Bidding is the phase that separates Pinochle from simpler trick-taking games. It happens before anyone melds or plays a single card, and it sets the target every partnership is chasing for the rest of the hand.
Why Bidding Happens
The winner of the bidding names trump and commits their partnership to reaching a minimum combined score (meld + tricks) for the hand. Bid too low and you leave points on the table for the other side to potentially out-meld you before play even starts. Bid too high and you risk being “set” — losing points instead of gaining them. This tension is what makes Pinochle a genuine skill game rather than just a card-luck exercise.
How Bidding Works
- Bidding starts with the player to the dealer’s left and moves clockwise.
- Each player either bids a number higher than the current bid, or passes.
- Once a player passes, they’re out of the bidding for that hand — they can’t come back in.
- Bidding continues until only one player hasn’t passed. That player is the bidder.
Minimum Bid and Increments
Most groups play with a minimum opening bid of 50, increasing by at least 1 point per bid (though many tables use increments of 1, and some prefer rounder jumps like 2 or 5 — agree on this before you start). If every player passes without anyone opening, the hand is typically thrown in and re-dealt, though some house rules force the dealer to take a minimum bid — settle this in advance with your group.
What the Bidder Does After Winning
Once bidding ends, the bidder:
- Names the trump suit
- Their side then melds (see Pinochle Meld Scoring)
- Plays tricks trying to reach their bid in combined meld + trick points
Getting “Set”
If the bidder’s partnership doesn’t reach their bid total between meld and tricks combined, they’re set. Instead of scoring their actual points, they subtract their bid amount from their running score. The defending side always scores whatever they earned in meld and tricks, regardless of the outcome. Full worked examples are on Pinochle Scoring Explained.
Bidding Well vs. Bidding Correctly
This page covers the mechanics of bidding — how the process works. For guidance on how much to actually bid based on your hand, see Pinochle Bidding Strategy, which covers hand evaluation, when to push, and when to lay down early.
Next Steps
Once trump is named and bidding is settled, the next phase is melding. See Pinochle Meld Scoring for every combination and its point value.