Forty Fives (45′s) – Rules
The following is the official rules for this web site. Forty Fives has many variations but this is the one that is played throughout New England’s Merrimack Valley. That is where I grew up and where I learned the game.
Objective:
To win tricks and score to 120 before your opponents do.
Players:
Two to five players in a singles game room or four players in a partners game room (2 pairs of partners) with partners in alternating seats.
Cards:
A regular deck of 52. The highest trump is the five; second is the jack, third is the A of hearts, no matter what suit is trump (Trump is the suit bid on.). For black suits, the cards from 2 to 10 score in reverse of normal order, leading to the saying “high in red; low in black.”. This means that a 2 will beat a 3 in black suits while a 3 will beat a two in red suits..
The full rank in the trump suit is:
Hearts:
5 (high),J, A of hearts, K, Q, 10, 9,. 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.
Diamonds:
5 (high), J, A of hearts, A, K, Q, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.
Clubs:
5 (high), J, A of hearts, A, K, Q, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.
Spades:
5 (high), J, A of hearts, A, K, Q, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.
In non trump suits the rank is:
Hearts or Diamonds:
K (high), Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, (A of Diamonds).
Clubs or Spades:
K (high), Q, J, A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.
(note the order in the black suites low is high)
Deal:
Each player is dealt five cards in batches of 3cards to each player then 3 cards in the kitty, then 2cards to eacjh player. The three cards in a kitty are placed in the middle of the table and given to the winning bidder after trump suit is chosen.
Bidding:
The bidding starts with the player to the dealer’s left and continues clockwise. Each player in turn may either bid or pass. Bids are made in multiples of 5, up to 30, with no suit being mentioned and a minimum starting bid of 15. Each bid must be higher than the preceding bid. The winning bidder names the trump suit. If no one bids the dealer is bagged and must bid 15.
Drawing:
Each player selects the the cards they whish to discard. This can be as many cards as they wish from there hand. The dealer then restores the player’s hands to five cards, starting with the player to the left.
Play:
The player with the winning bid makes the opening play. The hand is played out in tricks.Each player must follow suit if he can. If unable to follow the suit led, any card may be played. A trick is won by the highest trump played on it, or the highest card of the suit led if no trump are present. The winner of each hand then leads the next hand till all 5 cards are played.
A hand must follow suit to a lead, if able, with the following exceptions:
(a) Even though able to follow to a non trump lead, a player may trump if he pleases.
(b) The three highest trumps (5, J, A of hearts) have the privilege or reneging when a lower trump is led. For example, if the trump six is led, a player holding any of these three top trumps without lower trumps may discard instead of following suit (if he has lower trump also, he must play a trump). But there is no reneging against a higher trump. For example, if the trump jack is played, the holder of the five may renege but not the holder of the A.
Scoring:
Each trick counts 5, and the highest trump in play counts 10. After the hand, each side counts what they have taken. If the bidder’s side has taken at least the amount of the bid, they score all they have won. If this side fails, the amount of the bid is deducted from its score (called going in the hole). The other side in either case always scores what it has won in tricks. If any side makes 30 (all the points), this is known as 30 days.
Game:
The player or team to first reach a total of 120 points wins the game. The bidder is always the winner in the case that more than one player reaches 120 or if the bidder does not go out (reach 120) and there is a tie between two or more other players the win goes to the first one to reach 120…
Loved going through this. Keep it up!