How to Play Pitch (Card Game)

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Get to know the rules and gameplay of the classic bidding game
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Pitch is a card game that revolves around betting and trick-taking to score the most points. This game is rumored to have been invented by a bored hunting party in the 1800s. All you need to play is a deck of cards and at least three people. Begin the game with bidding, play the game, and learn variations for future games. [1]

Things You Should Know

  • Shuffle a deck and deal 6 cards to each player. Examine the value of your cards, then place a bid about the number of points you think you can win with your hand.
  • The player with the highest bid places a card on the table. Each player then plays a card of the same suit. Whoever plays the highest card in the suit wins the hand.
  • Play until there are no mare cards in your hand, then tally your points based on the initial bid. Continue to play rounds until a player reaches 21 points.
Part 1
Part 1 of 3:

Beginning the Game with Bidding

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  1. Pitch requires at least three people, though you can play with more. Typically, a traditional game is played with partners. So, four players are ideal for this game. The dealer shuffles and then deals out six cards to each player. The dealer should hand out the cards in the pattern of 1, then 2, then 3 cards per deal. [2]
  2. Once the cards have been dealt, look at the cards you’ve been given. If you’re playing with a partner, look at the cards with your partner. The values for the cards are:
    • Ten: 10 points.
    • Ace: 4 points.
    • King: 3 points.
    • Queen: 2 points.
    • Jack: 1 point.
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  3. Every player must now make a bid. How much you bid corresponds to how much confidence you have in the hand you've been dealt. The bidding starts with the person to the left of the dealer, and goes in a circle. You can bid 2, 3, or 4 cards. The bid represents the number of points that you think you will get in this hand. If you aren't confident at all, you may pass, unless you are the last to bid (i.e. the dealer) and everyone else has passed, in which case you have to bid at least 2. [3]
  4. Once someone has placed a bid, you have to match them, surpass them, or pass on your turn. For example, you cannot bid two if three has already been bid. The point of bidding is to figure out who is the most confident in their hand, because that is the person who is going to get to choose the trump suit. [4]
  5. The points that you can get in pitch are these: high of trump, low of trump, jack of trump, and game. "High" is the highest trump card played, "low" is the lowest trump card played, "jack" is the jack of trump, and "game" has to do with how many face cards you end up with. [5]
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Part 2
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Playing the Game

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  1. Which suit becomes trump depends on who bids the highest, because whoever bids the highest gets to throw down first. The first card that they throw down becomes the trump suit. Therefore, if you have the ace of spades, the two of spades, and the jack of spades, you probably want to bid four, because then you will get to make "spades" the trump suit and you will probably be able to get four points. [6]
  2. Whoever bid the highest gets to throw down first. Whichever is the first card that they throw becomes the trump suit. Play continues to the left. Everyone throws down one card. The winner of the "hand" is the person who has thrown either the highest card in suit, or the highest trump card. Trump can be played anytime. Trump always beats "in suit." [7]
  3. The winner of the hand is the player that puts down the trump card or the highest suit. The game continues on until everyone is out of cards. When everyone is out of cards (which should happen concurrently), the cards are tallied up to see who gets points. The winner of the round gets to take all of the cards that he has won. [8]
  4. If the highest initial bidder (the person who threw the trump at the beginning of the game) has come up with the points that they bid, he gets those points. If not, he gets negative of those points. Meanwhile, anyone else who scores points gets them free of charge (i.e., if the bidder bid 3, and he got high low and game, he gets 3 points). The person who got jack gets 1 point. If the bidder bid 3, and got high and low, he gets negative three points. Whoever got jack gets a point, whoever got game gets a point. Points are assigned as follows: [9]
    • 1 point to the lowest trump card played.
    • 1 point to the highest trump card played.
    • 1 point to the jack of trump.
    • 1 point to "game." This is the person with the highest number, if you count the 10 card of any suit as 10 and each jack as 1, queen as 2, king as 3, ace as 4.
  5. In a traditional game, the game ends when someone reaches 21 games. The game should also end when all of the playable cards have been played. The game may end sooner or later if you are playing a variation of the game. [10]
    • You can choose to make the end of the game be reached at 32 points.
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Part 3
Part 3 of 3:

Playing Variations of Pitch

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  1. In this version of the game, players pay for ten cents a point. The players in this version play individually. There are no partners. Players can leave the game after any hand. Ten cents are received for each point that is above average. The players lose ten cents for each point they are below the average. [11]
    • The smudge bid (4 point bid) is called “shooting the moon” in this version of the game. One dollar is received for a successful attempt at shooting the moon.
  2. There aren’t any partners in this version of the game. Every person plays individually. This version is called “cutthroat” because players are allowed to gang up against the bidder. The goal is to prevent the bidder from making their bid. [12]
    • The players in the game should try to convince the bidder that their bid is not good. This can be done by intimidation, or by bluffing about the bid you are about to make.
    • Make sure rules are set before the game. For example, determine is insults and swearing will be allowed.
  3. Another version of the money game is called “Racehorse.” It is usually played by five or more players that are playing for themselves. One dollar is received from each player for each successful bid that is made. If a bid fails, the player that made the losing bid pays one dollar to each player. [13]
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    Do you have to follow suit?
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    Yes, each player should try to follow suit.
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    How many cards are dealt for 6 players?
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    Six cards are dealt to each player.
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    Is it one deck for six people?
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    Yes, you only use one deck.
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      Tips

      • Pitch is also known as Setback and Austin Pitch. [14]
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      • Keep score with a pencil and paper. You can either designate a player to do this, or have each team or individual player keep their own score. [15]
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      Warnings

      • If you’re playing a variation of the game, make sure everyone understands and agrees with the rules before playing.
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      Things You'll Need

      • Standard 52-card deck
      • 3 to 7 players

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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.trickstercards.com/home/help/HowToPlay.aspx?file=pitch-basics.html
      2. ↑ https://www.trickstercards.com/home/help/HowToPlay.aspx?file=pitch-basics.html
      3. ↑ https://www.pagat.com/allfours/pitch.html
      4. ↑ https://www.trickstercards.com/home/help/HowToPlay.aspx?file=pitch-basics.html
      5. ↑ https://www.pagat.com/allfours/pitch.html
      6. ↑ https://www.trickstercards.com/home/help/HowToPlay.aspx?file=pitch-basics.html
      7. ↑ https://www.trickstercards.com/home/help/HowToPlay.aspx?file=pitch-basics.html
      8. ↑ https://www.trickstercards.com/home/help/HowToPlay.aspx?file=pitch-basics.html
      9. ↑ https://www.pagat.com/allfours/pitch.html
      1. ↑ https://www.pagat.com/allfours/pitch.html
      2. ↑ https://www.pagat.com/allfours/pitch.html
      3. ↑ https://www.pagat.com/allfours/pitch.html
      4. ↑ https://www.pagat.com/allfours/pitch.html
      5. ↑ https://www.trickstercards.com/home/help/HowToPlay.aspx?file=pitch-basics.html
      6. ↑ http://www.bicyclecards.com/how-to-play/pitch/

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      Pitch is a fun trick-taking card game for 3 or more players where players try to be the first to score 21 points. The game starts with each player being dealt 6 cards. After all of the players have had a chance to look at their hand, everyone makes a bid, starting with the player to the left of the dealer. Players can bid 2, 3, or 4, depending on how many of the 4 total points they think they will score that round, or they can pass. After one player bids, the player to their left bids next. They can either match the previous bid, bid higher, or pass. Whoever bids the highest is the pitcher for that round and gets to play the first card. If a player bids 4, called “smudging,” they automatically get to play the first card. The highest bidder chooses any card from their hand to play first. The suit of that card becomes the trump for the entire round. Play continues to the left, and every player throws down one card. Whoever plays the highest trump card wins that hand and collects the cards on the table. Then, that player plays any card from their hand, and the rest of the players play one card each. Whoever plays the highest card in the leading suit wins, unless someone plays a card in the trump suit, in which case they win. The trump suit always wins, regardless of the leading suit. This continues until the players are out of cards. Then, each player calculates how many of the 4 total points they won for that round based on the cards they collected. One point goes to the highest trump card, 1 point goes to the lowest trump card, and 1 point goes to the jack in the trump suit. The final and fourth point is awarded to whoever has the most game points within the cards they won that round. Tens are worth 10 game points, Aces are worth 4 game points, Kings are worth 3 game points, Queens are worth 2 game points, and Jacks are worth 1 game point. Players add any points they scored for that round to their overall total score. If the highest bidder doesn’t score at least the number of points they bid that round, they subtract any points they won from their total score instead of adding them. The game continues until one player reaches 21 points and wins! To learn how to play variations of Pitch like racehorse and cutthroat, scroll down.

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