PENEECH
Hey there! Have you ever heard of Peneech? It’s a really cool card game that has been around since the late 1600s in England. Get ready, because I’m about to tell you all about it! Peneech is a fast-paced trick-taking game designed specifically for two players. When you play, you’ll be dealt seven cards, and the trump suit changes with every trick you take. Exciting, right?
Now, here’s something interesting about Peneech. Instead of keeping score at the end of each round like in other games, in Peneech, you keep score after each trick is taken. It’s a bit different, but don’t worry – that’s where a cribbage board comes in handy. It makes scoring a breeze!
THE CARDS & THE DEAL
Peneech is played with a regular deck of 52 cards, just like the ones you’re probably used to. In this game, we have something special called Honor Cards. These are specific cards that have extra importance. The highest Honor Card in Peneech is the 7 of diamonds, also known as the Peneech. It’s the top-ranked diamond card. Along with the Peneech, Aces, Kings, Queens, and Jacks are also considered Honor Cards in this game.
To decide who gets to be the first dealer and scorekeeper, we each pick a card from the deck. The person with the lowest card is in charge. Each round, we switch up who deals the cards.
The dealer mixes up the deck really well and gives each of us seven cards, one at a time. The remaining cards go face down to form the trump pile. Then, the top card of the pile is turned over to determine the trump suit for the first round.
If either of us gets a hand with no cards higher than ten, we can ask for a do-over.
Now, let’s talk about how the game is played.
When the game starts, it’s my turn to play. I can choose any card from my hand and play it. You can do the same – you can play a card of the same suit as mine or play a trump card if you have one. If you don’t have a card of the same suit or a trump card, you can play any other card from your hand.
The player who plays the highest card of the same suit or the highest trump card wins the trick. They get to collect the trick and the trump card, and they also earn points for winning the trick. It’s worth mentioning that you can earn points for the trump card if it’s an Honor Card. If you want more details about scoring, check out the SCORING section.
After winning the trick, the player who won it flips over the top card from the trump pile. The suit of that card becomes the new trump suit, and they get to lead the next round.
I’ll explain how to play this game. First, you’ll take turns playing tricks until all seven tricks are done. Once the seventh trick is finished, the next trump card is revealed. If the new card is an Honor Card, the winner of the seventh trick gets the points printed on the card.
Scoring
Now, let’s talk about scoring. You earn points based on the cards you collect.
The Honor Cards award points as follows:
When you capture the 7 of diamonds from the trump pile, you get 14 points. If diamonds are the trump suit and you capture the 7 of diamonds as part of a trick, you get 7 points.
Each Ace card is worth 5 points.
Each King card is worth 4 points.
Each Queen card is worth 3 points.
Each Jack card is worth 2 points.
Additionally, if you capture the majority of the tricks (more than seven), you earn one point for each extra card. For example, if you capture 5 tricks, you earn 8 extra points. In total, you would have 15 cards (5 tricks + 5 trump pile cards), from which you subtract the initial 7 cards to get your extra points.
VICTORY!
I’m thrilled to announce that the moment you score 61 points, you emerge victorious, claiming the ultimate prize in this exhilarating game.
Imagine the rush of being the very first player to achieve this monumental feat – it’s a thrill like no other!