How to play 120s
In 120s you win tricks, and trump cards beat everything else. Bid for the right to pick trump, take enough points to make your bid, and be the first side to 120.
A hand of 120s in six steps
- Deal five cards each. Deal 5 cards to every player and 3 face down to the middle. Those 3 are the kitty.
- Bid 20, 25 or 30. Starting after the dealer, bid or pass. Each bid must beat the last one. The highest bidder wins.
- Name trump. The winning bidder picks the trump suit, takes the kitty and throws away 3 cards.
- Play five tricks. Everyone plays one card to each trick. Follow the suit led or play a trump. The best card wins the trick and leads next.
- Count the points. Each trick is 5 points, and the 5 of trumps, Jack of trumps and Ace of hearts add 5 more each. Make your bid to keep your points.
- Race to 120. Keep dealing hands until one side reaches 120 points.
What is a trick?
Everyone puts down one card, one after the other. The best card takes all of them. That little pile is a trick, and there are five tricks in every hand.
Why trump matters
One suit is chosen as trump each hand. Any trump beats any card that is not a trump. The Ace of hearts is always a trump, whatever suit is picked.
Three trumps are worth remembering from your first hand: the 5 of trumps is the best card in the game, then the Jack of trumps, then the Ace of hearts. People call them the big three.
Red high, black low
This is the part that catches everyone out. Outside of trump, a bigger number wins in hearts and diamonds, but a smaller number wins in clubs and spades. The Ace, King, Queen and Jack are still the top four in every suit.
Bidding, in plain words
Before any cards are played, each player can bid 20, 25 or 30, or pass. A bid is how many points you promise your side will take. The highest bid gets to name trump.
There are 40 points in a hand, so bidding 30 is a big promise. Make a 30 and you score 60. Miss it and you lose 30.
How a game ends
Points add up hand after hand. If you make your bid you keep everything you took. If you miss it, the bid comes off your score. The first side to 120 wins.
The easiest way to learn
The Growler Cards lessons teach all of this in eight short steps at a real card table. Each lesson takes two to four minutes, a wrong card gets a plain explanation and another try, and they are free.