Omaha daily bee., 1907-04-21

on a single card. As now played, eight aces
are worth only 200 eight kings are worth
leo, and so on.
The next change was to cut down the
meld for double pinochle in the same way,
and in the American game double pinochle
is now worth only So But there is one Inn
portant thing to be remembered in connec-
ton with these melds, which is that they
are still considered as single melds, just
as they were in the old game.
This is a point frequently overlooked In
playing two hand. The rule is that there
shall be only one meld made for each trick
taken, and under this rule some persons
imagine that only one pinochle can be
NEEDED at time, even If the player holds
them both: but such is not the case.
The player is at liberty to lay down eight
kings or double pinochle at once, just as
he did in the old game, and call either OF
them a single meld. The change is not
that the old meld has been cut into two
melds, but that the value of the meld Itself
has been cut down.
when the Argument starts.
The majority Of the misunderstanding
and disputes at pinochle are with regard to
the NEEDING of double combinations These
are the cases in which several melds are
grouped together as one, and are set down
!
as a lump sum.
They occur only in three or four hand
but in order to understand thoroughly the
principles underlying the rules by such
melds It is necessary to go back to the
original game, because no matter what
changes we may make in the value we at
tach to a meld. whether we call IT worth
$50 points or 100 or Is, the Fundamental
! principles of the game must be adhered
to in making the meld itself or we are not
playing pinochle.
Pinochle like bezique, was originally g
game for two players only, and the law fol
NEEDING. the principle upon which all meld'
were based, was extremely simple.
After winning trick the player who VOL
II could make any single meld he had in hii
hand before he drew a card from the stock
This meld had TO be one OF Ave things, g
marriage a sequence in trumps. pinochle
a dix, or four of kind.
! Under no circumstances was 1t allowed L
meld two marriages at the same time, OF
marriage and sequence together. If th'
player held a combination meld, 1t wal
I necessary for him to win a separate tricl
for each separate part OF that combination
or he could not score II at all. II was alsC
necessary for all the cards that went Il
make up the combination 70 be still on thu
table when the meld was scored
The best example of the way this rul'
worked in the original game is that OF th'
| four kings and four queens. Upon winning
a trick. the player holding this combination
could lay II all down at once. but he could
actually score only one part of IL. so h,
usually began with eighty kings. On win
ming another trick. he would score his sixty
| queens. and then as he won other tricks h
would gradually score his marriages, unit
he had made 30 points out Of the combina
| ton.
Birth of n Rule
This system OF holding over scores to bs
made good by winning subsequent tricks LED
to a great deal Of confusion, and although
it is still allowed In beziqus, it has beer
abolished for many years In pinochle. II
often happened that player who had one
or two scores in allegiance on the table