Bezique is a free online version of the classic two-handed card game, played head to head against the computer with the traditional 64-card pack — two piquet decks of seven up to ace shuffled together. It is the game Pinochle grew out of, and it plays in two halves. While the stock lasts you may play any card; win a trick and you may declare one meld, laying it face up on the table where its cards still count as yours and can be played later. The famous one is bezique itself, the queen of spades with the jack of diamonds, for 40 — and 500 if you get both pairs on the table together. A sequence in trumps is worth 250, four aces 100, and the seven of trumps swaps for the turned-up card for 10. When the stock runs out the melds go back into your hand and the last eight tricks are strict: follow suit and win the trick if you can. Every ace and ten you capture is a brisque worth 10. Hands are dealt until someone reaches 1000. No download, no sign-up, and it plays on a phone.
How to play Bezique
- Press Play. You and the computer get eight cards each from a 64-card pack — two of every card from seven up to ace in each suit. The next card is turned face up for trumps and slid under the stock.
- Learn the rank order before your first trick: 7, 8, 9, jack, queen, king, ten, ace. The ten ranks above the king. Identical cards are common with two packs, and when both are played the one led wins.
- While the stock lasts you may play any card — there is no need to follow suit. The higher card of the suit led wins the trick, and any trump beats any card of another suit.
- Win a trick and the declaration sheet opens. Declare one meld for its points, or draw without declaring. Melded cards are laid face up on your side of the table; they are still yours and you can play them to later tricks.
- The melds: bezique (queen of spades and jack of diamonds) 40, double bezique (both pairs together) 500, sequence (ace, ten, king, queen, jack of trumps) 250, royal marriage (king and queen of trumps) 40, common marriage 20, four aces 100, four kings 80, four queens 60, four jacks 40 — any four of the rank, whatever the suits.
- Cards on the table may be reused in a meld of a different kind — a married king can join four kings — but never in a second meld of the same kind, and every new meld needs at least one card from your hand.
- Hold the seven of trumps and win a trick, and you can swap it for the turned-up trump for 10 points; the second seven of trumps scores 10 when shown. After any declaration both players draw, the trick winner first.
- The trick that empties the stock gives its loser the turned-up trump. Then all melds return to hand and the last eight tricks begin: you must follow suit and win the trick if you can, and trump if you cannot follow.
- At the end of each hand, every ace and ten you captured — a brisque — scores 10, and the last trick scores 10 more. Hands are dealt, alternating the dealer, until someone has 1000 or more at the end of a hand.
Tips
- Melds are where the points are. A full hand of brisques is worth 160 between both players, while one double bezique is worth 500 — so in the draw, play to win tricks you can declare from, not tricks for their cards.
- Do not throw away a queen of spades or a jack of diamonds early. One of each makes bezique for 40, and if the other pair turns up while the first is still on the table, adding it scores double bezique for 500.
- Declare a royal marriage first and then add the ace, ten and jack of trumps later for the 250 sequence — that order scores 290 in total. Declared the other way round, the sequence alone scores 250 and the marriage is lost.
- Lead low, worthless cards during the draw. A seven or eight of a plain suit costs nothing if you lose the trick, and keeps your aces, tens and meld cards in hand for later.
- Count the trumps as they fall. In the last eight tricks you must win the trick if you can, so knowing which high trumps are still out tells you which of your aces and tens will survive to score.
FAQ
Is Bezique free to play?
Yes. Bezique is free to play in your browser against the computer, with no download, no account and no in-game purchases.
Does Bezique work on a phone?
Yes. Tap a card to play it and tap a meld to declare it; the table fits a phone held upright or sideways. On a computer you can also use the arrow keys to move between cards, Enter to play, and Escape to draw without declaring.
Which version of Bezique is this?
The classic two-handed game with two piquet packs (64 cards), eight-card hands, the turned-up trump and a game to 1000 — not Rubicon Bezique, which uses four packs, or the six-pack Chinese Bezique. Bezique is always the queen of spades with the jack of diamonds, whatever suit is trumps. One house choice: the seven of trumps can be scored in the same turn as another meld.
What is a bezique, and what is double bezique worth?
A bezique is the queen of spades together with the jack of diamonds, worth 40. Double bezique is both queens of spades and both jacks of diamonds on the table together, worth 500 — the biggest score in the game. You can build it on a single bezique already on the table by adding the other pair. In this version, two singles that were each scored separately cannot then be counted again as a double.
Do melded cards leave my hand?
No. They lie face up on your side of the table, so the computer can see them, but they are still yours: you can play them to a trick while the stock lasts. When the stock runs out they go back into your hand for the last eight tricks.
What are brisques?
Brisques are the aces and tens. Each one you capture in a trick scores 10 at the end of the hand, and winning the very last trick scores another 10. That is 170 points in every hand, shared between the two players.
What changes in the last eight tricks?
Once the stock is empty, all melds return to hand and declaring stops. You must follow the suit led and play a card that wins the trick if you have one; if you cannot follow suit you must trump if you can. Only then may you play anything.
How long does a game take?
A game is first to 1000 points, checked at the end of each hand. In our own computer-against-computer test games the median was five hands, and no game took fewer than three or more than seven.
How is Bezique different from Pinochle?
Pinochle descends from Bezique, so they share the idea of a pinochle or bezique meld and of trumps, marriages and a strict end phase. Bezique uses a 64-card pack with sevens and eights, eight-card hands, melds laid out on the table, and only aces and tens count in the tricks. Two-handed Pinochle uses a 48-card deck, twelve-card hands and counts kings, queens and jacks as well.