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Auction Pitch

Auction Pitch, commonly known as Pitch and sometimes as Set Back, is a variation of all fours. It is at its best and most popular when played by four players, each playing for himself.
As in the parent game, the cards rank in the usual order from Ace (high) to 2 (low), and six are dealt to the players in two bundles of three each. No card, however, is turned up to determine the trump suit.

The player on the left of the dealer bids first, and each player, in his turn, may either make a bid or pass. A bid must be for at least two points, and for more than the preceding bid, except for the dealer, who is entitled to buy the hand for the same number of points as the preceding bid. The maximum number of points as the preceding bid. The maximum number of points in a deal is 4, and a player who expects to win them bids Smudge. The dealer cannot take the declaration from him.
The successful bidder is known as the maker, and he pitches (leads) to the first trick. The card that he leads determines the trump suit.

At each trick a player must follow suit to the card led, if he can, otherwise he may discard or trump. The winner of a trick leads to the next.
As in the parent poker game, points are scored as follows:
High. The player who holds the highest trump scores 1 point.
Low. The player who holds the lowest trump scores 1 point.
Jack. The player who wins the trick that contains the Jack of the trump suit (if it is in play) scores 1 point.
Game. Counting the Ace as 4, the King as 3, the Queen as 2, the Jack as 1 and the Ten as 10, the player with the highest total in the tricks he has won scores 1 point. If there is a tie no-one scores the point.

Every player records what he scores, and if the maker fails to reach his bid he is set back by the full amount of it. He records the score and if it reduces him to a minus score he encircles it. A player with a minus score is said to be in the hole.
The game is won by the player who first reaches 7 points, and if the maker and one or more of the other players reach 7 points in the same deal, the maker wins. As between the other three players, the points are counted in the order High, Low, Jack, Game.
A player who smudges and wins all four points automatically wins the online poker game regardless of his score, unless he was in the hole when he smudged. In this event he scores only 4 points.