rank. Twelve free-play tricks with stock are followed by twelve stricter endgame tricks. A trick winner may declare a meld before drawing. Face one computer opponent for a single twenty-four-trick hand, without bidding or partnerships. Separate meld and captured-card totals, accurate rule help and the final rounding breakdown make the scoring visible. Choose among three difficulties or a shared UTC Daily deal, with local continuation.
How to play
Select an enabled card on your turn. During the stock phase any card is legal. After winning a trick, open Meld to declare an available combination; a trump nine can earn ten separately. Draw and continue ends that opportunity. Once stock is gone, enabled cards enforce suit and trump obligations.
Rules in this version
- Use two copies of 9, J, Q, K, 10 and A in each suit. Deal twelve cards each and turn up a card to set trumps.
- While stock remains, following suit is optional. The winner may declare one meld and draws before the loser.
- A meld needs at least one new card from hand. Reuse is allowed in a different class or a higher-value meld of the same class.
- Without stock, follow suit if possible. Head a trump lead where possible; when void in the led suit, trump if available.
- Ranks are A, 10, K, Q, J, 9. An equal card does not beat the card led.
- Captured A=11, 10=10, K=4, Q=3, J=2, 9=0, plus ten for the last trick. Round the card total to tens, with 7–9 up, before adding melds.
Tips for playing
- Check potential melds before spending a card. Capturing a trick and retaining a scoring combination can favour different plays.
- Stock depletion changes the obligations. You must trump when void, but heading is mandatory only when trump itself was led.
Questions about this game
Is this four-player bidding Pinochle?
No. It is the two-player variant, played as one twenty-four-trick hand without bidding or partnerships.
Do all four-of-a-kind melds score equally?
No. One ace in each suit scores 100, kings 80, queens 60 and jacks 40. Rule help also lists marriages, the trump run and double pinochle.
Game screenshots
Version history
v1.1.0 ·
- Validated rules and saves, keyboard and touch controls, UTC daily, aids and local statistics.
