How to Play the Card Game Auction Forty-Five
The game of Auction Forty-Five is much like any other trick-taking game as you’ll bid, call trump and try to take more tricks than the opposing team. What sets this game apart from the rest is the ranking order of the cards and your ability to discard suits from your hand after trump is called. This is quite a boon when you’ve been dealt a less than stellar hand. Once you’ve played a couple rounds of Auction Forty-Five, you should be able to attack the game with ease and enjoy it to its fullest.
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Instructions
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Decide teams with partners sitting opposite one another at the table.
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Determine the order of play by dealing out the cards face up until one player is dealt a jack. This player will act as the first dealer. Subsequent deals will move to the left in a clockwise direction around the table.
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Deal out the cards in increments of two and three until each player has a total of five cards in his hand. The remaining cards are set aside for later in the round.
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Bid your hand, starting with the person to the left of the dealer, by either passing or declaring a bid. In the game of Auction Forty-Five, there are only five tricks each worth 5 points, which means you may begin the bidding at five. Each subsequent bid must be higher up to a total of 30. So where does the other 5 points come in? The team that takes a trick with the highest trump card receives an additional five points.
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Call trump if you are the person to bid the highest points. You may choose any suit--hearts, diamonds, clubs or spade--but not “no trump.” This is not an option in Auction Forty-Five.
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Discard any cards you’d like to get rid of from your hand. The dealer will then deal you that number to bring your hand back up to five.
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Lay a card, starting with the person to the left of the highest bidder. As with many trick-taking games, you must follow suit when possible. Highest card takes the trick. If you are unable to follow suit, you may either throw off or play trump. The highest trump card takes the trick. In both cases, the winner of the trick will lead out the next card.
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Continue to play until all tricks are taken and no cards remain in any player’s hand.
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Earn five points for each trick you and your partner have taken in the round. If you are the bidder and made your bid, you’ll earn five points for each trick. If you are the bidder and failed to make your bid, you’ll loose the points bid from your overall score. The other team will always receive five points for each trick taken. If a team has bid 30 and took this many points, they earn 60 points towards their overall score.
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Win the game of Auction Forty-Five by being the first team to hit 120 points.
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Tips & Warnings
Ranking order of trump is as follows: hearts--5, J, A, K, Q, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 4, 3 and 2; all other suits--5, J, A of hearts, A, K, Q, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 4, 3 and 2 (the ace of hearts is always trump).
Ranking order of non-trump: K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and A (unless hearts--ace of hearts is always trump).
The game of Auction Forty-Five may also be played with six players. Players still play in teams of two and with the same rules.
