Welcome to Pitch Six!

Pitch Six is a unique and exciting game that puts a new spin on a classic American favorite called Pitch. In this game, we’ll have a blast bidding on the number of points we think we can capture. The best part? The bid winner gets to choose the trump suit and lead the first trick!

Just like in Pitch, you earn points for capturing specific cards. Here’s how it works: you get points for capturing the highest trump card, the lowest trump card, the trump-suited Jack, and the Game point. But wait, there’s more! In this version, you also earn points for capturing the trump-suited 6 and for being the one who captures the very last trick.

Our rounds will keep going until one of us reaches the winning bid. And to win the game, all we need is a score of 12 or more points. Think you have what it takes?

What’s in the Box?

When you open up Pitch Six, you’ll find a special 52-card deck that has been specifically designed for this game. Plus, there’s an instruction manual to guide you through the rules and strategies. So, grab a friend and let’s start playing Pitch Six!

Did you know that when it comes to playing cards, there are four different suits? You’ve got Hearts, Diamonds, Spades, and Clubs. Each suit is made up of cards that are ranked from low to high.

Did you know that each suit in a deck of cards contains four special cards that can earn you points? These cards are called point-cards, and they are an important part of the game. But that’s not all! The Jacks, Queens, Kings, and Aces also have a special second point value that can add to your score.

So, how do you win these points? Well, it’s simple. When you capture one of these point-cards during the game, you earn points towards your overall score. The more point-cards you collect, the higher your score will be. And if you manage to collect the most of these special cards, you’ll even earn a Game point for the round!

Now, to make things even easier, these special cards are marked in a special way. This way, you won’t forget which cards are worth points. So, keep an eye out for these markings as you play. They could make all the difference in winning the game!

Ready to Play?

Let’s get started! First, we need to choose someone to keep score. This person will be the scorekeeper for the game. Next, we’ll need to pick the first dealer. The dealer will shuffle the cards and give each player six cards. The cards are given out in groups of three. Any leftover cards are set aside and won’t be used until the next round.

THE PLAY

When it comes to a round of Pitch 6, you can earn a maximum of 6 points. Let’s take a look at each of them:

• The High – this is the highest trump card currently in play
• The Low – this is the lowest trump card currently in play
• The Jack – this is the trump-suited Jack, which may or may not be in play
• The 6 – this is the trump-suited 6, which may or may not be in play
• The Last Trick – the player earns 1 point for winning the last trick
• The Game – the player earns points by capturing the most valuable cards

Furthermore, the values assigned to cards are as follows:

• Aces = 4 points each
• Kings = 3 points each
• Queens = 2 points each
• Jacks = 1 point each
• 10’s = 10 points each

BIDDING

Let me walk you through how a round of bidding works. First off, each round starts with someone making a bid. The bid tells us how many points the person thinks they can earn in that round. The player to the left of the dealer gets the first shot at bidding, but they can also choose to pass. The smallest bid you can make is 3, while the biggest bid you can go for is 6.

If a player decides to make a bid, then the next player has to either bid a higher number or pass. Now, when it’s the dealer’s turn to bid, they can do something interesting. They can either match the highest bid made so far and try to “steal the bid,” go higher with their own bid, or also pass. And here’s a twist: if everyone passes and no one makes a bid, the dealer is obligated to take the bid themselves, with a minimum of 3 points.

PITCHING TRUMP

When playing a game, the person who bids the highest number gets to be the bid-winner. This means they have earned the privilege of choosing the trump suit for the round. To do this, the bid-winner picks one card from their hand and leads the first trick with it. The suit of that card becomes the trump suit for the entire round.

Here’s an example: let’s say the bid-winner wants Clubs to be the trump suit. In that case, they have to start the first trick by leading with a Club card. After the first trick, however, any card can be led.

MAY-TRUMP

Once a card is played in a trick, the other players have two choices: they can either follow suit or they can trump in. If a player cannot follow suit, they have the option to play any card from their hand.

WINNING A TRICK

When we play this card game, the highest card in the suit that is played or the highest trump card is the winner of the round. This means that the player who wins the round gets to start the next one, and we keep playing until we have completed all six rounds. This marks the end of the game.

HOW WE SCORE

In each round, there are a total of six points up for grabs: the High, Low, Jack, 6, Last Trick, and Game points.

The player who won the bid calculates their points first. If they made their bid, they earn the same number of points as their bid. For example, if their bid was 4 and they made it, they get 4 points. But if they captured more points than their bid, they still only receive points equal to their bid. For example, if their bid was 4 and they captured 5 points, they still get 4 points.

However, if the player who won the bid did not make their bid, they lose points equal to their bid.

The other players score points based on the number of points they captured.

KEEPING THE GAME GOING

When the game is over, I’ll gather up all the cards. Remember, we pass the deal to the left each round.

HOW TO WIN

To win, you have to make a successful bid. That means you can’t win as a defender. If you’re defending and you reach 12 points or more, you can’t be declared the winner until you become the bid-winner and finish the round.

If there’s a gap of 12 points or more between the highest scorers, the game ends and the player with 12 points or more is the winner.