500 (card game)
500 or Five Hundred is a trick-taking game developed in the United States from Euchre. Euchre was extended to a 10 card game with bidding and a Misère contract similar to Russian Preference, producing a cutthroat three-player game like Preference and a four-player game played in partnerships like Whist which is the most popular modern form, although with special packs it can be played by up to six players.
Extra cards for 6 players | |
| Origin | United States |
|---|---|
| Alternative names | Five Hundred |
| Type | Trick-taking |
| Players | 2-6 |
| Skills | Memory, Tactics |
| Cards | 33-63 |
| Deck | French |
| Rank (high→low) | Trump suit: Joker J J A K Q (13) (12) (11) 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 (3) (2) Other: Joker A K Q (J) (13) (12) (11) 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 (3) (2) |
| Play | Clockwise |
| Playing time | 30 minutes |
| Chance | Medium |
| Related games | |
| Euchre, Bridge | |
It arose in America before 1900 and was promoted by the US Playing Card Company, who copyrighted and marketed a deck with a set of rules in 1904. The US Playing Card Company released the improved Avondale scoring table to remove bidding irregularities in 1906. 500 is a social card game and was highly popular in the United States until around 1920 when first auction bridge and then contract bridge drove it from favour. It continues to be popular in Ohio and Pennsylvania, where it has been taught through six generations community-wide, and in other countries: Australia, New Zealand, Canada (especially Ontario and Quebec) and Shetland. Despite its American origin, 500 is the national card game of Australia.