Pitch / Setback

👥 2–4 players 📍 Indoor📍 Anywhere ⚡ Calm 🧩 Moderate ⏱ 30-45 minutes 🎂 Ages 8+

Quick Pitch

Pitch is an American trick-taking game where you bid for the right to name the trump suit, then try to win specific scoring cards — the high trump, low trump, Jack of trump, and the most card points overall.

Hook

Before each hand, you announce how many of the four available points you think you can win. Win the bid and you get to name the trump suit — but if you fall short of your bid, you lose points instead of gaining them. It's a game where the bidding is half the battle: too timid and you lose ground to confident opponents; too bold and you "set back" your score. Pitch is a classic American card game with a dedicated following in the Midwest and South.

Equipment Needed

  • One standard 52-card deck
  • Paper and pencil for score tracking

Setup

  1. Shuffle and deal 6 cards to each player, 3 at a time
  2. Determine player order
  3. Designate a dealer

Rules

Objective

Bid accurately and win high-scoring tricks. Accumulate points from high cards, low cards, Jack of trump, and game totals. First to agreed score (typically 11-21) wins.

Bidding

  1. Bid order: Players bid in turn, announcing points they expect to win (1-4)
  2. Minimum bid: Typically 2 points (varies by variant)
  3. Passing: Players may pass rather than bid
  4. High bidder: Highest bid wins the round; that player sets trump
  5. Trump selection: Highest bidder names the trump suit

Points Scored

During play:

  • High (Ace of trump): 1 point
  • Low (2 of trump): 1 point
  • Jack of trump: 1 point
  • Game (highest pip total in tricks): 1 point
  • Total possible: 4 points per hand

Card values for game point:

  • Ace: 14 points
  • King: 13 points
  • Queen: 12 points
  • Jack: 11 points
  • 10: 10 points
  • All others: face value

Gameplay

  1. Lead: Player to dealer's left leads first trick
  2. Following suit: Players must follow suit if able; trump may be played if suit cannot be followed
  3. Trick winner: Highest card of suit led wins; highest trump if trump played
  4. Collecting tricks: Winner leads next trick

Scoring

Points per hand:

  • Bidder meeting or exceeding bid: Score all 4 points
  • Bidder failing to meet bid: Lose points equal to bid (negative score); all other players score points they earned
  • Non-bidders: Always score points they earned

Game ending: First player to reach agreed total (typically 11-21 points) wins.

Expert Player

Tips

  1. Accurate bidding: Assess hand strength carefully; failing to make bid is costly
  2. Trump strength: Bidding requires trump advantage and card support
  3. Jack hunting: Knowing if Jack of trump is in play affects strategy
  4. Trick management: Win high-scoring tricks; avoid low-value tricks
  5. Card counting: Track high cards and trump as they're played
  6. Psychological play: Bidding patterns reveal information
  7. Setback strategy: When behind, conservative bidding minimizes risk

Variations

  • High-Low-Jack variant: No game point; only high, low, and Jack score (3 points)
  • 4-point Pitch: Standard version above (high, low, jack, game)
  • 6-point variant: Includes additional scoring (e.g., 10 of trump)
  • Team Pitch: Partnerships modify rules and scoring
Learn More — History & Origins

History & Origins

Pitch descends from an English trick-taking game called All Fours, which was one of the most popular card games in England from the 17th century onward. All Fours arrived in America with colonial settlers and gradually evolved into several regional variants — High-Low-Jack, Seven-Up, and eventually Pitch — with the distinct innovation that the first player to lead "pitches" (sets) the trump suit, giving the game its name. By the 19th century, Pitch had become one of the most widely played card games in the American South and Midwest.

Cultural Context

Pitch remains a strongly regional game today, with devoted followings in the Midwest, Appalachia, and parts of New England that have maintained the tradition through generations of family play. In communities where it's popular, Pitch is often the card game people grew up with — the one grandparents taught, the one played at holidays and harvest events. It has the character of a local folk game rather than a nationally marketed one: known intensely in certain places, virtually unknown in others. Pitch tournaments are held in several Midwestern states, and the game's combination of bidding strategy and trick-taking skill gives it genuine depth for competitive play.

See Also