About Pinochle
Pinochle is a card game for two to four players and is one of many trick-and-meld card games developed over the years. Pinochle is played with a 48-card deck, and there are several variations of the game. The deck only has the cards from 9 through Ace, and it has two of each card (two 9's of hearts, two Jacks of spades, and so on).
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Identification
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Pinochle is played by trick-taking and forming cards into combinations known as melds. Each hand of the game consists of three parts, known as bidding, melds and tricks. After shuffling, the cards are dealt by partnerships, and then players bid for the points they believe they can earn by the hand they've been dealt. Whoever bids the highest can declare the trump suit. To win the hand, the winning bidder must gather enough points from both melding and tricking to outscore the winning bid. While there are many more complexities of the game, once a beginner has played a few times, pinochle is easy to pick up.
History
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The card game of pinochle is believed to have been developed in France from a popular two-handed card game known as "Bezique." The name is derived from the French word "binocle," meaning "spectacles." The game's appearance in the United States is credited to German immigrants who mispronounced the French name for the game. Its association with Germany was clearly recognized, as during World War I, the citizens of Syracuse, New York, outlawed the game to protest German war efforts in Europe.
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Features
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As with many card games, the Ace is high, but pinochle games rank the 10 card as the next highest. A pinochle deck can be created by combining two poker decks, but there are packaged card sets specifically designed for pinochle. There are even decks that can accomodate six and eight players and use a double deck.
Types
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There are several types of pinochle games with slightly different rules for melds, tricks and scoring. However, the basic strategies of the game remain the same as the original. Some of the variations include two-handed pinochle, three-handed pinochle, four-handed pinochle, five-handed pinochle, double-deck pinochle, check pinochle and racehorse pinochle.
Expert Insight
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The National Pinochle Association (NPA) is a U.S. organization to promote the game and holds six sanctioned tournaments throughout the calendar year. The NPA claims more than 1,000 members nationwide.
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