How to keep score in Pinochle | Tallynight Games

In Pinochle, each hand scores twice: once for meld, the combinations you show after the bidding, and once for the counters you take in tricks. The team that won the bid needs meld and counters together to reach its bid, or it loses the bid. In the four-player partnership game, the first team to 1,500 wins.

At a glance

Players: 4, in two teams of partners
Who wins: First team to 1,500
Each hand: Meld, plus 250 in tricks to share
Deck: 48 cards, two of each from 9 to ace

The meld table

These are the values for single-deck Pinochle. Some tables write every score divided by 10, which is the short scoring column. Pick one and stick to it.

Meld	Cards	Points	Short scoring
Run	A, 10, K, Q, J of trumps	150	15
Double run	Both runs in trumps	1,500	150
Royal marriage	K and Q of trumps	40	4
Marriage	K and Q of another suit	20	2
Dix	9 of trumps	10	1
Pinochle	Q of spades and J of diamonds	40	4
Double pinochle	Both pinochles	300	30
Aces around	An ace of each suit	100	10
Kings around	A king of each suit	80	8
Queens around	A queen of each suit	60	6
Jacks around	A jack of each suit	40	4
Double around	Both of each suit: aces, kings, queens or jacks	1,000 · 800 · 600 · 400	100 · 80 · 60 · 40

A card can count in melds of different kinds, such as a king in kings around and in a marriage, but not twice in the same kind. Each player melds from their own hand, and the team scores both partners' meld together.

Counters: the points in tricks

Aces, tens and kings are counters, worth 10 each (1 in short scoring). Queens, jacks and 9s are worth nothing in tricks. Taking the last trick adds 10 (or 1).

There are 24 counters, so every hand has 250 points in tricks to share (25 in short scoring). If your two teams' trick points don't add up to that, recount.

Another count: some tables score aces 11, tens 10, kings 4, queens 3 and jacks 2, plus 10 for the last trick. That still comes to 250.
And another: aces and tens 10, kings and queens 5, plus 10 for the last trick. Also 250.

Making the bid, going set and saving meld

Add the bidding team's meld to the counters it took. If that reaches the bid, the team scores the lot. If it falls short, the team is set: it scores nothing for the hand, meld included, and the bid comes off its score. Scores can go below zero.

The other team scores its meld and counters, but it must save its meld by taking at least one counter or the last trick. If it takes nothing at all, its meld doesn't count.

Bidding often opens at 250 (25 in short scoring), and goes up in tens. Some tables start lower.

When the game ends

The first team to reach 1,500 (150 in short scoring) wins. If both teams pass it on the same hand, the team that won the bid wins. Some tables play to 1,000.

Three-player and double-deck Pinochle are scored differently, and double-deck meld values vary from table to table. Agree on yours before the first deal.

A scoring example

Ana and Ben are Team A, Cleo and Dev are Team B. Full scoring, two hands.

Hand	What happened	Team A	Team B
1	A bids 300, melds 140 and takes 180 in tricks. B melds 60 and takes 70	320	130
2	B bids 270, melds 120 and takes 130: 20 short, so B is set. A melds 80 and takes 120	200	−270
Total		520	−140

Hand 1: A made its bid with 140 + 180 = 320. Hand 2: B reached only 250 against a bid of 270, so it lost 270 and its meld didn't count.

Trick points always come to 250: 180 + 70 in hand 1 and 130 + 120 in hand 2.

Keep score in Tallynight

Pinochle 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. Turn on Play to a target at 1,500, or 150 for short scoring, and add each team as a player.

Add it to your favourites and it's ready next time, with your table's target.

Type each team's score for the hand, with a minus sign when the bidders go set
Offers to end the game when a team reaches the target
Tap any hand to fix it
A winner card for the family chat at the end

Get Tallynight on the App Store: free, no ads.
Print a Pinochle score sheet if you'd rather keep score on paper.

Questions

How much is a run worth in Pinochle?

150 points, or 15 in short scoring. A run is the ace, ten, king, queen and jack of trumps, and a double run is 1,500.

How many points are in a hand of Pinochle?

250 in tricks: 24 counters at 10 each and 10 for the last trick. In short scoring it's 25. Meld comes on top.

What happens if you don't make your bid in Pinochle?

Your team scores nothing for the hand, meld included, and the bid comes off your score. You can go below zero.

What does it mean to save your meld in Pinochle?

The team that didn't win the bid keeps its meld only if it takes at least one counter or the last trick. Otherwise its meld doesn't count.

What is double pinochle worth?

300, or 30 in short scoring. A single pinochle, the queen of spades with the jack of diamonds, is 40.

How many points do you play to in Pinochle?

1,500 in the four-player partnership game, or 150 in short scoring. Some tables play to 1,000.

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