Not to much to report today. I am out in Western MA, just relaxing visiting with my Grandparents for the weekend. We are playing PITCH this afternoon with my Mom. This is a great card game that we have played for years.
Four-player Pitch
Dealing and Bidding
Players are organized into two teams. Players should sit at the table such that partners are sitting across from one another and not next to one another.
The cards are dealt as for three-player Pitch. And bidding proceeds as for three-player Pitch. A player is permitted to outbid his or her partner, and the dealer is allowed to take the highest bid on the table.
Declaring Trump
The player who made the high bid (the "making player") declares the trump suit. Trump is determined by the first card played by the making player. In some variants, beginning with the player to the dealer's left and proceeding clockwise, players may discard any number of cards from their hands and receive that many new cards from the dealer. (Typically, all cards of non-trump suits are discarded this way.)
Playing a Trick
Play proceeds as for three-player Pitch. Note that in four-player Pitch, players are playing as teams. All tricks won by players of the same team will be scored together. If a player's team mate has already played the highest ranking card in the trick, that player is not required (or encouraged!) to play a higher ranking card. Of course, if a player's only "legal" play, by the rules given above, is a card that outranks his or her team mate's card, then that player must play that card.
Scoring
Scoring piles are evaluated as for three-player Pitch except that teams are scored together.
Winning the Game
Play proceeds until one or more teams has 11 points at the end of a hand. If the making team has 11 points at the end of a hand, that team wins the game, regardless of the other team's score. If the non-making team has 11 points at the end of a hand and the making team does not, the non-making team wins the game. If two or more non-making teams reach 11 points at the end of a hand, the game will be awarded to the team who scores points in the following order: High card of trump, Low card of trump, Jack of trump, total game points.
In some variants, the game only ends when the making team's score reaches 11 or higher. That is, the game does not end when a non-making team's score reaches 11. This is often referred to as the "bid-to-go-out" rule, since a team must make their bid and reach 11 to win the game.
Dealing and Bidding
Players are organized into two teams. Players should sit at the table such that partners are sitting across from one another and not next to one another.
The cards are dealt as for three-player Pitch. And bidding proceeds as for three-player Pitch. A player is permitted to outbid his or her partner, and the dealer is allowed to take the highest bid on the table.
Declaring Trump
The player who made the high bid (the "making player") declares the trump suit. Trump is determined by the first card played by the making player. In some variants, beginning with the player to the dealer's left and proceeding clockwise, players may discard any number of cards from their hands and receive that many new cards from the dealer. (Typically, all cards of non-trump suits are discarded this way.)
Playing a Trick
Play proceeds as for three-player Pitch. Note that in four-player Pitch, players are playing as teams. All tricks won by players of the same team will be scored together. If a player's team mate has already played the highest ranking card in the trick, that player is not required (or encouraged!) to play a higher ranking card. Of course, if a player's only "legal" play, by the rules given above, is a card that outranks his or her team mate's card, then that player must play that card.
Scoring
Scoring piles are evaluated as for three-player Pitch except that teams are scored together.
Winning the Game
Play proceeds until one or more teams has 11 points at the end of a hand. If the making team has 11 points at the end of a hand, that team wins the game, regardless of the other team's score. If the non-making team has 11 points at the end of a hand and the making team does not, the non-making team wins the game. If two or more non-making teams reach 11 points at the end of a hand, the game will be awarded to the team who scores points in the following order: High card of trump, Low card of trump, Jack of trump, total game points.
In some variants, the game only ends when the making team's score reaches 11 or higher. That is, the game does not end when a non-making team's score reaches 11. This is often referred to as the "bid-to-go-out" rule, since a team must make their bid and reach 11 to win the game.
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