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

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

• Minimum bid: 60 [sometimes this minimum is set to 65]
• Deck: 80 cards [each rank appears 16 times // 4 of each card per suit]
• Emphasis on strong hands; weak hands rarely make the bid
• 3-4 players recommended
• 3 player: Each player is dealt 25 cards, 5 cards remain as kitty for highest bidder (there can be 4 players, where dealer sits out, this is a more skill-based and preferred version of pinochle, with competitive gambling involved)
• 4 player: "Partners pinochle", each player dealt 20 cards (I prefer this version so all players can play, and it is also more lightweight and fun. Gambling is possible, but there is a certain amount of luck to the deal added in a partners pinochle game)

Each card has a simplified point value for tricks:

• Ace (A): 3 points
• Ten (10): 2 points
• King (K): 1 point
• Queen (Q): 0 points
• Jack (J): 0 points
• Last trick bonus: 1 point

Total tricks: 97

Meld scores are simplified to emphasize strong hands. Some usually include the marriage in trump as part of the points from the run.

Note: 1 ≥ any integer 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

• Only strong hands should bid.
• Typical strong-hand requirements:
  • Trick points: 25–40 expected
  • Meld: 20+ points
• Weak or average hands typically cannot safely make the minimum bid of 60.

• Control of trump is crucial for winning tricks.
• Meld combos, especially runs and aces around, are critical for reaching minimum bid.
• Passing with weak hands is recommended.
• Soft sets and hard sets are usually part of the process, where most hands rarely get played.
• Bidding for the kitty is something that is possible, but this version of pinochle encourages shrewd tactics.