Pinochle Melds and Melding

Once all the cards are passed back and forth across the table, all four players will then lay down meld. Although this may be one of the most confusing parts of the game, it is a detail that you must learn nonetheless. When it comes down to it, laying down meld is one of the most important details of pinochle.

You need to know what a meld is before you can fully understand what it means within the context of pinochle. Generally speaking, meld is a combination of cards face up on the table. Each combination that is made is called a piece of meld. And each one of these is worth a differing number of points. If you are worried about keeping up with this part of the game, do not worry. The more that you play pinochle, the better you will become at laying down meld as well as understanding how it affects you.

Each player will only place cards face up that show the overall value of their meld. There are three types of meld that you will want to become familiar with.

Pinochle Meld Type One

• Runs – they must all be in trump
• Double run – Ace, Ace, 10, 10, King, King, Queen, Queen, Jack, Jack – 1,500 points
• Run with extra marriage – Ace, 10, King, King, Queen, Queen, Jack – 230 points
• Run with extra queen – Ace, 10, King, Queen, Queen, Jack – 190 points
• Run with extra king – Ace, 10, King, King, Queen, Jack – 190 points
• Bare run – Ace, 10, King, Queen, Jack – 150 points
• Marriages – Known as king and queen of the same suit
• Common marriage, non trump – 20 points
• Royal marriage, in trump – 40 points

Pinochle Meld Type Two

• Double – both queens of spades, both jacks of diamonds – 300 points
• Single – one queen of spades, one jack of diamonds – 40 points

Pinochle Meld Type Three

• Arounds
• Aces – one of each suit, 100 points – both of each suit, 1000 points
• Kings – one of each suit, 80 points – both of each suit, 800 points
• Queens – one of each suit, 60 points – both of each suit, 600 points
• Jacks – one of each suit, 40 points – both of each suit, 400 points

Once every player has laid their meld, points are recorded for each. From here, things begin to heat up. During the trick taking phase of the game there are only 250 available points. If the amount that was bid is more than 250 points above the melded amount by the team who had the chance to declare, they cannot make their bid.

Although laying down meld may sound difficult, this is actually the part of the game that you need to learn the most about. And of course, as you begin to play pinochle more and more, you will learn how to do this with simplicity.