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How to play 500 (Five Hundred) (2026): Five Hundred is a bidding trick-taking game for four players in two partnerships. It grew out of Euchre, adds a joker as the top trump, and lets the highest bidder pick trump and swap cards with a three-card kitty. The first team to 500 points wins. This guide covers the standard four-handed rules as described on pagat, with the scoring table you need.
This is the trick-taking 500, not Rummy 500, which is a different melding game with the same number in its name.
Cards for a 500 table: Bicycle Rider Back Playing Cards (12-pack)
You build the 43-card 500 deck from a standard deck plus one joker. With a 12-pack you can keep one deck permanently stripped for 500 and still have plenty for other games.
Price band: $20–$30 (about $25) · Check today’s price on Amazon
Building the 43-card Five Hundred deck
- Red suits (hearts, diamonds): A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4.
- Black suits (spades, clubs): A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5.
- Plus one joker. That gives 43 cards. Remove the 2s, the 3s, and the black 4s.
Trump order: the joker and the bowers
When there is a trump suit, the cards rank from the top: the joker, then the jack of trumps (the right bower), then the other jack of the same color (the left bower), then A, K, Q, 10, 9 and down. The left bower counts as a trump for every purpose, so the suit of the same color is one jack short. Other suits rank A down to 5 or 4.
Dealing the hand and kitty
Deal clockwise so each player gets 10 cards and three cards go face down to the kitty. The usual pattern is three to each player, one to the kitty, four to each player, one to the kitty, three to each player, one to the kitty.
Bidding in 500
Starting left of the dealer, players bid or pass. A bid names a number of tricks, at least six, and a trump suit or no trumps. Each bid must be higher than the last: more tricks, or the same number in a higher suit. Suit order from low to high is spades, clubs, diamonds, hearts, then no trumps. A player who passes is out of the auction, and bidding continues until three have passed. If all four pass, the hand is thrown in.
Two special bids exist. Misère is a promise to lose every trick, playing alone; it ranks above any seven bid and below any eight bid, and may be bid only after someone has bid seven. Open misère is the same but your hand is laid face up after the first trick; it ranks between ten diamonds and ten hearts and can be bid at any point.
How tricks work in 500
- The winning bidder takes the kitty, keeps what they want, and discards three cards face down.
- The bidder leads the first trick. Players must follow suit if they can, remembering the left bower belongs to trumps.
- The highest trump wins the trick, or the highest card of the suit led if no trump was played.
- The trick winner leads next. In misère, the bidder’s partner sits out.
The Five Hundred scoring table
| Tricks | Spades | Clubs | Diamonds | Hearts | No trumps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 40 | 60 | 80 | 100 | 120 |
| 7 | 140 | 160 | 180 | 200 | 220 |
| 8 | 240 | 260 | 280 | 300 | 320 |
| 9 | 340 | 360 | 380 | 400 | 420 |
| 10 | 440 | 460 | 480 | 500 | 520 |
Misère is worth 250 and open misère 500. If the bidding team makes its contract it scores the table value; extra tricks earn nothing unless they take all ten (a slam), which is worth at least 250. If they fail, they lose the bid’s value. Either way, the defenders score 10 points per trick they won. Misère scores only for the bidder, plus or minus.
The game ends when a team reaches 500 by making a contract, or falls to minus 500.
Five Hundred strategy basics
- Count the bowers. The joker plus both bowers is a strong start toward a trump bid.
- Use the kitty to void a suit. Discarding all of a short suit lets you trump in later.
- Respect your partner’s bid. Raising your partner’s suit is usually safer than bidding a new one.
- Know Euchre? Five Hundred will feel familiar. Brush up with our Euchre rules or explore the trick-taking games guide.
Five Hundred rules questions
How many cards are in a 500 deck?
Forty-three: the standard suits stripped down, plus one joker.
What is the highest card in 500?
The joker, followed by the right bower and the left bower.
Is 500 the same as Rummy 500?
No. This 500 is a trick-taking game. Rummy 500 is a melding game; see our Rummy 500 rules.
