Queens And Jacks

I have been a member of a league called Eliters over at Eliters.com. I actually haven’t played in a league game in about six 6 years but I have been a member of that league for over seven, and they are great. I paid 10 bucks seven years ago to be a “Silver Member”, and they have not deleted my account even after 6 years of inactivity! I even get a little badge next to my name that says I have been a member for over seven years.
Eliters.com
Anyways… On with reverse pinochle.

One thing you get to do in pinochle tournaments is switch up the rules. I really enjoy playing the game straighforward, but sometimes its fun to spice it up. One way is by playing a game where you try to get the lowest score. It is not as easy at it seems, believe me. These are the games where you end up with the hands you wish you could get normally, or maybe it just seems that way. It starts off, with 4 players as normal, if you were to play this in Yahoo! Pinochle, you would need to set the Yahoo! Pinochle table as “UNRATED” as you don’t want a loss affecting your record.

How to Bid:

This is difficult, EVERYONE MUST PASS and the dealer gets stuck with the bid. Hopefully if you are the dealer, you will not have a pinochle marriage.

How to Play The Hand:

Well, if you know how to draw out your opponents’ trump or power cards, then you should be able to apply the same method here, but while trying not to win the trick. Really, it just takes practice. I cannot really tell you a science behind the best way to do it, but I can tell you it is a pretty fun way to play the game.

Ending the Game:

Usually, there is a limit to how many hands the game will go, like eight or ten. During that time, if one team hits 500, the game is over. You can also just play until one team hits 500 and that is the end of the game.

Really, the best way to play this style of game, is to join a league that plays on Yahoo! Pinochle league, likeEliters.com… From my experience they are a great bunch of people.

Hello Everyone!

I made this site a couple of years ago because I love this game.  Shortly after I created it I wasn’t able to play very often so I really didn’t feel like writing about something I loved to play and I couldn’t. Recently, I have been going over some things and it looks like there are about 200 people a month who come to this site and they spend an average of three minutes here. No one clicks any ads, but thats okay, I hope you are all gaining something for your love of the game. I also realize that it can be a pain to have to log in, in order to comment. I have now removed the requirement and you should all now be able to comment on some articles. PLEASE COMMENT. I want to hear your opinion about pinochle strategy.

Pulling tricks with your 10’s in pinochle is tricky, but rewarding.  In order for this strategy to work the hand play has to fall into one of two different scenarios.  Either each player has to be dealt five cards in the suit you want to play the 10 in, or the player/s that’s short-suiteed needs to be out of trump.  So in order for this strategy to work the power has to be tilted towards you or you get pretty lucky.  It is a good idea to implement this when your hand is either really strong or it is a make-it or break-it moment.


If I am dealt a pinochle hand that contains a suit with five cards, say, A,10,K,J,J, I will try to hold off on playing my ace if I can.  I can’t be obvious or the pinochle table will know I am sandbagging and draw my power.  If I have 100 aces, I have to play my ace and my tactic is thwarted.  If the first or second ace that was played recieved an off card, say a non-counter on a partner’s ace, I will try to play my ace as soon as possible and this pinochle strategy must be aborted.  If all goes well, and I am able to play the fourth ace of the pinochle deck.  I will then be able to also either play my 10 then, if I am comfortable, or hold off and risk another’s 10 taking what I so delicately planned to be mine.  I usually always play my 10 right after playing the fourth ace. 

Making your 10 pull that extra trick in pinochle can be the difference between a win and loss.  Saving a high meld with no power hand with a 10 can give your pinochle partner that extra confidence knowing they have someone that they can rely on.