Here’s a concise guide to (also known as High Low Jack or Setback ), a popular variant of the classic card game Pitch.
Once the bidding concludes, the high bidder declares the "trump" suit, which outranks all other suits for that round. The bidder’s team is now "on the hook" to make their bid; if they fail to capture the points they promised, they "set" and lose points equal to their bid. The scoring system in 10-Point Pitch is what gives the game its name and its tension. The ten possible points are derived from specific achievements: the High Trump (highest trump card in play), the Low Trump (lowest trump card played), the Jack of Trump, the Joker (often called the "Jick" in regional variants, usually the Jack of the same color as trump), the Game Point (awarded to the team capturing the most total card points), and the High and Low Jokers if a second deck or specialized deck is used. In standard variations, points come from High, Low, Jack, Jick, and Game, with the requirement that points must be "earned" through capture, meaning the player who is dealt Low Trump does not win the point unless their team captures that specific card in a trick.
The highest trump played wins the trick and leads the next one. Scoring Pitch Basics - Trickster Cards
All players discard their non-trump cards. (Important: The Jick and Jokers are considered trump and should not be discarded).
The Pitcher receives any remaining cards in the deck and discards down to 6. Ranking of Trump Cards
The highest bidder wins the bid and chooses the trump suit . The Discard & Redraw
Be the first team to reach a target score of . Points are earned by winning specific "point cards" in tricks during each round. The Setup & Deal
Many variations of 10-point Pitch require players to play only trump cards ; if you are out of trump, you must fold your hand.
Note: Different regional rules assign points to “High Trump in hand” and “Low Trump in hand” instead of “High played” and “Low played.” The table above shows the most common 10-point distribution.