
The club eventually moved to its current home at the senior center. The club was moved to Bluebird Hall (current location of Community Patrol offices) then to the Magnolia Room at the country club and even to the POA building. The club originally played at the lodge with eight tables and 32 members. The Canyon Lake Pinochle Club was founded in 1989 by Al Funk. Once familiarized with the values of each card in the deck, a hand can be built to win points and seize the momentum needed to come out on top. Learning the basic rules of the game only takes a few minutes, but the fast-paced excitement of the game can provide countless hours of fun. Pinochle is a card game that involves exchanging and putting together different combinations of cards, or “melds,” in order to score points. “We welcome old-timers and are happy to teach newcomers because we want pinochle to last another thirty years.” “We have sodas, munchies, prizes and lots of laughs,” said member Marlys Shilling. The Canyon Lake Pinochle Club is seeking new players to join them on Thursday nights from 6 to 9 p.m. For example, if the non-trump lead has already been trumped, and you have cards in the suit led, you cannot beat the trump that is currently winning the trick (since you have to follow suit), so you may play any card of the suit that was led.Canyon Lake Pinochle Club seeking new players

If you are unable to do this you may play any card, subject always to the necessity to follow suit and to play a trump if you have no card of the suit led. The obligation to play higher only applies if you are able to beat the card that is currently winning the trick.

The only case in which you are allowed to throw a card of a non-trump suit different from the led suit is when you have no cards of the suit led and no trumps. If you have no card of the suit led, you must play a trump if you can, even if someone before you has already played a higher trump than yours.The rule obliging you to beat the card currently winning the trick applies even if the card you are obliged to beat is your partner's.The first played of two identical cards beats the second.A common variation is to play cutthroat, where such passing of cards does not take place. The bidder incorporates those into the hand, then passes the same number of cards back.

Racehorse means that, after the winning bidder has named trump, that player's partner passes cards across the table.One variation is that trump is determined by the final card dealt from the deck. The player winning the bid gets the right to name trump, but also has the responsibility to make sure the team earns the number of points bid. Auction means that the privilege of naming trump is bid for amongst the players.There are variations (notably in three-handed) where each player plays independently, and other variations where the player taking the bid has a partner based on which other player is holding a particular card. Partnership means that the four people are grouped in two teams of two.Two-handed and six-handed pinochle also exist, and I'm sure there are others (eight-handed comes to mind).

I also play three-handed pinochle, and I've worked on developing a special deck for playing five-handed pinochle.
