Auction pitch rules

Also called setback. An American descendant of all-fours, played for four scoring points rather than for tricks as such.

Getting ready

Six cards each, dealt three at a time. Aces are high.

It plays best with three or four, each player for themselves.

The bidding

Each player in turn, starting to the dealer's left, bids the number of points they expect to take, up to four, or passes. Each bid must be higher than the last, and most tables make two the lowest bid. The highest bidder pitches — leads the first card — and the suit of that card is trump.

Many tables let the dealer, who speaks last, take the contract by matching the highest bid instead of beating it. A bid of four is sometimes called a smudge.

The four points

High: the highest trump in play, scored by whoever holds it. Low: the lowest trump in play, scored by whoever holds it. In most versions the holder scores it even if the card is captured by someone else. Jack: the jack of trump, scored by whoever takes it in a trick. If it was not dealt, nobody scores it. Game: count the cards you took — ace 4, king 3, queen 2, jack 1, ten 10 — and the highest total scores it.

If two players tie for the highest count, nobody scores Game.

The play

You must follow suit or play a trump. You may always trump instead of following suit, which is unusual and makes the game far more open than whist.

If you have no card of the suit led, you may play anything.

Scoring

The pitcher scores what they took. Fall short of the bid and the amount bid is deducted instead — that is the setback the game is named for.

Every other player scores whatever points they took. A score can go below zero, which is called being in the hole.

An example

You bid three and pitch the ace of hearts, so hearts are trump. The ace is High. You capture the jack of hearts, and your cards count the most for Game, but another player was dealt the two of hearts and scores Low. You took three points and made your bid.

Game is 7, 11 or 21 points as agreed.

If two players reach the target on the same hand, the pitcher's points are counted first.