The sun., 1910-01-02
DISPUTED PIEOCHLE RULES
ERRORS FREQUENTLY MADE IN
COUNTING MELDS.

Players who Make = Difference Between
Two Hand and other Varieties OF the
Game-PrIncspIcs ON which the cunt
Ing IL DOne-Remedy From Missouri
Since the Introduction OF the auction
element into pinochle ths game has
steadily been advancing in popularity and
is even played in preference to bridge
in some clubs. In spite of its reepec-
liability and numerous following. how
ever, no club has come forward with a
code Of laws for the game. such as those
which have been drawn up and universally
agreed to for whist bridge and sl1at.
Pinochle players are not book players.
That is to say. they do not take lessons
from regular teachers or read text
books, or discuss hands and situations,
as the whist and bridge players do. What
the pinochle player knows about the
game is usually picked up. and each
individual players ideas OF the rules
are very much like a persons opinion
OF the pronunciation OF certain words.
depending largely on where he learned
them and the accent OF the country from
which he comes. Naturally therefore
to certain points in the game.
The most common source OF error and
the most frequent cause OF dispute is
in counting the melds in three or four
hand when these melds require the
use OF the same cards in more than one
combination. Players may agree about
melds in two hand. but they seem unable
to apply the same rules to the other forms.
The only mistake which is likely to be
made in two hand is made by those who
have learned to play three or four hand
first. This error is in supposing that
even il a player has melded enough to
go out he must win another trick in order
to make this final meld good.
This idea In clearly carried over from
familiarity with three and four hand.
in which il is the rule that none Of the
melds is good unless the player after
ward wins a trick.
Two hsnd pinochle, the original and
ps srent stem. is the source from which all
other istions are derived. Not .
single rule for NEEDING in the two hand
game has changed in the games for three
and four players. or in auction. The only
difference Is that in two hand you must
win q separate trick for each meld. while
in three or four hand one trick makes all
the melds good
The reason for this difference is that in
two hand YOUR melds are not complete
at the start. There is a continual draw
ing from the stock which makes il
possible to obtain a number OF melds in
the course Of play. which were not present
when the hand was first dealt IL is
necessary therefore to permit these ar
riving melds to be made as long as the
drawing from the stock continues.
In three or four hand there is no draw
ing from the stock and therefore there
is no ne cessrty to provide for melding
combination which are not In the hand
originally dealt. This being so it saves
time to allow the players 70 make their
melds one after the other in three or four
hand. just as IL they won trick between
each. The melds being all made. the win
them all good.
forms OF pinochle are extremely simple
Here is the first:
only one meld can he made az a time.
and there must be at least one fresh card
from the hand laid down for each meld as
Il is made.
This rule sbout the fresh card from the
hand is very important. and it is all that
distinguishes pinochle from bezloue.
Every pipochle pls yer uDderste nds it in
two hand. but many fail to see its Ppplics-
ton to three ard four hand.
Suppose thet a player in two hand is
in hurry to get his big melds down be-
fore the stock is exhausted and lays down
eighty kings and then puts down sixty
queens. All he gets out of these eight
cards In 1t0, because he cannot count any
OF the ms rris ges rs he has no fresh card
from his hand to lay down even IL he has
time to make another meld or two.
The only way he can get the full value
OF these eight cards in two hand is by
NEEDING the eighty kings or sixty queens
first and then. on winning further tricks
marrying as many OF them as he car, be-
ginning with the trump marris &c because
OF its grea ter value. When he comes to
lay down the eighth card. II queen, he
must either meld a marriage for twenty
with it and lose the sixty queens or he
must use 1t for NEEDING sixty queens and
lose the twenty for the marriage. No
player. ir any form OF pinochle. is SLOWED
TO make two melds with one card. That
is beziQue, not pinochle.
For convenience the melds are divided
into three classes or groups:
l. Sequence and marriages
>. Pinochles.
3. Four OF a kind
ANY card used in a meld belonging
to any OF these classes cannot after
ward be used in a meld of the same class
unless the new meld is of greater value"
This IL the second in Importance Of the
laws Of the game, but IL is very generally
or misapplied. A few
examples will explain t.
A king or queen OF trumps which has
been used to form the sequence for $50
cannot afterward be used to meld a
for 20. even with a new king
OF queen. But II the marriage In melded
first the king and queen can afterward
he used as part OF the trump sequence
because the sequence is more valuable
than the marriage. both melds being
In the same class.
In the same way the two cards used
for single pinoohle can be added to after
ward and double pinochle scored for.
but IL the double pinochle is scored first
the single pinochle that it contains is
lost because it 10 Of less value. and being
in the same class must be scored first
or not at all
In regard to what are called double
that In cards that can
be used in two or more classes OF melds,
the value OF the meld does not affect
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