dealt between eight players, forming four teams. Team members are spaced so that they are not able to see any other hands. The game is usually played to a score of 5,000 or higher. Other than this, the four-player rules apply, and any variations may also be used. There is an increased possibility that when one team declares trump another team may have an equal number of trump also, which may lead to an interesting game. An optional scoring rule rewards 1,000 points for a quadruple pinochle—four jacks of diamonds and four queens of spades in a meld. Alternate end games One variation on winning allows a team or individual to win instantly from any score by taking all the tricks in a hand. To win in this fashion, the winning player or team must play very skillfully to prevent opposing players from taking even one lowly (even zero-point) trick. This victory is known as "pinochling". A player or team can play for this victory even if they are not the highest bidder. "pinochling" does not require a bidder to make their bid. They also can play for this victory even if their bid cannot be made with the maximum number of trick points available plus their meld. However, the highest bidding player or team can prevent other players from attempting this if they elect to "throw in" the hand before the first card is played. When playing "bid-out" rules, a team can win without bidding if their score reaches (and remains above) the agreed-upon game-ending score while their opponents fail to make their bid three times. This is known as a "slide-out". See also Belote Bézique Binokel Marjolet References Literature Mozin, Dominique Joseph (1820). Nouveau Dictionnaire de Poche Allemand-Français et Français-Allemand, Volume 2. Stuttgart/Tübingen: Cotta. Pennycook, Andrew (1982). The Book of Card Games. London, NY, Sydney, Ontario and Auckland: Granada. External links Pinochle is also available as an app Play Multiplayer Pinochle Online hassle free (without ads, flash, download or sign-up). American Pinochle Association National Pinochle Association 19th-century card games Trick-and-draw games American card games Two-player card games Three-player card games Four-player card games Five-player card games Six-player card games King-Queen games Queen-Jack games