Power Pinochle

Of course, the converse of what I said in that last posting is also important to understand...

If O1 is out of trump on the second Ace and your partner and O2 still have trump, you MUST play the next trump and allow your partner to win his 10 before O2 gets to lead.

I know, I know - that's obvious based on the previous posting. But if I hadn't ever seen it, I wouldn't bother posting it!

Okay, here’s the situation:

You are the Dealer (D). Sitting clockwise from you are the first opponent (O1), your partner (P), and the second opponent (O2).

You (the Dealer) get stuck with the bid and call Hearts trump. You've got a double-ace in a 5 card trump suit with no 10. You play both aces on the first 2 triks. On the first trik, you get trump from everyone. On the second one, everyone throws trump except for “O2,” who throws off. You haven't seen either 10 of trump yet. What do you throw on the 3rd trik?
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Now, this situation alone could be an entire class session of 500-level pinochle...

The Wrong Play

The simple player says, “well, I might as well keep running out trump until it’s all gone!”

That’s why simple players get exposed in Power Pinochle.

The fact of the matter is, that with two 10’s remaining and O2 throwing off, there are 3 possibilities for where the 10’s are:

1- Both in O1’s hand.
2- Both in P’s hand.
3- One in O1’s hand and One in P’s hand.

Now, if either #1 or #2 were true, it wouldn’t matter that you led trump again, because inevitably, the person with both 10’s is gonna win them both.

HOWEVER, if #3 is true and you lead trump, O1’s 10 will take your Partner’s 10, and you will look like a jackass.

The Correct Play

You should always assume that #3 is the case just to be safe. Why? Because this may end up being the difference in making the bid, or even pulling a shnitz!

Instead of throwing a losing trump card, play some outside single-aces to see if you get a loser from your partner (i.e. a “straight-9” or “Q in a Marriage” signal). If you do, throw another card in that suit. If you don’t, open one of the other suits (Remember: even if you don’t know what to throw, you should have some ideas what NOT to throw)!

Even if you can’t get past O1 and he ends up taking control and winning his 10 on the next trik, at least you tried!

I’ve seen this botched many times. And when it happens, it’s very obvious to everyone at the table, so you will probably get yelled at. Even if one guy has both 10’s, you’ll still get yelled at for not understanding the game.

Just learn to recognize this situation, and you will be able to apply it to non-trump 10’s as well. When you see that an opponent to your left is void in an off-suit and both Aces are gone, give your partner a chance to win his 10 before O2 gets control.

General Rule: If you think your partner has a winning 10, don't allow the player to your left to get his 10 down first!

I know you've all been waiting for it, so here are our first ever PPR's!!!

I'll preface this by saying 3 things:

1) We added in 0.25 points for each game played. We need people to play. That's what makes the game rock.

2) We only gave out 4 BPP's (Bad Play Points), despite seeing some horrible errors- especially from Lou and Orrkis. We'll start assigning up to 3 BPP's for each brutal play from now on. If we catch you making an obvious error (not a judgement call), you'll get penalized.

3) The rankings are according to Average, then Total, then Win %.

Rank, PLAYER, Games, Win%, TOTAL, AVE
1 Yorkis, 18, 0.722, 132.50, 7.36
2 Pickle, 18, 0.500, 132.50, 7.36
3 Tim, 12, 0.500, 45.00, 3.75
4 Orrkis, 6, 0.667, 21.50, 3.58
5 Stu, 5, 0.400, 14.25, 2.85
6 Andy , 5, 0.200, 14.25, 2.85
7 Lou, 6, 0.333, 15.50, 2.58
8 Spooge, 6, 0.167, 8.50, 1.42
9 Rachild, 0, 0.000, 0.00, 0.00
10 Keller, 0, 0.000, 0.00, 0.00

Remember: If you want to play "ranked" games, use the official score sheet and keep track of your totals for aces, runs, shnitzes, and bad plays, and submit completed scorecards to me. I'll plug them into my spreadsheet and they'll be processed.

Here's how it works:

Runs/Aces: +1 point (0 if you get set on a run)
Shnitzes: +8
Bad Plays/Bids: -1, -2, or -3 (judged at the time of the play)
NOTE: a "bad bid" will be result in a deduction when you get set on the opponents' deal by 5 points or more, regardless of how good the hand actually is.
Wins: +5
Losses: 0
Bonuses: Hat Trick (+8; the 4th shnitz in the same evening and higher will count for 13 points each), Consecutive Shnitzes (+8, +16, +32, +64... just like "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" - but if anyone got more than 2, I'd be really surprised), undefeated cycle: +6/+8 (must win 3 or 4 games in a row with all partners in the room, depending on how many players are present).

And that's basically it. Everyone will be given a total score and a per-game scoring average. Word up.

Okay, I know this is what everyone's been waiting for. Summer Pinochle League is coming! Here's how it works:

Everyone on the PPR list will be given a random # between 1 and 10. The Pinochle "season" will consist of 10 "tournaments" that must be completed over 3 months (June - August). Each "tournament" involves 5 people playing 5 official games, with each person sitting for 1 game during the evening.

There will be official score cards for tournament games. These will be submitted to me. I will create a special scoring system that awards "ranking points" for game performance, which will include big bonuses for shnitzes, and big deductions for major blunders (e.g. missed signals, blown shnitzes, bad bids). The score cards will include a "notes" column for any additional information that might effect ranking points.

Here are the answers to some anticipated FAQ's:

Q: Does the "organizer" have to host the tournament?
A: No, but he must still organize it and provide refreshments.

Q: What if I am the only one who can't make my tournament?
A: You can swap positions with someone else in another tournament. You must participate in 10 total tournaments or you will be penalized in the rankings.

Q: What if I go on vacation and have to miss a bunch of tournaments?
A: Since this will likely happen, there will be 2 or 3 "make-up" tournaments scheduled once the 10 listed ones are completed.

Q: How often should I expect to be required to play?
A: Once a week. If everyone can play 5 times over the 4 weeks of June, we will be able to complete the first "season" and start a new one at the beginning of August, since we are losing a lot of players for July.

Q: What do I win if I end up #1 at the end of 10 tournaments?
A: Nothing in the first season. This is just a trial to work out the kinks and have some fun. We can throw some cash into it next season. But you don't really have to worry about ending up #1, since you'll never beat the Original Shnitzmaster!

Q: Sounds great, Yorkis! When do we start?
A: We can start as early as next week! If everyone is in, holla back in the "comments" section of this posting. I will post your numbers and the first 4 Tournaments this weekend!!!

Q: I can't believe you actually put together a Pinochle League! Do you have a life?
A: No.

This was originally going to be called the "Premier Philadelphia Power Pinochle Pound-4-Pound Power Rankings," but due to my readers expressing that they found this blog to be “mostly alliteration”, I decided to shorten it up.

[Come to think of it, perhaps it was described as “mostly illiterate”.]

Either way, there will be no PPPPPPPR’s, so you’ll have to settle for simply the PPR’s. And since I’m a Jew, I get to add in vowels wherever I want just like they do in Hebrew, so I’m gonna reefer to these as the PiPeR’s for short. So put that in your Piper & smoke it!

Eh, fudge it! Let's just stick with the acronym, which I still like because it has "PP" in it, just like my couches. Here are your first quarterly PPR’s:

Group 3 – The Amateurs

10. Lou – Sorry Lou! You were showing improvement, but failure to show or inquire about game over the past few months has dropped you back to the bottom of the pack. The PPR committee is skeptical that you will be able to pick up where you left off without noticeable regression.

9. Rachild – What happened? Just as I anticipated a climb from the Ra, a few slow efforts coupled with poor efforts kept him from climbing in the rankings. However, signs of improvement are there. Now we need to see you put it all together in a smooth game or two.

8. Orrkis – Even though you have finally rubbed my head a few times, the missed “straight ace” signal the last time you played still lingers freshly in my memory. Now that you have read the latest postings on this blog, you’ll never miss that signal again. At least you keep a solid pace and flow to the game.

(On the outside looking in: Lissansky, Charlie Gold, that Guy that Pickle brought out that one time)

The Contenders

7. Andy Levin – The signs are all there that you are on the verge of a breakthrough. Increased game speed and bid evaluation were noted, along with some crafty trump counting and game management on the opponent’s trump call. Once we see some more solid application of the basic principles of Shnitzmastery, the sky is the limit!

6. Tim – The basic ability is there, but it’s the little things that count. A lot of your openings when you give up control are random, but most basic mistakes are avoided. Generally, your bidding is solid as well as your pace (when there’s nothing good on TV). Blowing a shnitz with a poorly-executed Hi-Lo is lingering.

5. Keller – Due to an interminable bathroom tiling project, you have failed to fulfill your responsibilities to the Pinochle Team. We remain encouraged that you are using your co-workers’ curiosity and Pinochle love to become an ambassador for the game. Hopefully, you can send them to this blog so they can learn how to play professionally. However, it is evident from your pinochle stories from work that nothing even remotely professional is going on over there. That’s why you’ve been knocked out of the Top-4 by…

The Professionals

4. The Stu – You are a natural, the Stu. Conceptually, you understand most everything that is going on. Your pace is excellent, and now that you are back in the hood, you will soon be a contender for the top spot in these rankings. However, barring a hat trick evening, it will be tough for you to breakthrough to elite status until you develop your selective meld-watching skills. Welcome back, Stu!

3. Pickle – Always a contender for the top slot, you find yourself ranked #3 because of a highly amateurish reneg one week ago. That takes the wind out of everyone’s sails. You also tried to do a little too much on Saturday after Tim blew your shnitz. You also refused to rub sweaty heads. NEVER pass up the opportunity to rub heads. Even if you have to tap them with one finger and use a latex glove to prevent disease, you gotta let them know who’s the shnitzer! Either way, the gap between #3 and #2 on this list is thinner than a pube off the Jack of Diamonds’ sac. An exceptional performance could land you on top of the list in no time.

2. Spooge – Solid all around play. Bidding for a shnitz is good, but bidding +25 when you need +21 to win is a bit excessive. Regardless, you can thank the Pickle for reneging and getting rattled in that last game, allowing you to edge him out for the #2 slot on this list. Excellent maximization of points through alert play this week. Luckily, you refrained from cavalier bidding and getting caught using poor off-beat bidding. Master my posting on that subject, and you’ll be knocking on the door of…

The Champ

1. Yorkis – What? You didn’t think that the Original Shnitzmaster would be ranked #1 in his first ever Power Rankings? Piss off! My play was solid last week, along with a pair of shnitzes. And since this is the first edition of the PPR's, you can’t omit a 15-year legacy that includes 3 hat triks, the back-to-back, and of course the legendary 6-pack! You better recognize!!!
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NOTE: These rankings will be updated periodically to reflect major shakeups in the pinochle pecking order, but mostly when I want to rip you guys for sucking or blowing shnitzes. I hate you guys.

It is generally a good idea to plan an evening of pinochle around a big fight. Here are some reasons why:

- Most big fights are on Saturday night. And if you love playing pinochle all the time, you probably don't have anywhere else to go on Saturday night.
- Players who are waiting to play in the next game get to watch people punch each other in the face and make each other bleed.
- Watching people punch each other in the face can get you psyched up to kick some ass in the next Pinochle game!
- Boxing is the purest of sports - a test of wills where true warriors wage battle to determine who is the best. They leave it all on the table. Blood, sweat, tears - mental and physical scars that last a lifetime. It's almost EXACTLY like playing Pinochle! (with us, at least)
- As long as a guy on a parachute doesn't fall into the ring, the big fight only lasts a little under an hour at the most.

And that is why it is important to follow this rule of boxing and pinochle: Always stop the game to watch the big fight.

You already know which fights are big fights, because if you read the right stuff it'll tell you what to watch. This past weekend was a great example. We all thought that Corrales vs. Castillo was going to be a very good fight.

But this time we were wrong...

It was a GREAT fight. In fact, it was one of the greatest fights of all time, and quite possible the greatest fight I've ever seen. It's 3 days later and I still can't get that fight out of my head. Both fighters looked like they had just gotten their heads rubbed by me about 100 times in a row. And I'm a hard rubber, so that's no easy task!

Kudos to those 2 warriors. It's a shame we won't get to see another great fight until... this Saturday night! I like Winky by KO in 11. Giddy up!