Pinnacle is a turn-based game, where you keep playing until one of the teams reaches 1500 points. This game version contemplates the participation of four players, two per team, and the use of a deck of 48 cards. The deck is made up of 9's, 10's, jacks, queens, kings and aces taken from two regular decks, so you have a total of eight of these cards per type.
Steps
Step 1. Sit in front of your teammate
Shuffle and deal all the cards, so that each player has twelve.
Step 2. You start bidding
Bidding consists simply of betting how many points you will be able to reach at the end of the game, which usually depends on the cards you have in your hand. The minimum score that can be bid is 250, and the bid is made in multiples of 10. Whoever bids the highest score decides the "trump suit", that is the suit that is considered predominant for the rest of the hand.
Step 3. Start putting the cards down
Put down consists of playing different combinations of cards to score points. Pinnacle has five different possible combinations:
- To make the pinnacle you must have the jack of diamonds together with the queen of spades. A double pinnacle is obtained with two jacks of diamonds together with two queens of spades.
- Four of a kind is made up of four identical cards (four aces, for example) of four different suits (diamonds, clubs, hearts, spades). To drop a double four of a kind (eight identical cards of four different suits) multiplies the score by 10. However, four of a kind and double foursome bring points only if they are made up of face cards (ace, king, queen and jack). Four of a kind 10's or 9's is worth nothing.
- The marriage consists of a king and a queen of the same suit (for example, of clubs). It is worth double if the suit of the cards corresponds to that of trump.
- The straight is made up of ace, ten, king, queen and jack of the trump suit. If you have an extra king and / or queen (always of the trump suit) you earn more points.
- A dis is a nine of the trump suit. It is worth 10 points and owes its name to this (in French, dix means ten).
Step 4. Here is the score for each play:
- Pinnacle: 40 points
- Double pinnacle: 300 points
- Poker of Aces: 100 points
- Double aces: 1000 points
- Four of a kind: 80 points
- Double Four of Kings: 800 points
- Four of a kind queens: 60 points
- Double Four of Queens: 600 points
- Poker of Jacks: 40 points
- Double Four of Jacks: 400 points
- Marriage: 20 points
- Royal wedding: 40 points
- Scale: 15 points
- Scale with the addition of a king: 190 points
- Scale with the addition of a queen: 190 points
- Scale with the addition of a king and a queen: 230 points
- Double straight (both aces, 10s, kings, queens and jacks of the trump suit): 1500 points
- Dis: 10 points
- When playing cards, remember that a single card can be part of more than one meld, but never two melds of the same type. For example, a single queen can be part of a marriage and a pinnacle at the same time, but not two marriages or two pinnacles.
Step 5. Calculate if whoever won the initial bet can reach the total points he declared with tricks
If his score is 250 points lower than what he previously declared, he must forfeit and subtract the points he declared at the start of the game from his total score. Forfeiting makes it more difficult to win the game, but it is always better than continuing to play the hand and giving points to the opponent.
Step 6. Now, with the remaining cards, tricks begin
This consists of knocking out the remaining cards to determine who wins the points still available. Each player, starting with the winner in the bidding phase, plays a card, which must be answered with a card of the same suit. If this is not possible, you must play a card of the trump suit or, if unable to do so, any card. This phase continues until the cards run out. You receive between ten and 0 points, depending on the cards played.
- Ace, 10 and king are worth 10 points, while queen, jack and 9 are worth 0. A card of the trump suit is still worth more than any other card; thus, if one player plays a trump 9 and the others play three aces, the first player wins but no one receives any points.
- Whoever wins the first draw starts the second, whoever wins the second draw starts the third, and so on.
- At this stage of the game, there are potentially 240 points at stake, as there are 24 aces, 10s and kings in every Pinnacle deck. In addition, whoever wins the last draw earns 10 bonus points, for a total of 250 points.
Step 7. After the first hand, add your points to those of your teammate
Shuffle the cards again and start playing again until one team reaches 1500 points. Between one hand and the next, if there are more than four, you can invite other people to play or, if you are playing more games in the same room, change the opponents at the table.
Advice
There are many ways to play Pinnacle and the rules proposed here are by no means the definitive ones. Play your way and experiment with new rules with your friends. After all, when playing cards, the most important thing is to have fun!
