Welcome to 500 Game!

Hey there! Have you ever played 500, also known as Cinquecento? It’s a super fun trick-taking card game that can be played with 4 players. Let me tell you all about it!

The goal of the game is simple: your team’s mission is to score 500 or more points before your opponents. Exciting, right?

Here’s how it works: the game is played in rounds. In each round, players compete to win tricks and declare special card combinations to earn points. The more points you score, the closer you get to victory!

Now, the game is played with partners. Picture this: you and your teammate sitting across from each other, strategizing and working together to outsmart the other teams. Teamwork makes the dream work!

Time to Set Up!

First things first, let’s talk about the setup. To determine the first dealer, you can use a random method like drawing straws or rock-paper-scissors. The dealer position will then rotate clockwise for each new deal. It’s all fair and square!

Next, you’ll need a deck of cards. Give it a good shuffle, and the player sitting to the left of the dealer will cut the deck. Make sure everything is in order!

Alright, now it’s time to deal. Each player will receive a hand of 5 cards, and the remaining cards will be placed in the middle as the stockpile. Ready to go!

Let’s Talk Card Ranking and Values

When it comes to this game, the rankings are as follows: Ace is the highest, followed by 3, Re, Cavallo, Fante, 7, 6, 5, 4, and 2 is the lowest. If you’re playing with a modified 52-card deck, the rankings are A, 3, K, Q, J, 7, 6, 5, 4, and 2 is the lowest.

There are also certain cards that have point values for scoring. Aces are worth 11 points, 3s are worth 10 points, Res are worth 4 points, Cavallos are worth 3 points, and Fantes are worth 2 points. All other cards have no point value.

In addition, there are point values associated with declaring Mariannas.

Mariannas are declared when you have both the Re and Cavallo of the same suit. The point value of Mariannas depends on the order in which they are declared. The first one declared is worth 40 points and determines the trump suit. Any Mariannas declared after the first one are only worth 20 points and do not change the trump suit.

I can declare a Mariannas at any time, even in the middle of a trick. And guess what? If it’s the first one declared, it automatically sets the trump suit for the current and all future tricks. Cool, right?

GAMEPLAY

Now, let’s talk about how the game goes down. It all begins with the player to the right of the dealer. That lucky player gets to make the first move. They can lead with any card they want. No need to follow suit or try to win every trick. Oh, and by the way, at the start of the game, there’s no trump suit yet. But don’t worry, it might come up later.

The trick is won by the highest trump that’s played. If no trumps are played or established, then the trick is won by the highest card of the suit that’s led. The winner takes the card and adds it to their score pile. Plus, all players get to draw back up to five cards in hand. Talk about a fresh start! And guess who leads the next trick? Yep, you guessed it, the winner!

Once all the cards have been drawn from the stockpile, you can no longer declare Mariannas.

When all the cards from the stock have been drawn, the remaining tricks are played out. After the last trick is played, the round comes to an end.

SCORING

Once the last trick is won, it’s time to tally up the scores. The scores are recorded cumulatively over multiple rounds and include the values from the cards you’ve won and the declarations you’ve made during the game.

END OF GAME

The game continues until one team reaches a score of 500 or more points. If both teams reach this score in the same round, the team with the higher score is declared the winner.

If you’re a fan of 500, then you should definitely give Euchre a try – it’s another amazing trick-taking game!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Do you bid in Five hundred?

In this game, there’s no bidding involved. However, people often confuse it with a different game called 500, which is known as the card game of Australia due to its popularity there. In that version, there is a round of bidding where players bid on the number of tricks, misère, or open misère. If you want to learn more about that game, you can check it out here.

How many tricks do you need to win?

In 500, the number of tricks you win is not as important as the points associated with each trick. Each card won in a trick has a specific point value, and during scoring, you add up these values to calculate your total score for the round.

The Card Ranking in a 52-card Deck: What You Need to Know

So, you’re wondering how the cards are ranked in a standard 52-card deck, right? Well, let me break it down for you. If you’re using a deck from a standard United States playing card company, there are a few things you should know.

First things first – you gotta remove the 10s, 9s, and 8s from the deck. By doing this, you end up with 40 cards, which is the standard for the 500 game rules. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk about the card ranking itself.

Are you ready? Drumroll, please! Here’s how the cards rank:

• Ace
• 3
• King
• Queen
• Jack
• 7
• 6
• 5
• 4
• 2

But wait! It’s not your typical Ace, King, Queen that you’re probably used to from other card games. In the game of 500, we do things a little differently. Now you know the secret!

So, there you have it! Next time you play with a 52-card deck, you’ll know exactly how the cards stack up. Happy gaming!

By the way, my name is Amber. I’m an Austin-based writer and gaming connoisseur. I’m obsessed with games, and I also happen to love dogs, plants, and D&D. Nice to meet you!