Pitch (card Game) - Miscellaneous Options

Miscellaneous Options

• Bid to go Out: Also called Bidder Goes Out, in this variant a player can only win the game if they reach the goal on a hand for which they made the winning bid. In some variants, a team can win if they reach the goal during a hand in which they set the bidder.

• The Smudge Bid: Some variations allow a special bid. If a player or team believes they can make every possible point, they may bid "smudge." In basic pitch, a smudge bid is a 5 point bid. In some variants, making smudge grants additional points. To make a smudge bid, a player or team must make all possible points and win every trick and capture the Jack of trumps. The bid must be made before the hand is played or the extra point is not awarded.

• Call For Partner: Many varieties of pitch incorporate this rule. There are no set teams; instead, the player who wins the bid calls for a specific card, and the player who has it becomes their partner until the next bid. The "called" card is the first played, and sets the trump. Points are kept individually, though they are earned as a team.

• The Force Bid: Many variations require that the dealer make the minimum bid if no other bids have been made. When this rule is not used, the hand is re-dealt when all players pass.

• Shoot the Moon: A player may Shoot the Moon, bidding the maximum amount. If the player or team makes the bid, they win the game; if are set, they lose the game.

• Mucking a Hand: A player with cards that are not trump cards between 2 and 9 may drop the hand at any time if the player feels that they can not win any tricks with said cards. If the player in this situation is the dealer, the dealer just takes a negative score for that round. When playing partnership pitch, mucking your hand is not allowed as it can give the partner of the mucked hand a slight advantage.

• Blind Pitch: In this variation, each player is dealt a "blind" of three cards in addition to their hand. Players may not look at the cards in their blind. Cards are typically removed from the deck to ensure that all points are in play. During play, a player must follow suit, trump in, or play the top card of their blind. Only if none of these options are available may they play an off-suit card from their hand.

• Coke Hands: Similar to Mucking a Hand, in this variation a player with cards not trump between 3 and 9 may call coke hand, turn in their cards and are dealt a new hand. The cards that are turned in may not be exposed until after all rounds are complete. A player that calls for a coke hand cannot bid. Since there might not be enough cards in the deck to support multiple coke hands, typically priority goes to the first player who calls, so the player in the "soft hole" (the first player dealt all their cards with the first chance to bid) has the advantage to call first.