Official Cinch Rules

Last Updated on July 22, 2025 by The Official Game Rules Team

Cinch, also known as Pedro or Double Pedro, is a classic trick-taking card game played with four players in two partnerships. The main objective is to bid, win tricks, and capture point-scoring cards, especially the powerful “Pedro” cards. Below is a complete guide to Cinch rules, including card rankings, bidding, play, scoring, and common rule irregularities.

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How to Play Cinch

Cinch Rules: Card Rankings

Understanding the rank of cards is key to mastering the Cinch card game.

  • In the trump suit, cards rank as follows (highest to lowest):
    Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 of trumps (Right Pedro), 5 of the same color (Left Pedro), 4, 3, 2
  • In all other suits:
    Ace (high), King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2

Setup: Shuffle, Cut, and Deal

Shuffle and Cut
  • Each player draws a card from a shuffled deck to form teams—the two highest cards vs. the two lowest.
  • The player with the highest card chooses their seat and cards.
  • Any player may shuffle; the dealer shuffles last.
  • The player to the dealer’s right must cut the deck, leaving at least four cards in each part.
  • Deal passes to the left after every hand.
The Deal
  • The dealer deals cards clockwise in sets of three, starting with the player on their left, until each player has 9 cards.

Cinch Bidding Rules

  • The player to the dealer’s left opens the bidding.
  • Each player bids once, and each new bid must exceed the previous.
  • The maximum bid is 14, representing all available points in the hand.
  • Players may also pass.

Trump, Drawing, and Discarding

  • The highest bidder names the trump suit.
  • All players (except the dealer) must discard all non-trump cards, unless they hold seven or more trumps—in which case they may discard one trump, revealing it.
  • The dealer then deals additional cards to bring each hand to six cards.
  • The dealer may then look through undealt cards to complete their own hand to six cards—this is called “robbing the pack.”

Important Discard Rules

  • Players may adjust their discard before looking at newly dealt cards.
  • If a trump is discarded, it must be shown and becomes a dead card.
  • If an opponent of the high bidder accidentally discards a scoring card, it counts for the high bidder’s team.

Objective of Cinch

The goal is to win tricks containing scoring cards. These are:

  • High (highest trump in play): 1 point
  • Low (lowest trump played): 1 point
  • Jack of trumps: 1 point
  • Ten of trumps (“Game”): 1 point
  • Right Pedro (5 of trumps): 5 points
  • Left Pedro (5 of same color): 5 points
    Total possible per hand: 14 points

How to Play Cinch

  • The high bidder leads first, with any card.
  • Follow suit is required on trump leads; otherwise, players may play any card.
  • On a non-trump lead, players may follow suit or trump in.
  • Tricks containing trumps are won by the highest trump played. Otherwise, the highest card in the suit led wins.

Cinch Scoring Rules

  • If the bidding team makes their bid, the team with the higher point total scores the difference between their scores.
  • If the bidding team fails, the opposing team scores 14 points plus the amount the bidders fell short.

Scoring Examples

  • Bid: 6. Bidding team scores 6, opponents score 8 → Opponents get 2 points.
  • Bid: 8. Bidding team scores 7, opponents score 7 → Opponents get 15 points (14 + 1).

Game ends when a team reaches 51 points.

Cinch Rules: Irregularities & Penalties

New Deal Conditions
  • A new deal occurs if:
    • A card is found face-up in the deck before the deal completes.
    • A card is dealt face-up.
    • The shuffle or cut is improper and caught before dealing finishes.
Misdeal
  • If a player receives too many or too few cards, and it’s discovered before bidding, the dealer loses the deal.
Incorrect Hand
  1. Too few cards: play continues.
  2. Too many cards: player offers hand face-down, and opponent draws excess cards, which return to the deck.
Bid Out of Turn
  • The offending team cannot bid for the rest of the round.
  • Any previous bids stand.
Lead or Play Out of Turn
  • If caught before both opponents play, the card must be taken back.
  • If the lead occurred when it was the partner’s turn, the opponent may require or forbid a trump lead.
Revoke (Failure to Follow Suit)
  • Play continues.
  • The offending team cannot score for the hand.
  • If the offender is an opponent of the high bidder, the bidding team cannot be set.

Cinch Rules Summary

To win at Cinch, players must master bidding, trump management, and scoring strategy. Knowing the Cinch card rankings and following proper play rules ensures fair and competitive gameplay. Whether you’re new to the game or refreshing your memory, these Cinch rules cover everything you need to start playing confidently.

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