Pluck Rules

Pluck is a three-player trick-taking game with no running score. Miss your job this hand, and next hand somebody gets to improve their future using your cards.

Fast version: 3 players. 17 tricks. Dealer needs 7. Left needs 6. Right needs 4. Dealer declares trump. The player with the 2♣ opens the hand. If you come up short, somebody earns a pluck against you next round.

What Makes Pluck Different

Most trick games make you track points. Pluck makes you feel consequences. If you do not win enough tricks for your seat, another player may earn the right to pluck you before the next hand begins.

The Deck

Start with a standard 52-card deck. Remove the 2♦, 2♥, and 2♠. Keep the 2♣. Add both Jokers. One Joker is the Big Joker. One Joker is the Little Joker. That leaves 51 cards, which creates exactly 17 tricks for 3 players.

Targets

Dealer: 7 tricks. Left of dealer: 6 tricks. Right of dealer: 4 tricks. Make your number and you are safe. Miss it, and next hand may get ugly.

The Pluck

Before a hand begins, earned plucks are handled first. The plucker passes one card face down to the pluckee. The pluckee must return their highest card of that same suit. Jokers cannot be forced out during a pluck.

Dealer Declares Trump

After plucks are finished, the dealer names the trump suit. The player holding the 2♣ leads the first trick. If clubs are trump, trump is open immediately.