Pepper

Objective:

Pepper is a trick taking game where the highest bidder makes trump or no-trump. The object of the game is to score the most points. The goal of each hand is to win the bid and then win the tricks required to satisfy the bid.

To Deal:

At the beginning of the game the dealer is randomly selected. During the game the deal continues around the table clockwise. The player that wins the bid plays first and play continues clockwise around the table.

Pepper uses 1 decks of 24 cards each consisting of the 9 to Ace in each of the four suits: hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades, for a total of 24 cards. This is a game for four players with 2 sets of 2 partners sitting opposite of each other and 6 cards are dealt to each player.

The player to the immediate left of the dealer always bids first and the bid proceeds clockwise around the table. Before play begins the players must bid in an auction style to secure the trump suit or no-trump of their choice. The player that wins the bid plays first and play continues around the table in a clockwise direction, with the winner of each trick leading to the next trick.

Game Play:

Bidding is the process that determines the trump suit and which team are the "makers" who must win the number of tricks that they bid. First each player in turn, beginning with the player to the dealer's left, has the option of stating the quantity of tricks they believe they can win, or they may pass.

If a bidder thinks they can take all the tricks in the hand they may bid a Little or a Big. A little is no different then bidding the maximum number of tricks for the hand. A bid of Big on the other hand doubles the possible points gained or lost for the hand.

Bidding continues until everyone but 1 player has passed. After bidding the maker chooses the trump suit.

The trump suit consist of 7 cards and the ranking from highest value to lowest value is as follows (unless high is called also known as “no-trump”):

• Right Bower (the jack of the trump suit, if clubs is trump it is the jack of clubs)
• Left Bower (the other jack of the same color as the trump suit, if clubs is trump it is the jack of spades )
• Ace
• King
• Queen
• Ten
• Nine

If high are called as no-trump then the jacks are simply jacks, so if high is trump then aces are the highest card, kings are second highest, queens are third highest, jacks are fourth highest, and so on down the list with 9s being the lowest.

• The play begins with the player that won the bid leading to the first trick. Any card may be led, and each player, in clockwise direction, must follow suit by playing a card of the same suit as the card led, if possible. A player who cannot follow suit may play any card.
• For purposes of following suit the Left Bower is considered to belong to the trump suit and not to any other suit.
• The trick is won by whoever played the highest card of the suit led, unless a trump was played, in which case, the highest trump wins. The winner of each trick leads to the next one. When high is bid there is no trump suit and there are no bowers. When high is called by the highest bidder then the highest card played wins the trick.

Scoring:

• If the makers take enough tricks to win their bid then they score the number tricks taken.
• If the makers do not win their bid then they are euchred and receive a score minus the total tricks possible in the hand.
• If a team is playing a Big and they win the tricks in a hand they earn twice the number of tricks taken. If they lose even 1 trick playing the hand they lose twice the number of tricks of the hand.
• The defenders always score the number of tricks they win.

Winning:

The first team to reach 30-Points after taking the bid and making trump wins the game.

Power Cards:

• When a trump suit is named the trump cards are the highest cards, for example a 9 of trump beats an Ace of non-trump.
• The right bowers are the jacks of the trump suit and are the highest cards.
• The left bowers are the jacks of the same color as trump, are the second highest cards, and can only be beat by the right bowers.
• When no-trump high is called Aces are the highest card.

Variations:

Pepper 2-Player

In Pepper 2-Player 8 cards are dealt to each player and each hand is made up of 8-tricks, and a Big bid is worth 16-points.

Pepper 3 Player

In Pepper 3-Player 8 cards are dealt to each player and each hand is made up of 8-tricks, and a Big bid is worth 16-points.

Pepper Alone

Pepper Alone allows for no-trump low bids. When the highest bidder calls low as no-trump the highest card becomes the 9s, the second highest is the 10s, the third highest is the jack, and so on, reverse up the list with aces considered the lowest card. Again jacks are just jacks. Again, when low is called by the highest bidder the lowest card played wins the trick.

Pepper Alone does not use Big and Little. If a bidder thinks they can win all the tricks in the hand they can call Alone bid or a Alone bid of 1-card(Alone 1). In a bidder bids an Alone bid their partner does not take part in the game and the bidder must win all the tricks of the hand. If they win all the tricks they earn 12-Points, but they lose 12-Points if they lose even 1 trick. An Alone 1 the bidders partner also does not take part in the hand but they pass 1 from their hand to their partner who then passes 1 cards back. This is only worth 6-Points and not 12-Points.

Only one round of bidding. Played to 42-Points.

Modified on 10/26/16 from Wikipedia