Special bids

• No-trump means that the joker(s) are the only trump card(s) (there are no bowers and no trump suit when playing no-trump or "no-ies").
• J5 is a special version of no-trump where a jack replaces the ace as the highest card of its respective suit, keeping the rules in line with a suited game. The joker remains the only trump card, and the normal agreed-upon rules of its use still apply. In a J5 game there is no lower bower (e.g., the jack of diamonds is not considered a heart and so on). Other cards follow their typical hierarchy.
• A Misère (also called Nulot, Nouly , Nullo, Nula or Nello) bid means the bidding player is trying to not win any tricks. If playing with a partner, the partner folds their cards and does not participate in the round. Misère is the French word meaning "extreme poverty". It can be bid at any time.
• Open Misère is the same as misère except the player playing this bid must reveal all of their cards to their opponents after the first trick. Also called Lay Down Misère and may be made at any time.
• Blind Misère is the same as misère except the bid must be called before the player views their cards.
• Double nullo is an American variant in which both players of the bidding team play and must not win any tricks. This is also called Grand nullo, which is often corrupted to Granola.
• Shields Double is a variant of Double nullo where one partner of the bidding team plays their hand open (after the initial trick).
• Patastrophe is an Open Misère where both partners on the bidding team play, with both calling partners playing their hand open (after the first trick). Patastrophe is worth 1000 points.
• The Wilkinson version of Misère is agreed to before the outset of the game, and is bid as such: 'closed misère' can be bid any time (even as a first bid) but is played open, and 'open misère' may also be bid likewise but is played open and without the kitty.
• Hi/Lo or 5 and 5 bid means one player intends to win 5 tricks and lose 5 tricks in the hand. The game is typically worth 350 points, and therefore outbids a 9♠ or 9♣ bid, but not a 9♦ or 9♥. The game play is similar to a No-trump game in that the Joker is the only trump card and may only be used if the player cannot otherwise follow suit. When a Hi/Lo call is made the bidder's partner folds their cards and does not participate in the hand. This is also called Even Stevens in Australia.
• Ralphing is when a person that bids gets set by more than 3 tricks (that is a person wins the bid with 9♥ but only takes 6, or bids Nullo and takes 3 or more tricks). In the event that a person is Ralphed, they are not allowed to bid in the next hand. The name comes from a person that would repeatedly over-bid and lose dreadfully each time. The rule was instituted so others would be allowed to win bids.
• Slam: If, after picking up the kitty, a player who bid a seven-trick contract (but not over seven and not misère) feels that they could win all ten tricks, they may call for a slam hand. The partner of the player who calls for a slam passes a single card to their partner then folds their hand and does not play. The contractor who called for the slam hand must discard until they have only 10 cards remaining before starting play. The contractor must then win all ten tricks, or lose the point value of the bid, plus 100 points. Because the total value of the slam hand is the same as the value of a bid of eight in the same suit, it is not advantageous for a player to intentionally underbid a hand in order to make a slam bid. For a variation on the Slam rule, see the 'Variations in score keeping' section.

Set Rule

The game may be played with a standard variation known as setting. An opponent is set when they fail to fulfill a contract by a predetermined number of bids. The point system and scoring remain as per standard, but an opponent who is awarded the kitty and is subsequently set is not allowed to bid in the next round. Note that it is only the player awarded the kitty (not all players on the team) that is not allowed to bid in the next round. In the case of a set occurring during double misère the player who touches the kitty first is not allowed to bid in the next round.

Typically, the set occurs at one trick more than is actually necessary to break the bidding team's contract. In other words, 5 tricks in a 7-trick bid, 4 tricks in an 8-trick bid, 3 tricks in a 9-trick bid, 2 tricks in a 10-trick bid. However, for misère, open misère, and double misère a set always occurs at 3 tricks.

Breach rule (related to the Set rule)

Breach indicates that a non-bidding team intends to breach the contract of a bidding team by at least one more trick than is actually necessary to break the contract. As opposed to the Setting rule, Breach must be called on a per hand basis, and does result in additional scoring. Typically, Breach is not played in a game when the setting rule is being used.

A single player from a non-bidding partnership may call to breach another team's contract after a successful bid for a seven-trick (or more) contract has been made. The breach call may be made before or after the contracting team picks up the kitty, but must be made before game play starts. Typically, a breach occurs at one trick more than is actually necessary to break the bidding team's contract. In other words, 5 tricks in a 7-trick bid, 4 tricks in an 8-trick bid, 3 tricks in a 9-trick bid, 2 tricks in a 10-trick bid. However, for misère, open misère, and double misère a breach always occurs at 3 tricks.

A breach call can result in three different scenarios:

Win/Lose

If the bidding team successfully fulfills its contract, then it receives the full points of the original bid, and the team calling breach loses points.

Lose/Lose

If the bidding team does not fulfill its bid, but the opposing team does not take the necessary number of tricks to perform a breach, then the bidding team loses the point value of the original bid, and the team calling breach loses the predetermined value of the breach call.

Lose/Win

If the bidding team loses its bid by the pre-established number of tricks, then the bidding team loses the contract points, and the team calling breach gains the predetermined value of the breach call.

Because breach is not considered an actual bid, a team may not win or lose (“go out the back door”) based on points gained or lost from a breach call.

A player who calls breach but does not fulfill the conditions of breach (win/lose or lose/lose scenario) is not allowed to bid in the next round. A player who bids a seven-trick contract but is successfully breached by an opponent (lose/win scenario) is not allowed to bid in the next round.

Point Spread rule

A variation on the score keeping, the point-spread rule ends the game when one team has a negative score and the other team has a positive score, which results in a point spread of 500 or more points.

Two-handed 500

Two-handed 500 is played with a deck of 43 cards as per the standard game. Whereas in the standard game which includes partners, in the Two-handed game each player plays both the hand that is dealt to them and their partner's which is dealt to the table. The deal is the same as the standard game, except that the partners hands are dealt to the table so that they have 5 cards face down, each covered by a face up card (to give a total of 10 cards). Bidding is the same as the standard game except Misère is generally not allowed. The kitty is used with the player's hand only and no cards can be swapped between the hands. Order of play is as per the standard game. After each trick any exposed face down cards from the partner's hands are turned up and revealed. Play then continues with the lead from the hand that won the last trick.

Alternatively, the game can be played as per three-handed but with a "dead hand".

An alternative version is played with the standard 52 card deck. Each player is dealt ten cards and then 8 more cards are exposed on the table. Each player chooses one of these cards to be added to the kitty. No dummies are used and the bidding is standard. After the bid is won the defending player adds one of the remaining exposed cards to their hand and discards an unwanted card. The remaining exposed cards are added to the dead card pile.

One additional variant is to use a standard game deck of 45 (or 43) cards and have players alternate in drawing cards from the central deck. The kitty is set aside in advance, and in turn, players draw a card, choose to keep or discard it, and then either discard or keep the next card, taking the opposite action as with the previous card.

Three-handed 500

Three-handed 500 is played with a deck of 33 cards (a joker plus a "Piquet pack", i.e. 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s and 6s removed from the standard 52 cards^[10]). Dealing, scoring and game play are as for the standard game. The common variant is in bidding, where misère may be bid before a bid for seven tricks. This variant is permitted due to the relative rarity of seven-trick bids outside of team play. Open misère may be bid in a similar fashion. Alternatively, the game may be played with the standard deck (45 or 43 cards) with one hand dealt face down, which remains untouched during the game (a so-called "dead hand"). The common strategy is that the two players who are unsuccessful in bidding form a temporary alliance in an attempt to force the other player to lose their bid.

Five-handed 500

Another variation allows five players to play. All of the cards in a deck are used (although only one joker) so that each player can be dealt ten cards. The bidding starts to the dealer's left, and works by the same system as normal 500. The player who wins the bidding may then choose to "go it alone" (go on his/her own – without a partner for this hand^[11]) or gets to choose a card (the joker cannot be chosen) to select a partner. One of the bowers is usually chosen, or another high card; however, some variants prevent any trump card from being called. There are two versions of this variation. In one, the player who owns the chosen card announces that they have it, and then becomes the bidder's partner for that round. In the other, even the player winning the bidding will not know who the partner is until the chosen card is played (although the card chosen could be a card the bidder themselves has, that is they effectively selected no partner). Note that the partnership will usually change for each round. The remaining three players then play against the partnership. The player who won the bid gets to play the first card.

Scoring for this variation uses the same values as normal 500. If the partnership wins the required number of tricks, they will both get points (full points each or half points each, depending on the variation), and if they don't, they will both lose points (either full or half). If one of the three remaining players wins a trick, that player will receive ten points. Neither misère nor open misère is usually permitted in this variant since it is too easy to win. Because the partnership changes each round, there are no fixed teams and each player plays for themselves. This adds dynamic, and new strategies will arise.

Six-handed 500

Special decks of cards were created by the United States Playing Card Company for playing six-handed 500, using a total of 63 cards. Besides using all 52 cards of the standard poker deck, plus one joker, these sets include 11s, 12s, and red 13s (a variation of their 61-card packs, with no red 13-spot cards, patented in 1881, that had been sold with rules for a forerunner of 500, and updated in 1897 to include red 13s^[12]). Each player receives 10 cards, and the kitty receives 3. Players seated in alternating positions around the table form two teams of three players each (or three teams of two, in "Cut Throat Six-Handed" 500). These decks are also made by Queen’s Slipper, Piatnik, and Cartamundi. A variation is to use two jokers, the black-and-white one ranking highest.

No Trump 500

In some versions, no trump games (including misère), the only trump card is the joker (the best card) and it has no suit. There are no bowers and all the jacks fall between the queen and highest number card (ten, twelve or thirteen) of their respective suits. Players must always follow suit and may use the joker to trump a trick only if they cannot otherwise follow suit. A player may lead a trick with the joker by naming the suit to be followed, but may not name a suit to which the player has previously claimed to be void.^[13] In some variations, a player may not "renege" with the joker – that is, use it as a card of a suit in which the player has already claimed to be void (unless the joker is the only card in the player's hand). In some variations, the joker may only be played as the first or last card in a suit.

In other variations, the person who wins the bid also has the option to 'Declare'. Such a declaration entitles the winner of the bid to receive one card from their partner after discarding from the kitty or blind. The partner picks their best card and hands it face down to the winning bidder, who must then discard one additional card to retain a ten-card hand. The winning bidder now plays against the opponents without the assistance of the partner and must take all ten tricks. If such a bid is unsuccessful it is scored as −500 (negative 500).

Walker Ultimate 500

A variation in which the winning team/player must win exactly 500 points. The game is played as normal, with the additional rule that 1000 points (like negative 500 points) loses the game. "Peggings" (or "Scab Points") must be played. This variation usually (not always) results in a longer game, and generates an enjoyable level of complexity to both the bidding and playing.

Local variants may exclude either open misère, misère or both.

French Canadian Variation

A variation for four players using two Jokers ("bonhommes") and a standard 52-card pack stripped of 2s and 3s. The white Joker ("la blanche") is considered stronger. The players are dealt 10 cards each in batches of 3–3–4. When 3 are passed, another 3 go to the kitty ("chatte", middle of the table). There should be 6 cards in the middle after the deal. Some variations allow for the final card placed in the kitty to be turned upright for all players to see.

The attacking player takes the kitty and discards six cards of their choice, and no other player may see them. The bidding goes accordingly with the other variation, and Misère ("Nulot") may be allowed. The "petite" misère is equal to 500 points and can only be outbid by 8NT while "la grosse" or open misère is worth 1000 points and can only be outbid by 10NT (the latter is distinguished in that all cards are placed face-up on the table).

The game is played to a total of 1000 points. If a team fails to fulfil its contract, the points are added to the other team's total. Points are never subtracted.

Avondale

The following table is the most commonly used "Avondale" Scoring (and bid precedence) convention^[18][19][20]}

Tricks	Spades	Clubs	Diamonds	Hearts	No Trump
6 tricks	40	60	80	100	120
7 tricks	140	160	180	200	220
8 tricks	240	260	280	300	320
9 tricks	340	360	380	400	420
10 tricks	440	460	480	500	520
Slam	250 for contract below total points of 250, normal for above 250
Misère	250
Open Misère	500
Blind Misère	1000

Original

Tricks	Spades	Clubs	Diamonds	Hearts	No Trump
6 tricks	40	80	120	160	200
7 tricks	60	120	180	240	300
8 tricks	80	160	240	320	400
9 tricks	100	200	300	400	500
10 tricks	120	240	360	480	600
Slam	250 for contract below total points of 250, normal for above 250
Misère	250
Open Misère	500
Blind Misère	1000

Perfect variant

Scoring for each family of tricks is reduced by 20 points (see table below), causing 10NT (the highest bid) to be worth exactly 500 points.

Tricks	Spades	Clubs	Diamonds	Hearts	No Trump
6 tricks	20	40	60	80	100
7 tricks	120	140	160	180	200
8 tricks	220	240	260	280	300
9 tricks	320	340	360	380	400
10 tricks	420	440	460	480	500
Misère	150
Open Misère	250
Hi/Lo	350
Double Misère	450
Patastrophe	750
Blind Misère	1000

Other scoring variations

These are options that may be agreed upon amongst players at the outset, or regional variations of the usually-assumed rules.

• 6-trick bids are considered inkles, raising the minimum bid to 7♠.
• If a team bids 8♠ or less, but takes all 10 tricks, they can receive 250 points;^[21] known as a "slam".
• A variation (common in Australia) is to require a team to win the game by scoring at least 500 points through winning bids, which means that any team surpassing 500 points solely with tricks has not yet won the game; the game would continue until a team wins through winning a bid.
• The game can be played with the removal of the trick points, thus only winning bids score points.
• If two or more teams pass 500 points on the same hand, a non-standard variation is to give the game to the one with the highest points.
• A team whose score dips below −500 points loses the game only if the other team is not in the negative.
• In an unrestricted bidding game, there are no limitations on which hands can be called when, such as only allowing a Misère call after a bid of 7 has already been made. Instead, each subsequent player need only be able to outbid the current highest bid (or pass).
• Some informal games allow the bidder to lay down several cards at once when they know they will win the tricks, but some rules^[22] penalise such actions with 100 points.
• According to the rules supplied with most Australian 500-specific playing card decks, 6♠ is scored as 40 points, 6♣ as 60 points, increasing by 20 points each bid in this fashion to 120 points for 6NT all the way through to 520 points for 10NT. However, Open Misère, also scoring 520 points, is ranked as the highest bid. Additionally, Misère is deemed to outrank a 7 bid but not an 8 bid.
• Split the colours In this scoring variation Misère outbids 7♠/7♣, but not 7♦/7♥; Open Misère outbids 8♠/8♣, but not 8♦/8♥; Hi/Lo outbids 9♠/9♣, but not 9♦/9♥; and Double Misère outbids 10♠/10♣, but not 10♦/10♥ (shown in table below).

Bidding

Bids are typically made with the consideration that one will be receiving cards from the kitty and playing with a partner (except for misère and open misère) who hopefully will also be able to win a certain number of tricks. While the number of tricks one feel one's partner will be able to win will vary in each situation, one should bid based on that assumption and not only on the cards in one's hand.

On the other hand, it is also important to remember that one's partner will be using the same strategy in their bidding; and therefore, if one's partner bids 6♥, for example, one may not necessarily want to bid 8♥ simply because one have two cards of the proposed trump suit in one's hand. ^[1]

When confronted with a hand that is more-or-less even in two different suits, it is customary to bid on the suit with a higher point value.

Card Counting

When playing with 45 cards, the deck is composed of four suits with 11 cards each, and one Joker. In a suited contract (7♥, 8♠, and so on), the trump suit will have 13 cards, the suit of the same colour will have only ten, and the two suits of opposite colour will remain at 11 cards each.

A simple strategy to bidding is to attempt to predict how the unaccounted-for trump cards (the ones one don't actually hold in one's hand) would be distributed among the remaining players, excluding the kitty, with all things being equal. In other words, if one hold seven cards of one suit it can be helpful to assume that the remaining six trump cards are distributed evenly among the remaining three players (two each and none in the kitty). Doing so can provide a basic idea of how many times one's opponents will be able to follow suit in each of the four suits.

Discarding the kitty

If one are successful at bidding a suited contract and are awarded the kitty, a basic strategy of discarding is to eliminate as many non-trump suits from one's hand as possible, thus giving the most opportunity to use trump cards. However, discarding as many suits as possible is only a basic strategy, and should be met with some qualifications.

First, in most contract bids it is beneficial to keep an ace of any non-trump suit, as with all things being equal each player will with high probability have at least two cards of any given non-trump suit, making the ace of that suit a winning card.

Second, it can also be effective in some circumstances to intentionally keep the king of a non-trump suit and a low card of the same suit (for example the ♥6 and ♥K when spades are trump) when one are unable to discard that suit entirely. The resulting strategy is to then play the low card first, with the assumption that one will lose the trick to the player holding the ace of that suit, and then when one have regained control of the table the king is played under the assumption that it will be a winning card.

Leading trump

Sometimes called flushing or bleeding trump, leading the trump suit immediately can often be (but isn't always) an effective strategy. This is typically done in the following situations.

First, when a player has an above-average number of high trump cards they may wish to flush out the missing high trump cards. For example, if a player who has bid 7♥ is left holding the red joker and ♦J ♥AKQ4, then they have five of the six highest cards (and six total). A suitable strategy would be to start the game playing highest trump (the Joker) in an attempt to force the play of the ♥J.

An alternative, but similar, strategy in this situation would be to play the ♥Q. This alternative strategy would force the player holding the ♥J to decide between either playing the jack, or throwing away a lower trump card to intentionally lose to the queen.