How to keep score in 500

In 500, the team that wins the bidding scores the value of its bid from the bid table if it takes the tricks it promised, and loses that value if it doesn't. The defenders score 10 for every trick they take. The first team to 500 wins, and a team that falls to −500 loses.

At a glance

• Players: 4 in two teams, or 3 playing alone

• Who wins: First team to 500

• Who loses: A team at −500 or lower

• Each hand: 10 tricks each, plus a kitty of 3

The bid table

The usual bid table is the Avondale table. A bid is a number of tricks, from 6 to 10, with a trump suit or no trumps.

Each step up the suits adds 20, and each extra trick adds 100. Misère (or nullo), where the bidder plays alone and must lose every trick, is worth 250. Open misère, played with your cards face up on the table, is worth 500.

Scoring a hand

• The bidders make their bid: they score its value from the table. Extra tricks earn nothing more.

• The bidders fall short: they lose its value.

• The defenders: 10 for each trick they take, whether the bid is made or not.

• A slam, all 10 tricks: if the bid was worth less than 250, the bidders score 250 instead.

• Misère: 250 if the bidder loses every trick, −250 if they take one. The defenders score nothing.

Winning and losing

A team that reaches 500 wins. Tables differ on defence points near the end. Under one rule, only a bid you make can win the game, so a team that passes 500 on defence tricks plays on until it wins a bid. Under the other, the first team to 500 wins however it got there, and if both teams reach it on the same hand, the bidders win.

A team at −500 or lower loses straight away. Players call it going out the back door.

Three players and other variants

• Three players: everyone plays for themselves with a 33-card deck, 10 cards each and a kitty of 3. The two defenders each score 10 for every trick they take.

• Misère: some tables don't allow it, or give it and open misère different values. Agree before you deal.

• Other bid tables: some older rules use a different table, so check which one your group plays.

A scoring example

Ana and Ben are Team A, Cleo and Dev are Team B. Three hands, with the bid's value from the table in brackets.

Team A's extra trick in hand 1 earned nothing, and its slam in hand 3 scored 250 instead of 120. Team B lost its 240 but kept its defence points from hand 1.

Team A is 20 points from 500. Under the bid-only rule, two defence tricks won't be enough: it has to win a bid.

Keep score in Tallynight

500 isn't one of Tallynight's built-in games yet, but it takes a minute to set up. Choose Something else, then Rounds, with the highest score winning, and turn on Play to a target at 500. Add each team as a player.

Tallynight offers to end the game when a team reaches 500, and you decide: if your table plays the bid-only rule and they got there on defence, play on. If a team falls to −500, tap End game.

• Type both teams' points for the hand, with a minus sign for a failed bid

• Offers to end the game at 500, and you decide

• Tap any hand to fix it

• A race chart that replays the game, hand by hand

• Get Tallynight on the App Store: free, no ads.

• Print a 500 (card game) score sheet if you'd rather keep score on paper.

Questions

How many points is misère in 500?

250, or −250 if the bidder takes a trick. Open misère, played with your cards face up, is 500.

How many points do you get for taking all 10 tricks in 500?

250 if your bid was worth less than that, otherwise your bid's own value. It's called a slam.

Can you win 500 on defence?

It depends on your table. Under one rule only a bid you make can win the game, so defence tricks alone can't. Under the other, the first team to 500 wins however it got there.

What happens if you go below −500 in 500?

Your team loses straight away. Players call it going out the back door.

How many points do defenders get in 500?

10 for every trick they take, whether the bidders make their bid or not. On a misère, they score nothing.

How much is 6 no trumps in 500?

120. A bid of 6 is 40 in spades, 60 in clubs, 80 in diamonds, 100 in hearts and 120 in no trumps.

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