RoundfelloRoundfello

🃏 How to play

Five Hundred rules

Bid for trump, grab the kitty and race to 500.

Players
4–4
Time
30–60 min
You need
Standard playing cards

The goal

Be the first partnership to reach 500 points — by making your bids.

How a hand works

  1. 1

    The 43-card deck

    Use 4 through Ace in hearts and diamonds, 5 through Ace in spades and clubs, plus one Joker. Deal 10 cards each and 3 face down to the kitty.

  2. 2

    Bid

    Each bid names a number of tricks (6 to 10) and a suit or no trumps. Each bid must be higher on the table. Misère (take no tricks) is also allowed.

  3. 3

    Take the kitty

    The winning bidder picks up the kitty and discards any 3 cards.

  4. 4

    Trump order

    The Joker is the top trump, then the right bower (Jack of trump) and the left bower (other Jack of the same colour), then A, K, Q, 10…

  5. 5

    Play ten tricks

    Follow suit if you can. The bidding team must take at least the number of tricks they bid.

Bid table (points)

  • 6 tricks ♠ ♣ ♦ ♥ NT40 · 60 · 80 · 100 · 120
  • 7 tricks140 · 160 · 180 · 200 · 220
  • 8 tricks240 · 260 · 280 · 300 · 320
  • 9 tricks340 · 360 · 380 · 400 · 420
  • 10 tricks440 · 460 · 480 · 500 · 520
  • Misère / Open misère250 / 500
  • Defenders10 per trick

Make your bid and score its value; miss it and lose its value. Taking all 10 tricks on a bid worth less than 250 scores 250. Enter each partnership's hand points and Roundfello keeps the totals.

One hand

  1. 1.Leo and Mia bid 8 hearts (300).
  2. 2.They take 8 tricks → +300. Ava and Noah took 2 → +20.
  3. 3.Had Leo and Mia taken 7, they'd score −300.

Winning tips

  • The Joker and both bowers make a strong trump hand.
  • Use the kitty to void a suit.
  • Bid misère only with a hand full of low cards.

Popular house rules

  • Many tables say you can only win by making a bid — defenders' trick points can't take them past 490.
  • A team reaching −500 loses.
  • Five- and six-player versions use larger decks.

Let Roundfello keep score

Roundfello adds up every Five Hundred hand for you, with live standings and a champion at the end.

Start keeping score