Cutthroat Pinochle

Cutthroat is a fast-paced three-handed every man for himself Pinochle game.

Cutthroat is a popular Pinochle variation for three players. Unlike most partnership Pinochle games, Cutthroat pits each player against one another, every man for himself. It’s a fast-paced, highly competitive, and very strategic card game, requiring careful planning, good memory and discipline.

In this game, you can play online against real people or choose between 8 computer opponents, each with different skill levels and unique styles of playing. Each player is dealt 15 cards with 3 cards dealt face-down to the widow. Players bid after initial cards are dealt and the high bidder combines the widow cards to potentially form a stronger hand, then discarding the three weakest cards.

As of this release there are 12 options to customize game play to user preferences:

Number of Decks: Single|Double

Sound Effects: On|Off

Game Speed: Normal|Fast|Slow

Undo Button: On|Off

Must bid to win: On|Off

Minimum Trick Points: 0|1|2

Minimum Bid: 15|20|25

Bid Increment: 1|2|3

Point to Win: 75|100|150

Must Throw Higher Card: On|Off|Trumps

Must have marriage in trump: On|Off

Winner if multiple players make winning score

What's New in the Latest Version 4.2.0

Last updated on Apr 18, 2024

Added Expert-level tables

Overview:

Cutthroat Pinochle is a variant of Pinochle played with a standard 48-card deck. It is a competitive game where players aim to be the first to get rid of all their cards by melding combinations and playing cards on melds created by other players.

Setup:

* Use a standard 48-card Pinochle deck (24 trumps, 12 queens, 12 jacks).

* 2-4 players can play.

* Each player is dealt 12 cards.

* The remaining cards form the draw pile.

Gameplay:

1. Bidding: Players bid on the number of tricks they believe they can take. The highest bidder becomes the "declarer" and leads the first trick.

2. Melding: Players can meld combinations of cards, including melds of three or more trump cards, four or more cards of the same suit, or marriages (queens and jacks of the same suit).

3. Playing: Players take turns playing cards on the table. They can play on melds created by themselves or other players.

4. Trumping: Trumps can be used to capture any other card, including other trumps.

5. Scoring: Players score points for taking tricks and melding combinations. The first player to reach a predetermined score (typically 500 or 1000) wins the game.

Special Rules:

* Reneging: If a player fails to follow suit when possible, they must give a card to the next player.

* Going Pinochle: If a player melds all four aces, they automatically score 300 points.

* Cutthroat: If a player declares a bid of 0, they become the "cutthroat" and cannot take any tricks. They also lose points for each trick taken by other players.

Winning:

The first player to reach the predetermined score wins the game. If the cutthroat player reaches the score first, they lose and the other players share the winnings.

Variations:

* Double Pinochle: Use a 96-card deck (two standard decks).

* Partners Pinochle: Players play in teams of two.

* Chicago Pinochle: Players score points for melds and tricks, but the cutthroat player loses all points if they do not make their bid.