Prison Pinochle -- Wizard Book

This is not a guide on the fundamentals of Pinochle, but a resource for how Prison Pinochle is structured and scored.

Prison Pinochle is a strong-hand variant of double-deck Pinochle (80 cards, shave all 9s).

Minimum bid: 60 (sometimes 65)
Deck: 80 cards — each rank appears 16 times (4 of each card per suit)
Emphasis on strong hands; weak hands rarely make the minimum bid
3–4 players recommended

3-player: Each player is dealt 25 cards, 5 remain as kitty for the highest bidder. (Can also run 4 players with dealer sitting out — more skill-based, preferred for competitive play.)

4-player: Partners Pinochle, each player dealt 20 cards. More lightweight and fun; luck of the deal is a factor.

Tricks

Each card has a simplified point value:

Card	Points
Ace (A)	3
Ten (10)	2
King (K)	1
Queen (Q)	0
Jack (J)	0
Last trick	1

Total tricks: 97

Meld

Meld scores are simplified to emphasize strong hands. Note: 1 ≤ N ≤ 4.

Runs

Run in trump (A-10-K-Q-J): 15 points
Double run: 150 points
Triple run: 300 points
All trump wins automatically

Marriages

Marriage in trump: N × 4 points
Marriage off-suit: N × 2 points

Pinochle (Q♠ + J♦)

N × 4 points

Aces Around — N × 10 points

Kings Around — N × 8 points

Queens Around — N × 6 points

Jacks Around — N × 4 points

Bidding

Only strong hands should bid
Typical requirements: 25–40 expected trick points; 20+ meld
Weak or average hands typically cannot safely make the minimum bid of 60

Strategy

Control of trump is crucial for winning tricks
Meld combos — especially runs and aces around — are critical for reaching minimum
Pass with weak hands
Soft sets and hard sets are part of the normal flow; most hands are never played
Bidding for the kitty is possible, but the format rewards shrewd tactics over gambling