Pitch is a popular card game that is played using a standard deck of 52 cards. It is a trick-taking game that requires strategic thinking and a bit of luck. In this article, we will give you a clear and concise guide on how to play this exciting game.
The Objective: The objective of Pitch is to be the first team to score 7 points. Points are earned by winning tricks, with each trick worth one point. A trick is won by having the highest card of the suit that was led, or by playing the highest trump card if any were played.
The Players: Pitch can be played with 2, 3, or 4 players. In a 2-player game, players sit across from each other, and in a 3 or 4-player game, players sit in a clockwise direction. For simplicity, we will explain the rules for a 4-player game.
The Cards: Pitch uses a standard deck of 52 cards. The cards rank from high to low - Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2. The suits have no ranking, and only the trump suit has significance during the game.
The Setup: The dealer shuffles the cards and deals 6 cards to each player, starting from the player to their left. The remaining 16 cards are placed in a face-down pile, and the top card is turned over to determine the trump suit. The suit of the turned-over card becomes the trump suit for that round.
The Bidding: Each player, starting from the player to the left of the dealer, has an opportunity to bid on the trump suit. Bidding starts at 2 and can go up to 4. The highest bidder gets to choose the trump suit for that round. If no one bids, the dealer gets to choose the trump suit.
The Gameplay: The game starts with the player to the left of the dealer leading the first trick. The player can lead any card from their hand, and the other players must follow suit if they have a card of that suit. If a player does not have a card of the led suit, they can play any card from their hand, including a trump card.
The winner of the trick is determined by the highest card of the led suit or the highest trump card played. The winner then leads the next trick, and the gameplay continues until all players have played their six cards.
Scoring: After all six tricks have been played, each team counts the number of points they have won. If the team that won the bidding scored at least as many points as they bid, they get the number of points they bid. If they fail to reach their bid, they get no points. The opposing team always scores the number of points they won.
The winning team is the first team to score 7 or more points. If both teams reach 7 points in the same round, the team that took the last trick wins.
In a nutshell, those are the rules of playing Pitch. It is a fun and challenging game that can be enjoyed by players of all ages. So grab a deck of cards, gather some friends, and start playing Pitch - you won’t be disappointed!