Kencom Co.
Ken Knecht
5305 Riverside Dr.
Yuma AZ 85364
Compuserve 73260,1164

Pinochle for Windows

Installation:

This is a Windows game written in Visual Basic version 3. It
will not run under DOS!

Copy the pinochle.exe and pinochle.txt files to any
directory you please. Copy the other three files to the
Windows System or W95 System directory unless they are
already present. These files provide the card images. Then
make a Program Manager group for Pinochle.exe or the
equivalent in W95, or add it to a group of your choice.

You must have the Vbrun300.dll file in the Windows System
or W95 System directory to play the game. If you don't
already have it you can find it on many on-line services and
the net. Because it is so readily available and many will
already have it I did not include it in the zip file
containing this program to save download time.

This game has been tested under Windows 3.1 and W95. It
may or may not run under Windows 3.0 or lower, but was not
tested. A mouse or equivalent is essential.


Playing the Game:

There are many many versions of pinochle. This version was
chosen to make the game as interesting as possible. The
pinochle deck used has two each of the ace, king, queen,
jack, ten, and nine of each suit in the deck, for a total of
48 cards. When a hand is dealt 16 cards are dealt to each of
three hands - the player, the computer, and the dummy. The
cards in the dummy hand do not enter into play. This makes
things more interesting because you can gamble that a card
(ace?) is in the dummy when you choose the card to lead to a
trick.

The cards value's are ace, ten, king, queen, jack, and nine.
Note that the ten is higher than anything but an ace when
playing a trick.

Each hand has a meld value. The trump suit is chosen by the
winning bidder. The values of meld are as follows:

Four aces of different suits - 10
Four kings of different suits - 8
Four queens of different suits - 6
Four jacks of different suits - 4
Eight aces  - 20
Eight kings - 16
Eight queens  - 12
Eight jacks - 8

Jack of diamonds and queen of spades (Pinochle) - 4
Double pinochle - 8

Ace, ten, king, queen, and jack of trump (Run) - 15
Double run in trump - 30

Nine of trump - 1 each

King and queen of same suit (Marriage) - 2
Marriage in trump - 4
Double marriage - 4  (8 if trump)

One marriage meld value is already included in a run.


Click on the 'Play Game' button to begin the game.

After the cards are shuffled and dealt, the first thing to
do is bid. The winning bidder chooses the trump suit. A
display at the upper left side of the screen shows your meld
amount for each suit to make things easier for you while you
are learning the game. Under that display is the computer
bid, if any, and an entry box for your bid. Enter your bid
and press the Tab or Enter key. The computer will bid
higher or pass. You can bid higher than your meld. A rule of
thumb for calculating your maximum bid is the meld in the
suit you intend to make trump plus the number of aces in
your hand plus half the number of tens. After you are
familiar with the game you might want to bid even higher.
Don't bid any higher than you have to to win the bid
(especially more than your meld). Your score for the hand is
your meld in the trump suit plus the number of aces, tens,
and kings you take in tricks. Remember marriages score
differently depending on whether they are trump and only
nines of trump count. Runs don't count unless they are in
the trump suit. Thus it can be to your advantage to win the
bidding and choose the trump suit.

When you bid you may want to make a bit lower meld suit
trump if it is stronger (more aces and tens). Generally you
will choose a suit that has a run if there is one because of
the much higher meld. You'll catch on after you play a few
games.

Both yours and the computer cards played in tricks you take
count (if ace, ten, or king) and add one point each to your
score. (More later about tricks.) You get an extra point for
taking the last trick. Your score for the hand must equal or
exceed your bid (if you won the bid). If you win the bid and
fail to make your bid you have the bid subtracted from what
your score was before the hand was played (that's why you
shouldn't bid higher than you have to); if you make your bid
the score for that hand is added to your previous score. If
you don't win the bid your meld in the trump suit and
counting cards (ace, ten, and king) taken in tricks are
added to your game score. If you take no tricks you lose the
amount of your meld. (If you have eight marriages
(roundhouse) you have a high meld - 48 - but it can be
difficult to take a trick.) A running total of the winning
bidder's points made in that hand (including meld), amount
of winning bid, and both current scores can be seen on the
right side of the screen. This display also shows the trump
suit and who won the bidding. The game ends after a number
of hands when a score is over 100. If both are over then the
highest score wins. If tied the game is tied.

Some versions of pinochle require a minimum bid of 20 or
more; I used three to make the game more interesting.

The first bid in the first hand of the game is random;
thereafter the first bid alternates.

When bidding you must exceed the computer's bid. The
starting bid, if you bid first, must be 3 or higher. To pass
bid 0. Pass when you don't want to bid higher than the
computer or when starting the bidding you don't want to bid
as much as 3. The computer will display 'Pass' when it does
so. The computer will beep if your bid is illegal.

If both pass new hands are dealt and melds are lost. This is
rare; the computer will almost always venture a bid.

If the player wins the bid (the computer passes) you choose
the trump suit from a new display shown. Click on the radio
button of the suit of your choice. Careful! You only get one
click! The suits are labeled to the buttons' left.

After the bidding the computer's meld amount is shown under
its cards, as well as the faces of the cards in its meld.

Click on the Continue button in the center of the screen to
play the hand. The winning bidder leads first. It is your
play when the 'Your play' display appears above your cards.
Click on a card to play it. Careful! You can't retract a
card unless you renege (more later)! The cards played in a
trick are shown in the center of the screen. There is a
three second delay after both cards are displayed.

Warning! The computer rearranges its cards after showing its
meld so you can't get any clues from the card played's
position.

By 'lead' I mean the first card played to a trick; by
'played' the response to the card led.

When playing you must follow suit if you can. Normally you'd
play your lowest card of that suit if you can't beat the
computer's lead. If you can't follow suit because you have
no more of that suit you must play a trump if you have any.
If you have neither trump nor the suit led you can play any
suit, but then you always lose the trick no matter what card
value you play, sp play a low value. If you trump a suit the
trump card wins the trick even if it is lower in value than
the card of the non-trump suit led. In such a case you'd
usually play your lowest trump card. To win a trick you must
follow suit with a card of higher value or trump the trick.
Normally you don't have to play a higher card than led (you
usually will), EXCEPT if trump is led - then you MUST play a
higher trump if you have it. If both cards are the same in
the same suit the hand that led wins.

You'll see a dialog box if you renege - that is, don't
follow suit or otherwise play an illegal card.

When you lead you can play any card you please.

I guarantee the computer does not cheat! It does not look at
your hand when deciding what to bid or what card to lead or
play. However, it keeps track of aces and tens played, and
whether you are out of a suit. You can do the same if you
concentrate. Of course it needs to look at your cards when
it checks for a renege if you don't follow suit.

This is a shareware game, not freeware! To register send $5
to the address shown. I'll send you a new copy of the game
without the beg screen at the beginning of the game,
together with fixes for any bugs I am aware of.  Please
register if you play the game often! This is the way I make
a living!

Feel free to upload the original UNREGISTERED zip file you
received to any BBS, the net, or other on-line service you
please. In fact, please do!

Have fun!

Ken Knecht
