Pinochle

Pinochle is an adaptation of the trick-taking card game with the same name,
that contrary to popular belief originated in Europe, and not in the United
States. The Pogo version uses a double deck. Since the standard pinochle deck
includes two copies of the 9, 10, jack, queen, king, and ace cards, this means
that there are a total of 96 cards in play, in other words four copies of each
card. While pinochle can be played by a varying number of players, this
version is for two teams with two players each. It’s possible to play against
human or AI-controlled opponents.

In order to win the match a team must score 150 points. The game is
technically divided into three parts. In the auction phase, the players assess
their hands, and if they’re strong they can bid 50 and up. The bid winner
decides the trump card. If a team wins, but fails to make their bid, they
don’t score any points and have the value of the bid substracted from their
total running score. In the second part, melds are automatically scored, while
in the third part players take turns playing cards in order to take tricks.
Bonus points, called counters, are scored for every 10, king or ace won. The
score is comprised of the team’s meld points and counters. There are different
types of melds, including four of a card, but also special combinations of
cards. The game continues until a team’s total running score reaches 150
points.

The game starter can change several options at the beginning, including the
target score between 100, 150, 250 and 500 points.

Pinochle