The Penguin Book of Card Games: Everything You Need to Know to Play Over 250 Games (59 page)

At trick 3, West careful y threw his high counter away from the

pitcher. At trick 4, East could have trumped, but would eventual y

have had to lead the 6, possibly with disadvantage. He therefore

abandons it to a trick which so far contains nothing of value to his

opponents.

East wins with points for high, low, and the game, having taken

cards counting 20 as against North’s 18. Had he trumped at the

fourth trick, he would have lost ‘game’ by North’s subsequent

discard of T to a losing lead of 6.

Variants Pitch is very much a ‘pick’n’mix’ game. Here are some of

the possible ingredients.

Smudge (1)

A player who is not in the hole may bid 4 by announcing ‘smudge’.

If he then makes 4 he immediately wins the whole game. Dealer

cannot take over a bid of smudge.

Smudge (2)

A ‘slam’ bid to win al six tricks. This counts for a fifth point, and

A ‘slam’ bid to win al six tricks. This counts for a fifth point, and

necessarily includes the other 4 – which means you can sensibly bid

it only if holding the trump Jack, otherwise you can’t be sure of

making that particular point.

Racehorse Pitch

A variety played with a 32-card pack (AKQJT987). Game is usual y

11 up.

Sel -out

In this version eldest hand either pitches, which automatical y

counts as a bid of four, or of ers the pitch for sale to the highest

bidder. If he of ers it, the others bid from 1 to 3. Eldest may then

pitch for the amount of the highest bid, in which case the player

who made it marks that score to his credit. Alternatively, eldest may

mark that score himself, in which case the player who bid it

becomes the pitcher and leads to the first trick. But an important

restriction applies. No player, if invited to bid, may bid as many

points as would give eldest the game if he sold it. Conversely, eldest

must sel out if the high bidder would otherwise mark enough

points to win immediately.

Joker Pitch

If a Joker is added, it ranks as a trump below the Two. It does not,

however, count as ‘low’ but scores an additional (fifth) game point

to whoever wins it in a trick. This point is counted after Jack but

before ‘game’. If the Joker is pitched, it counts as a spade. Joker

Pitch has given rise to a range of games involving one or two

Jokers, notably the fol owing.

Smear (Ten-point Pitch, Trey Pitch)

4 or 6 players, 53-54 cards

Lynn King of Lake view, Texas, tel sme, ‘I have encountered this

variation in locales ranging from eastern New Mexico to southern

Nebraska, sometimes by the name Trey Pitch.’ John McLeod’s Pagat

website lists other varieties from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ontario.

Details vary, but the most ful -blown version runs as fol ows.

Preliminaries Four players sit ing crosswise in partnerships receive

nine cards each from a 54-card pack including two Jokers, or six in

two partnerships and sit ing alternately receive eight each.

Cards Cards rank AKQJT98765432 except in trumps, where the

order is:

A-K-Q-Jack-Jick-T-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-Joker-Joker

or, if the Jokers are distinguishable from each other:

A-K-Q-Jack-Jick-High Joker-Low Joker-T-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2

Jick, the fifth-highest trump, is the other Jack of the same colour

as trumps. (Also cal ed the Of -Jack or, as in Euchre, the Left

Bower.) Bidding Each player may bid once only, and each bid must

be higher than the last. A bid is an undertaking for the bidder’s side

to win from 1 to al 10 of the points available in exchange for

appointing trumps. Points are:

1 for high

having been dealt the highest trump

1 for low

having been dealt the lowest trump

1 for Jack

capturing the trump Jack

1 for Jick

capturing the Jick

1 for Joker-1 playing the first Joker (or high, if distinguished)

1 for Joker-2 playing the second (or low) Joker

1 for game capturing the trump Ten

3 for trey

capturing the trump Three

The point for low can’t be won for holding either of the Jokers

when they rank below the Two.

Some circles don’t recognize the Trey point, so the maximum bid

is 7, not 10.

Play Trumps declared, everyone discards their non-trumps and is

dealt as many replacements as necessary to bring their hand up to

six cards (not the eight or nine as dealt). Anyone who was dealt

more than six trumps must play the excess number to the first trick:

they may not include more than one point-scoring trump, which

must be placed on top. The highest bidder pitches to the first trick.

Al play is in trumps only, and players drop out when they have

none left. When necessary, the lead passes to the left of a player

who should be on lead but has no trump left. (Variant: Such a

player may lead a non-trump before folding.)

Game is 21 or 31. If both sides go over in the same deal, points are

counted strictly in the order quoted above. If only the non-bidding

side reaches or exceeds the target, play continues until a bidding

side does go over, and they are the winners even if the other side

has more.

Cinch (Pedro, Pidro)

4 players (2 × 2), 52 cards

Other extensions of Pitch at ach significance to the trump Five,

which is cal ed Pedro and counts 5 points when won in a trick. In

which is cal ed Pedro and counts 5 points when won in a trick. In

Double Pedro, the other Five of the same colour as trumps ranks as

a trump between the Five and the Four, and also counts 5, making

14 points in al . The two are distinguished as, respectively, the

Right and the Left Pedro. From this derived a fad game cal ed

Cinch, in which the point for ‘game’ was simplified by crediting it

to whoever won the trump Ten in a trick. ‘Cinch’ means to play a

trump high enough to prevent an opponent winning with a Pedro.

The game originated in Denver, Colorado, around 1885, but is stil

current in various forms. John McLeod says: ‘Pedro (Cinch) is

currently popular in the Southern USA (Louisiana, I think) and

Central America (e.g. Nicaragua). I recently discovered to my great

surprise that an identical game Pidro is enthusiastical y played in

Osterbot en, a Swedish-speaking region in the east of Finland. 83

and 63 are played in Maine, USA.’ Here’s the US/Finnish version:

Preliminaries Deal nine cards each in threes.

Cards Cards rank normal y (AKQJT98765432), except that between

the trump Five (Right Pedro) and trump Four there ranks a card

cal ed Left Pedro, which is the other Five of the same colour as

trumps. This gives 14 trumps, 12 cards in the other suit of its

colour, and 13 in each of the others.

Object For the side that announces trumps to win at least as many

points for counters as they bid. The counters are:

high 1 game

1 (trump Ten)

low 1 Right Pedro 5

Jack 1 Left Pedro 5

Bidding Each in turn, starting with eldest, may bid once only. A bid

is any number from 7 to 14, no suit being mentioned, and each bid

must be higher than the last.

Draw and discard The highest bidder announces trumps; al but the

dealer discard al their of -suit cards (non-trumps); and dealer then

deals enough cards to restore each player’s hand to six. Dealer then

discards his own non-trumps, sorts through the undealt cards, and

adds

al the trumps they contain to his own hand. If his hand is less than

six, he adds as many of -suit cards as necessary.

Play The bidder leads to the first trick. Players are free to fol ow

suit or trump, as they please, but may renounce only if unable to

fol ow suit. Anyone holding more than six trumps must play the

excess to the first trick, leaving five in hand. These are played face

up in a stack, of which only the top card counts towards contesting

the trick. The others may not include a counter.

The trick is taken by the highest card of the suit led, or by the

highest trump if any are played, and the winner of each trick leads

to the next.

Score The non-bidders score what they make. So do the bidders if

they take at least as many as they bid; otherwise, the amount they

bid is deducted from their total.

Game Play up to 62 points. If both sides have 55 or more, the next

bidders win the game if they make their bid, regardless of the non-

bidders’ score; but they lose it if they fail and the non-bidders reach

62. If both sides reach 62 when one of them previously had less

than 55, another hand is played, and the side reaching the higher

total wins. If tied, the bidders win.

Variations Some set the minimum bid at 6, and require the dealer

to bid 7 if the first three players pass. Some score 28 for making al

14 points. Some retain the older rule whereby al hands are

reduced to six even if this means discarding trumps, but forbid the

reduced to six even if this means discarding trumps, but forbid the

discard of counters. Some require the bidder to pitch a trump. Some

have abandoned the traditional method of trick-play, and require

suit to be fol owed if possible (probably through ignorance, as it is

hard to think of any good reason for doing so deliberately).

Variants

Sixty-Three

As Cinch, but with a maximum of 63 game points to be bid and

played for. The additional scores are 25 for winning the trump

King, 15 for the Three, and 9 for the Nine. Game is 152 points.

Eighty-Three

Reported by Linda Moran (via the Pagat website) to have been

played by her mother’s family in Maine for several generations.

Four playing in partnerships receive twelve each from a 53-card

pack including a Joker, the other five going face down to a kit y.

Trumps rank and count as fol ows:

A K Q J T 9 8 7 6 5 5 4 3 2

1 25 20 1 1 9 0 0 0 5 5 0 15 1 0=83

Eldest bids first and each bid must be higher than the last. The

maximum 83 can be overcal ed by ‘83 double’, which simply scores

double (166) whether won or lost. Bidding continues until three

pass in succession. The highest bidder takes the kit y and declares

trump. Everyone discards down to a hand of six. Trumps may not

be discarded. A player with more than six trumps may pass the

excess to his partner. A side with more than 12 trumps must discard

the extras, but these may not include counters. The bidder leads.

Players may freely fol ow suit or trump, but may renounce only if

unable to fol ow suit. The trick is taken by the highest card of the

suit led, or by the highest trump if any are played, and the winner

suit led, or by the highest trump if any are played, and the winner

of each trick leads to the next. The non-bidders score what they

make. So do the bidders if they take at least as many as they bid;

otherwise, the amount they bid is deducted from their total. Game

is 200 points.

Auction Cinch (Razzle Dazzle)

(5-6p, 52c). Each receives six cards and bids independently (up to

14) but reckoning on the aid of an ad hoc partner. The highest

bidder then chooses a partner by naming a specific card – often the

highest trump – whose holder becomes bidder’s partner for that

round only. The partner may not reveal himself except by playing

the cal ed card, and scores the same as the bidder. Play as at Cinch.