Dealing
Deal passes around table for each hand, to the left. After shuffling, the dealer allows the player to his right to cut the deck. The dealer typically deals three cards to each player at a time.
The most common way to play with four players is to you use one pinochle deck, two teams, 12 cards to each player.
Optional rule: If a player is dealt five 9s and has no meld, he can throw in the hand before bidding begins.
Bidding
Players bid on how many total points their team can make from the melding and playing of their cards. In a four-handed game, first player to dealer's left is "in" for 250 points, and bidding proceeds to the left, usually in 10 point increments. Once a player has passed, he is out of the bidding.
In a four-handed game, the average high bid is between 350 and 450 points. A typical bid for a hand with all but one card for a run and all but one card for 100 Aces is 380 points. A typical bid for a hand with three legs of pinochle (all but one card for a double pinochle) is 350 points (or more, depending on your other cards).
If a player's partner has passed, he may want to continue bidding even if he doesn't intend to take the bid, just to prevent the opponents' getting the bid for a low amount.
The high bidder names the trump suit for the hand and is passed four cards by his partner.
Passing cards
After one player wins the bid, he will name a trump suit. His partner will pass four
cards to him. Typically, the partner passes trump cards, Aces and, if the trump suit is
or 
, pinochle
cards. If the winning bidder names 
or
trump, his partner must never pass him pinochle cards -- he'll
pass you back for pinochle. The reason is that the high bidder may want to empty his hand of non-trump suits
so that when other cards are led, he can immediately trump those tricks.
Melding
After receiving the four cards from his partner, the high bidder shows his meld (see below for scoring) and, keeping the melded cards face up in front of him on the table, passes four cards remaining in his hand back to his partner. All the players can then show their meld.
| Name | Points | Odds | |
| 1 each of A-10-K-Q-J in trump | run | 150 pts | 1 : 2 |
| Extra King or Queen in trump
(only for players with a run) | extra King/Queen | 20 pts | 1 : 3 |
| 2 each of A-10-K-Q-J in trump suit | double run | 1500 pts | 1 : 100 |
| 1 Ace in all four suits,
| 100 aces | 100 pts | 1 : 4 |
| 2 Aces in all four suits,
| 1000 aces | 1000 pts | 1 : 100 |
| 1 King in all four suits,
| 80 kings | 80 pts | 1 : 20 |
| 2 Kings in all four suits,
| 800 kings | 800 pts | 1 : 300 |
| 1 Queen in all four suits,
| 60 queens | 60 pts | 1 : 20 |
| 2 Queens in all four suits,
| 600 queens | 600 pts | 1 : 500 |
| 1 Jack in all four suits,
| 40 jacks | 40 pts | 1 : 20 |
| 2 Jacks in all four suits,
| 400 jacks | 400 pts | 1 : 1000 |
| Queen of
and Jack of
| pinochle | 40 pts | 1 : 4 |
| 2 Queens of
and 2 Jacks
of | double pinochle | 300 pts | 1 : 20 |
| King and Queen in non-trump suit | marriage | 20 pts | 3 to 5 each hand |
| King and Queen in trump suit | marriage | 40 pts | About 1 each hand |
| Marriage in all four suits** | roundhouse | 240 pts | 1 : 30 |
| 9 in trump suit | 9 of trump | 10 pts | 2 each hand |
**kings and queens around is not counted additional
Optional rule: If the high bidder believes he can get every point of every trick, he announces he is "playing 1000." He shows no meld and passes four cards back to his partner, who also shows no meld. The opposing team may show meld, although their points count only if the bidding team does not get every point of every trick. Play continues as usual except that the high bidder's partner does not play; he merely pulls in the tricks and adds them to the pile of his own cards. If the team playing 1000 wins all the counting cards, they score 1000 points and their opponents lose their meld. If the team does not win every counting card, it loses 1000 points and the opponents' meld counts, as well as the points from the tricks they won.
Tricks
All cards are picked up and the play begins. The high bidder leads (usually with an Ace). Play continues to the left until everyone has played a card. Players must follow suit unless they are out of that suit, in which case they must trump. If a player cannot follow suit and has no trump, any card may be played.
A player must also "beat" the previous high card if he can. For instance, if the first player leads a
10 of , the second player must beat it with an A of if he
has it. If he cannot beat the 10, he must at least follow suit. If he has no s, he must
trump (unless s is trump). If the second player trumps with a Queen of trump, the third
player would still need to follow suit and play a if he has one, although he would not
need to beat the 10 (since the 10 had already been beaten with a trump card). If the third player has no
s and must trump, he must beat the trump card the second player played. If the fourth player
cannot follow suit either, he must beat the highest trump card if he can.
If there were no trump cards played on the trick, high card in the suit that was led wins the trick. If trump cards were played on the trick, the highest trump card wins the trick. The order of cards is Ace-10-King-Queen-Jack-9. If two of the same high card were played, the first player that played the card takes the trick.
After the play, both teams count the cards from the tricks they've pulled in for counters: Aces, 10s and Kings. Each counter card is worth one point. Queens, Jacks and 9s count nothing. If a team does not pull in any tricks with counter cards, it loses any meld it had that hand. If a team that took no counters melded 9s in trump, the points from the 9s can be counted.
