Double Deck Pinochle at a glance
Double Deck Pinochle gives each player twenty cards. Multiple copies create larger melds and a longer battle for trump control. Making your bid also requires separate minimums for meld and captured trick points.
- Players
- 4 · Two teams
- Deck
- 80 cards · No nines
- Hand
- 20 cards each
- Target
- 500 points
How to play Double Deck Pinochle online
Play free in your browser, with no download or account required. Choose the kind of table you want to join.
Practice with computers
Choose Play with computers and a pace: Relaxed, Friendly, or Quick. Use Hint when you need help finding a move.
Invite your friends
Choose Invite friends and share Copy invite or the room code. Friends join through Have an invite? The host can fill empty seats with computers.
Find an online opponent
Choose Find online players to look for other people. If no matching players are available, you can practice with computers instead.
Computer games also need an internet connection. The table handles dealing, legal moves, and scoring. These rules describe the version played here; other tables may use different house rules.
Rules of Double Deck Pinochle
Deck, deal, and bidding
Four copies of each ace, ten, king, queen and jack make eighty cards; deal twenty each. Rank is ace, ten, king, queen, jack. Bid at least fifty or pass; three consecutive passes end the auction. An all-pass dealer must bid fifty.
Choosing trump and counting meld
The bidder chooses trump from a suit containing their king and queen; without a marriage the bid is lost. Meld is shown automatically. Runs score 15/150/225/300; pinochles 4/30/60/90; arounds and marriages also count.
Following, heading, and trumping
Follow suit and beat the current winning card if able. Without the led suit, trump and overtrump if possible. Otherwise discard anything. Equal cards are won by the earlier play.
Scoring and winning
Minimums and contract scoring
Aces, tens and kings score one each; the last trick scores two. A team needs twenty meld and twenty trick points to count both. The bidding team loses its bid if either minimum or the contract is missed.
Winning the match
First to five hundred wins. If both cross the target together, the bidding team wins (bidder-out rules).
How to get better at Double Deck Pinochle
Check for a marriage
The bidder must name a suit containing both king and queen. Identify eligible suits before committing to the auction.
Count copies carefully
There are four copies of each card. Seeing an ace once does not mean all aces of that suit are gone.
Plan to capture twenty
Meld alone cannot save the contract. Your team also needs twenty trick points to count both parts of the score.
Protect trump control
Long trump can help collect valuable counters late in the hand. Track how many opponents have been forced to spend theirs.
Frequently asked questions
Are nines included?
No. There are four copies of each ace, ten, king, queen, and jack in each suit.
Do partners exchange cards?
No. This version counts meld from the dealt hands and has no partner exchange.
What happens without a trump marriage?
If the bidder has no king–queen pair in any suit, the contract is lost.
What are the scoring minimums?
A team needs twenty meld and twenty trick points to count both. The bidding team must also meet its bid; failing the contract or a required minimum deducts the bid.
Can I play Double Deck Pinochle against computers?
Yes. Choose Play with computers at the table and select a computer pace. Private tables can also mix friends with computers. An internet connection is required.
How do I invite friends to Double Deck Pinochle?
Choose Invite friends, then use Copy invite in the waiting room. Friends can open that link or enter the room code in Have an invite? The host can fill empty seats with computers.
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