Let’s Play Six-Bid Solo!

Are you ready to dive into the exciting world of Six-Bid Solo? This trick-taking card game is perfect for 3 players, and it’s packed with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Similar to games like Crazy Solo and Frog, Six-Bid Solo brings a whole new level of strategy and excitement to the table.

So, how do you play? The goal is simple: score as high as possible in each round to make the other players pay up. To do that, you’ll need to win tricks with high-scoring cards. It’s all about strategy and timing, so choose your moves wisely.

But here’s the best part: you get to decide how the game ends. You and your fellow players can set the rules. Want to play a set number of rounds? Or maybe you prefer to play until you reach a target score? Or perhaps you just want to play until you’ve had your fill of excitement. It’s all up to you.

Getting Started

Before you jump into the action, you’ll need to make a few preparations. First, let’s modify the deck. In this version of the game, we’ll be using a 36-card deck. That means we’ll remove all the cards from 5 and below. Don’t worry, you’ll still have plenty of powerful cards to play with. The deck will now consist of Aces, Kings, Queens, Jacks, 10s, 9s, 8s, 7s, and 6s.

When you modify the deck, you need to choose a dealer randomly. The dealer will change for each new deal, moving to the left. They will shuffle the cards and start dealing 10 cards to each player, beginning with the player on their left. They will deal the cards in batches of 4, followed by two batches of 3 cards. Additionally, they will deal 3 cards facedown to the center of the table, known as the widow.

The widow is not used for exchanging cards, but it may sometimes contribute to the winning bidder’s score at the end of the round.

When the cards are dealt, the bidding starts. This is how we decide who will play against each other. The player to the left of the dealer goes first. Once the first player makes a bid, the next player can either bid higher or pass. If the second player decides to bid, these two players will keep bidding until someone passes. For example, let’s say Player A bids solo and Player B bids heart solo. Player A can then bid higher or pass. If they pass, Player C can now choose to bid or pass. The bidding ends when all but one player has passed.

The bids are ranked from lowest to highest: pass, solo, heart solo, misère, guarantee solo, spread solo, and call solo.

Solo means the bidder can choose any suit.

Heart solo means hearts will be the trumps.

I’m going to explain four different bidding options in a card game. Each option has its own rules and objectives. Let’s dive in!

First, we have misère. In misère, the goal is to lose tricks and not score any points. There are no trumps, and the widow (which is a set of extra cards) does not count towards your score.

Next up is guarantee solo. In this bid, you get to choose the trump suit. If the trumps are hearts, you must score at least 74 points. If the trumps are any other suit, you must score at least 80 points.

The third option is spread misère. It’s similar to misère in that your goal is to lose tricks and not score any points. However, in spread misère, you reveal your hand after the player to the dealer’s left starts the opening hand. From that point on, you must play only from your revealed hand.

Lastly, there’s call solo. In call solo, you have the option to call trumps. But here’s the catch: you must score all 120 points during the round. Before the game begins, you will name a specific card, and the player who holds that card must give it to you. In return, you can give any card from your hand back to them. If the card you called is not in anyone’s hand, there is no exchange.

Card Ranking and Values

Let’s talk about the ranking and values of playing cards. In this game, the Ace is the highest-ranking card, followed by the 10, King, Queen, Jack, 9, 8, 7, and 6.

Each card also has a value associated with it. The values, in the same order as the ranking, are as follows: the Ace is worth 11 points, the 10 is worth 10 points, the King is worth 4 points, the Queen is worth 3 points, the Jack is worth 2 points, and the 9, 8, 7, and 6 are all worth 0 points.

So, in total, a round has a value of 120 points. The team that scores at least 61 points wins the round!

GAMEPLAY

Now, let’s talk about how the game is played. It’s quite simple, really.

We start by choosing a dealer, and the game proceeds clockwise from there. The player to the left of the dealer goes first. They can play any card from their hand to start the round.

The other players must follow suit if they have a card of the same suit. If they don’t, they have to play a trump card if they have one. But if they don’t have a card of the same suit or a trump card, they can play any card they want. The important thing to remember is that there is no obligation to win tricks. You can choose to play strategically and not try to win every trick.

The player who wins a trick gets to lead the next one, and the game continues in this way until all the cards are played.

SCORING

Now let’s talk about scoring. You can keep track of the score using paper or chips.

At the beginning of the game, each player starts with 150 points. As the game progresses, you will earn points based on the value of the cards you win in each trick. The team that reaches at least 61 points first wins the round!

When it comes to payouts in the game, it all depends on the bid that was called and the number of points scored.

Let’s start with solo. If you bid solo and your score is higher or lower than 60, you will receive 60 points from your score. This amount is then doubled and either paid to or paid by each player. For example, if you scored 80 points, each player would pay you 40 points. This is because the difference between 80 and 60 is 20, and when doubled, it becomes 40.

Heart solo works the same way as solo, but with a twist. Instead of doubling the amount, it is tripled. So if you bid heart solo and your score is higher or lower than 60, you will receive 180 points from your score. This amount is then paid to or paid by each player.

Now let’s talk about misère. If you successfully bid misère, each player pays you 30 points. But if your bid is unsuccessful, you have to pay each player 30 points.

Next up is guarantee solo. If you successfully bid guarantee solo, each player pays you 40 points. But if your bid is unsuccessful, you have to pay each player 40 points.

Lastly, we have spread misère. If you successfully bid spread misère, each player pays you 60 points. However, if your bid is unsuccessful, you have to pay each player 60 points.

When it comes to playing call solo, there’s an interesting twist. If you’re successful, you’ll earn 150 points if the trumps are hearts, and 100 points if they’re any other suit. But here’s the catch – if you’re unsuccessful, you’ll have to pay each player as much as you would have earned. It’s a double-edged sword!

The End of the Game

The game comes to a close either when the players decide to stop playing or when they reach a pre-determined target. It’s up to us to decide how long the fun lasts!

Hey there! I’m Amber, and I’m an avid gamer and writer from Austin. I like to think of myself as a gaming master, and I have a special place in my heart for dogs, plants, and D&D. Let’s dive into the world of gaming together!