PURPLE RULES FOR PINOCHLE
Purple Rules Modifications:
The method for forming and scoring Melds using Colors is different from the Standard Rules.
There are 2 Melding phases, not the beginning Meld phase followed by individual Melds made after winning a Trick used in the Standard Rules.
The Rules for Trick Taking using Colors is different from the Standard Rules.
Players can Follow Color, as well as Follow Suit in Trick Taking.
The Trump is a Color, not a Suit.
Object of the Game: To score the most Points by forming Melds and winning Tricks.
Number of Players: A 4 Player 2 Partnerships game, or a Two Player game, or a 3 Player game.
The Deal: The Dealer can be decided by any method. Each Player is dealt 12 cards each. The Color of the remaining card determines the Trump Color, unless the Players want a Bid phase. No Jokers are used.
The Bid: This phase is optional. In this phase the Players take Turns Bidding in an Auction to determine the Trump. Players Bid a Total of Points they need to meet or exceed. If the winning Bidder, the Declarer, does not meet or exceed the Bid they are penalized. See the Standard Rules of the game for all of the details.
The first Meld phase:
A Meld is a combination of cards that match in a specific way. After the Bid if there is one, the first Melding phase begins. The Purple Rules have 2 Melding Phases. Each Player on their Turn places the highest scoring Melds they can form Face Up in front of them. See the PURPLE RULES PINOCHLE MELDS section below. After the Scores for the Melds have been recorded, the Players pick up their cards for the Trick Taking phase.
THE PURPLE RULES PINOCHLE MELDS:
| CLASS A – RUNS, MARRIAGES, and DIX |
• Run: A, K, Q, J, and 10 of the Trump Color = 150
• Royal Marriage: K and Q of the Trump Color = 40
• Suit Marriage: K and Q of the same Suit = 20
• Color Marriage: K and Q of the same Color = 30
• Dix: 8 Card of the Trump Color = 10
| CLASS B – AROUNDS (same Rank or same Color)
Ranks:
• Aces: 4 = 50; 5 = 100; 6 = 200; 7 = 400
• Kings: 4 = 40; 5 = 80; 6 = 160; 7 = 320
• Queens: 4 = 30; 5 = 60; 6 = 120; 7 = 240
• Jacks: 4 = 20; 5 = 40; 6 = 80; 7 = 160
Colors:
• Black Spades: 4 = 50; 5 = 100; 6 = 200; 7 = 400
• Red Hearts: 4 = 40; 5 = 80; 6 = 160; 7 = 320
• Blue Diamonds: 4 = 30; 5 = 60; 6 = 120; 7 = 240
• Green Clubs: 4 = 20; 5 = 40; 6 = 80; 7 = 160
| CLASS C – PINOCHLES |
• Pinochle: Jack of Diamonds and Queen of Spades = 40
• Color Pinochle: Jack and Queen of the same Color = 30
• Suit Pinochle: Jack and Queen of the same Suit = 20
The Trick Taking phase:
In this phase of the game Players play 12 Tricks, one for each card in their Hand. A Trick is a Turn where the Players place 1 card Face Up in front of them. The Player with the highest Ranked card keeps all of the cards in the Trick. The Rules for determining the High Card and which cards can be played, see the Rules below:
THE PURPLE RULES FOR TRICK PLAY
The Highest Ranked card from the Trump Color Wins.
If no Trump Card is Played:
The Highest Ranked card which Follows Color Wins.
If no Card Follows Color:
The Highest Ranked card which Follows Suit Wins.
In the case of a Tie, the Tied Player who went first wins.
Each card won in a Trick Scores the Total of the Rank Point Number plus the Color Point Number.
For more detailed Rules on Trick Play and Auctioning, see the PURPLE RULES FOR TRICK-TAKING GAMES page.
The second Meld phase:
After the Trick Taking phase is completed, Players can use the cards they won from Tricks to form new Melds. The Score from these Melds are added to the Players overall Score.
Trick Scoring: After the second Melding phase is completed, each Player adds the Rank Points Number and the Color Points Number from each card won in Tricks to determine their Trick Taking Score.
The Points Scored from both Melding phases are added to the Trick Taking Score for an overall Score.
The Winner: There are 2 ways to determine the winner of a Game. The first way is the Player (or Partnership) with the most overall Points after a Deal wins the game. If a Bidding Auction was used, see the Standard Rules for that game.
The second way is the first Player (or Partnership) to reach 1,500 Points wins the game. If both Partnerships or multiple Players go over 1,500 at the end of a Deal, the highest overall Score wins. Players decide which method is used before starting a game.
Basic Strategy:
The same as playing with the Standard Rules with the following considerations. Players will want to look at the Meld Chart to decide if they want to use the Ranks or the Colors when forming Melds. Players will want to roughly calculate the Points they might make in the Trick Taking Phase and Second Melding Phase if they play with a Bidding Auction.
Pinochle Meld Examples:
Links to Standard Pinochle Game Rules:
Pinochle | Bicycle® Learn To Play | Pagat | Wikipedia |
Double Deck Pinochle | Pagat |
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