Let’s Talk About Bezique

Do you like card games where you can meld cards and win valuable tricks? If so, then you’ll love Bezique! The objective of this game is simple: score 1000 or more points by melding cards and winning valuable tricks.

Bezique is a two-player game that uses a standard deck of 52 cards, but with a twist. The 2s to 6s are removed, leaving you with a deck of 64 cards. The ranking of the cards is as follows, from highest to lowest: Aces, Kings, Queens, Jacks, 10s, 9s, 8s, and 7s. It’s a trick-taking game, which means you’ll be trying to win tricks throughout the game.

This game is suitable for teens and adults, so gather a friend and get ready to play Bezique!

Getting Started

Bezique, also known as Bésigue, is a game from Sweden that gained fame in 19th Century Paris. It is thought to have originated in France from a game called Piquet, with the name being adapted from the Italian card game Bazzica. While the game made its way to the United Kingdom in the 1860s, it never quite caught on in English-speaking countries, where its variant Pinochle is more popularly played.

Let’s Start Dealing

To determine who goes first, players cut the deck. Then, each player is dealt 8 cards, given out in groups of 2 or 3. The remaining cards form a stockpile. The top card of the stockpile is flipped over, and the suit of that card becomes the trump suit.

Game On

When it comes to playing the game, there are two main parts: the Preliminary and the Play off.

The Preliminary

In this part of the game, the goal is to score points by creating specific combinations of cards. The player who is not dealing starts the game by playing the first card. After that, the winner of each trick gets to lead the next one. After every trick, both players take turns drawing cards from the stockpile, with the winner going first.

During the game, players can start with any card, and their opponent is not required to follow suit. The trick is won by playing the highest trump card, or if no trump cards are played, the highest card of the leading suit. If two cards have the same rank, the player who led the trick takes it.

Hey there! So, here’s the deal. When I win a trick, I have this cool move called melding that I can do before drawing any new cards. It’s like showing off my card combinations and earning extra points. Pretty neat, right? Let me break it down for you.

I can only do one meld per turn, and after I put my cards face-down on the table, I proudly declare them and announce their point value. This is where things get interesting because not all melds are the same. Each combination has its own point value.

Take a look at this chart to see what I mean:

Meld Combo Points

Bezique (Q of Spades & J of Diamonds) – 40 points

Double Bezique – 500 points

Royal Marriage (Q & K of trumps) – 40 points

Common Marriage (K & Q plain suit) – 20 points

Four Aces – 100 points

Four Kings – 80 points

Four Queens – 60 points

Four Jacks – 40 points

Sequence – 250 points

(A, 10, K, Q, J of trumps)

That’s not all! I can also score 10 points just by playing or showing off the lowest trump card, which is the 7 of the trump suit.

So, as you can see, melding is a pretty cool way to earn some extra points and show off my card skills. Ready to see what I can do?

When playing Upside Down Rummy, there are three distinct stages: melding, exchanging, and play-off. Let me break it down for you.

During the melding stage, the goal is to create sets of cards and lay them face up on the table. You can create sets by combining cards of the same rank (like three Kings) or cards of the same suit in consecutive order (like the 5, 6, and 7 of hearts). Don’t forget, you need to have at least three cards in a set. Once you’ve made a valid meld, you can lay it on the table. But you have to be careful! You can’t change the order of the cards in a meld once you’ve laid it down. So, choose wisely!

Now let’s move on to the exchanging stage. This is where things get interesting. After winning a trick, you have the opportunity to swap out one of your low-value trump cards with the trump card that’s face-up from the stockpile. This can give you an advantage by getting rid of weak cards and adding a stronger one to your hand. It’s all about strategy!

In the final stage, called the play-off, the goal is to win tricks and score points. In this stage, you want to follow suit if you can and play high-value cards to try and win tricks. Winning the very last trick is particularly important, so make sure you save your strong cards for that moment.

Remember, Upside Down Rummy is all about careful planning and making wise decisions. So, go ahead and give it a try!

If you can’t follow suit, play a trump if you have one. If not, play any card. The player who wins the last trick earns an extra 10 points. Tricks are won by the highest trump card. But if no trump card is played, the highest value card of the same suit wins the trick. If the cards are equal, the player who led the trick takes it.

Now let’s talk about scoring. After the play is finished, and after the melding and trick-taking stage, players calculate their scores. Each Ace and 10 is worth 10 points, so there are a total of 160 points just from those cards. Make sure to add the points from the melds as well. Add up all the scores to determine the winner of the round. The game goes on until someone reaches 1000 or more points.