Classic trick taking card game in which players bid how many points they will score for the right to set trump, then have to make their bid to get their points. Pinochle is played with a modified standard deck. It consists of a 48 card deck with all 2-8's removed and two of each other card (a Pinochle deck can be made by combining two 52 card decks and removing all 2-8's).
Pinochle has several unique elements not found in other trick taking games:
- Before playing the hands, players form melds (runs, marriages, pinochle, sets) which are added to their score.
- Played with a double (and sometimes quadruple) deck of cards: A 10 K Q J 9
- Players are required to trump when void and over trump if they can.
The original version of Pinochle is a two-handed version which is derived from the virtually identical Bezique.
The game was modified for more players with several popular variants including Partnership Pinochle, Partnership Auction Pinochle, and Double Pack Pinochle (Partnership).
(The origin date listed for this game is approximate.)
- short playtime (15 minutes)
- tactile and accessible
- tactile stacking
- light, family-friendly stacking fun
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- stacking blocks — players stack wooden blocks to form piles
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I'm not gonna be pulling the plug or anything like that
- I am actively trying to do this less because the less time I spend filming means the more time I have to make more videos
- I need to flip this over like I am inherently an optimistic person
References (from this video)
- High interaction and bluffing promise
- Compact box with strong thematic premise
- Some uncertainty about cardvisibility and downtime
- Description hints at potential complexity depending on player count
- bluffing and deduction with hidden planning
- A thief planning heists and bluffing to mislead rivals
- light-hearted, mystery-driven
- Deckers
- Sky Team
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Bluffing and deduction — Players guess opponent plans to steal; successful misdirection rewards or sharing loot.
- Interaction-heavy planning — High emphasis on social interaction and prediction.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Essence spiel is the biggest board game convention in the world.
- two-player game should be amazing
- This is the third iteration of a game called Colos where you will try to make the best show possible inside Coliseum.
References (from this video)
- Accessible bluffing with multiple locations and powers
- Supports up to five players for lively social play
- Might be too light for some players
- Group preference may lean toward heavier titles
- Bluffing and set collection with hidden information
- Burglary-themed bluffing set in multiple locations
- Light, social, family-friendly
- Bearewolf
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- bluffing — Players bluff about their targets and intentions.
- Group interaction / tension — Shared targets create playful interference among players.
- Secret location selection — Players secretly pick a burgle location and reveal.
- Set Collection — Collect color-coded cards to maximize points.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- It's a banger for me.
- This is a really fun game.
- The production is amazing for such a small price.
- It's a solid game.
- This is the AR Children of the Sun; the game of the month.
References (from this video)
- Trick taking
- Card games
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Saying that Catan is the best game out there is like saying a 95 Camry is the best car ever - sure it set the standard in its day but things have progressed since then
- Are you looking to take your game collection to the next level?
- The castles of burgundy is the perfect next step for someone who's out there wondering if there's more to life than Catan
- Metro X is a much smaller and much lighter game that carries the joy of Ticket to Ride in a package you could bring on an actual train and enjoy
- That's Pretty Clever feels like if Yahtzee had an older brother that went to college got his degree and didn't develop a gambling addiction
- Hive is just the right amount of abstract thinking to feel like a challenge while still being fun
- Picture Perfect has those elements of Clue that have made it a staple for so many years - it cranks the deduction all the way up to 11
- When was the last time you made it to the end of a game of Trivial Pursuit without either cheating or giving up or throwing the game?
- Half Truth is a trivia game the way it's meant to be played - it's quick, it's fun, and it doesn't punish you too hard if you don't know something
- If your clue giver has any form of analysis paralysis at all then you might as well pick up a new hobby because you're going to be waiting forever
- So Clover is low stakes, it's quick, it's really easy to teach and you still get all the fun of hidden clues and word association
- You still get that Scrabble satisfaction of making the perfect word but it's in a time frame that's incredibly manageable
- The Crew takes the classic trick taking game formula and adds just enough of that special sauce to make it one of the most accessible and most fun games
- There are better games out there, there are way better games out there that fit those criteria and don't make your grandma cringe
- Monikers is a perfect party game that's super easy to learn and leads to a ton of memorable moments
- I'm a board game sommelier
- I hope this list gives you some ideas on what to give or what to ask for this holiday season
References (from this video)
- Little downtime
- Lots of action
- Visually appealing design
- Exciting mechanics
- Stealing from the rich
- Heist/burglary
- Thematic
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Deduction — Other players guess which house will be robbed
- Mastermind Role — One player creates a plan to rob a house and steal riches
- Reward Sharing — Correct guessers get a share of the stolen goods
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- We're back from SL with one of the biggest board game holes we have ever had
- hottest Euro game of the fair
- engine building and playing out cards and taking them back
- racing game without racing
- one of the best covers illustrations
- really thinky game
- This is a really fun and simple game
- don't judge board games from their cover
- makes your turn feel great if you have great cards
- they're actually really, really good
- don't know what's going on in that game right now
- There aren't a lot of good pirate games out there
- I'm always a sucker for cool historical themes
- unique twist to the already known detective genre