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Five HundredFive Hundred was devised in the early 1900s as an extension of Euchre and copyrighted by the American Playing Card Company in 1904. Its avowed intention was to improve Euchre by putting all cards into play and introducing a refined bidding system comparable to that of the then novel game of Bridge. For about a decade it remained America's major social card game but then fell before the onslaught of Auction Bridge and was later administered the coup de grace by Contract. Fortunately, it managed to survive in other far-flung corners of the civilised world and has subsequently become the national card game of Australia. Australian '500' cards incorporate Elevens, Twelves and two red-Thirteens to make a 62-card pack for play by up to six, though it is nearly always played there as a four-hand partnership game. It is particularly suitable for three-hand play, and is shown here as such.Cards | Trumps | The Deal | Object | Bidding | All Pass | The Kitty | Tricks | Score | Game | Revoke |
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Cards 32 cards plus Joker. Normal ranking from high to low is Ace, King, Queen, (Jack), T, 9, 8, 7.  | |
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Trumps In the trump suit, established by bidding, the cards rank as follows:
In a 'no trump' game there is no trump suit and all the Jacks rank in their normal position between Queen and Ten. The Joker, however, retains its position as Best Bower and is the only trump in the pack. Thus, with spades as trumps, the suits would run:
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The Deal Each player receives ten cards dealt as follows: a batch of three to each player, then three face down to the table, then four each, and finally three each. The face-down cards form the 'kitty'(or 'widow' in American play). | |
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Object The ultimate objective is to score 500 points before anyone else, hence the name. This generally takes several deals. In each deal the highest bidder names the trump, exchanges through the kitty, and aims to take at least as many tricks as she bid. The opponents play cooperatively in an attempt to beat her, but each one also scores for any tricks taken by herself. | |
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Bidding Beginning at the dealer's left, each in turn may pass or make a higher bid than any that has gone before, announcing the number of tricks she propose to win and the intended trump suit. Once a player has passed she may not re-enter, and once two players have passed the third has no opportunity to increase her bid.
Trump Suit 6 7 8 9 10
Spades 40 140 240 340 440
Clubs 60 160 260 360 460
Diamonds 80 180 280 380 480
Hearts 100 200 300 400 500
No Trumps 120 220 320 420 520
Misere (250) overcalls any bid of 240 (8 Spades) or lessOpen misere (520) overcalls every other bid Misere is a bid to lose every single trick; open misere to do so with one's hand of cards exposed on the table. Both are played at no trumps, except for the Best Bower, which remains the highest card. | |
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All Pass If all pass, the game plays as follows: the kitty remains untouched; eldest hand leads; and tricks are played at No Trumps. Each player scores 10 points per trick won by herself. Note: When I play, if everyone passes the kitty is turned face up. Bidding commences again. If all players pass, the hand is discarded and the deal passes to the next player. | |
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The Kitty When two players have passed, the third becomes the solo player and must take at least as many tricks as she bid in order to win the hand. She is not permitted to increase her bid and gets no credit for taking more tricks than necessary. She first takes up the kitty and adds it to her hand, then discards any three cards face down to the table, where they remain out of play. Having already announced trumps (or no trumps) she leads to the first trick. If she is playing open misere she waits until the first trick has been captured and then immediately lays the rest of her hand face up on the table. | |
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Tricks Normal rules of trick-taking apply. Players must follow suit if possible; if not, they may trump or renounce as they wish. The trick is captured by the highest card of the suit led, or the highest trump if any are played, and the winner of one trick leads to the next. Remember that the Left Bower is the third highest card of the trump suit, no the fourth highest card of the suit marked on it, and the Best Bower (Joker) is the highest trump. In a no-trump game the Best Bower may only be used to ruff a trick if its holder is void in the suit led. If the holder leads it to a trick she must specify a suit to be played to it, which the others must follow if possible; but she may not specify a suit in which she has already shown herself to be void (by discarding to it when led by another player). | |
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Score If the soloist makes her contract she scores the value of that contract. She gets no credit for taking more tricks than contracted, but if she succeeds in taking all ten in a contract worth less than 250, she scores 250 instead of the lower contract value. If she fails to make her contract her current score is reduced by the value of the failed contract, which makes it possible for players to be 'in the hole' with negative scores during the course of the game. Whether or not she makes her contract each opponent scores 10 points per trick captured by herself, except in a won misere. In a lost misere the soloist is set back 250 (520) and each opponent scores 10 per trick taken by the soloist. | |
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Game Game is either 500 up or 500 down, i.e. the winner is the first player to reach or exceed a score of 500, or the player with the greatest score if and when one player is reduced to minus 500 or more. If two or more stand to reach 500 in the same deal, the soloist scores first and wins if she thereby reaches the target; or, if both opponents reach 500 but not the soloist, then the winner is the one who took the trick that gave her 500 first. Note:When I play, the highest score you can reach by taking tricks is 490. To reach 500 and win, a player must bid and then make the contract. | |
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Revoke A revoke may be corrected before the trick is turned down but the card wrongly played remains face up on the table and must be played at the earliest legal opportunity. (If made by the second player the third may retract the card she played and play another.) If an opponent's uncorrected revoke is discovered the soloist scores as if she had won the contract, whether in fact she did or not, and the revoking player may score nothing for tricks. If a soloist's uncorrected revoke is discovered she loses the contract value whether she made it or not.
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