Pinochle Scoring and Meld Chart
In Pinochle each hand scores meld + counters. Meld is scored from the cards in your hand once trumps are named (a run of A-10-K-Q-J of trumps is 150, a pinochle 40, aces around 100). Counters come from tricks: every ace, ten and king you take is 10, plus 10 for the last trick, 250 in total. The bidding team must make its bid or loses the bid amount.
The meld chart
| Class | Meld | Single | Double |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trump | Run (A 10 K Q J of trumps) | 150 | 1,500 |
| Trump | Royal marriage (K Q trumps) | 40 | 80 |
| Trump | Dix (9 of trumps) | 10 each | 20 |
| Arounds | Aces around | 100 | 1,000 |
| Arounds | Kings around | 80 | 800 |
| Arounds | Queens around | 60 | 600 |
| Arounds | Jacks around | 40 | 400 |
| Pinochle | Q♠ + J♦ | 40 | 300 |
| Marriage | K Q of a non-trump suit | 20 | 40 |
Counters
After the tricks, count 10 points for each ace, ten and king your team took. There are 24 counter cards (240) plus 10 for the last trick, so the two teams share 250 each hand.
Making or losing the bid
| Situation | Bidding team | Other team |
|---|---|---|
| Meld + counters ≥ bid | Scores meld + counters | Scores its meld + counters |
| Meld + counters < bid | Loses the bid (−bid) | Scores its meld + counters |
| A team takes no trick | Loses its meld too | — |
A worked example
Your team bids 300 with hearts as trumps. You meld a run (150) and your partner a pinochle (40): 190 meld. In the tricks you take 13 counters plus the last trick: 140. Total 330 ≥ 300, so you score 330. If you'd taken only 100 in counters (290 total), you'd have gone set and scored −300.
Before bidding, add up your meld and assume your partner brings about 20 to 40 more. Counters usually split roughly 125–125 between evenly matched teams.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a run in Pinochle?
150 points: ace, ten, king, queen and jack of trumps. Two runs (a double run) are 1,500.
What is a pinochle worth?
The queen of spades with the jack of diamonds is 40; a double pinochle is 300.
What does going set mean?
The bidding team didn't reach its bid, so it loses the bid amount and scores nothing else that hand.
How many counters are there?
Twenty-four aces, tens and kings worth 10 each, plus 10 for the last trick: 250 per hand.