How to Play 45s

Rules

Forty Fives (45s) is a trick-taking card game where the first team to reach 120 points wins.

Scoring

Each trick counts for 5 points, with the high card adding an additional 5 points. If the bidding team meets or exceeds their bid, they score all their points. If they fail, their bid amount is deducted from their score. The other team always scores what they have won in tricks.

Winning the Game

The first team to reach a total of 120 points wins. If both teams reach 120 in the same hand, the bidding team wins.

Cards

The game is played with a standard 52-card deck. Trump cards always beat offsuit cards, and the Ace of Hearts is always Trump. The full order is:

Trump suits

• Hearts: 5, J, A, K, Q, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 4, 3, 2
• Diamonds: 5, J, Ace of Hearts, A, K, Q, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 4, 3, 2
• Clubs & Spades: 5, J, Ace of Hearts, A, K, Q, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Off suits

• Hearts: K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2
• Diamonds: K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A
• Clubs & Spades: K, Q, J, A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Phases

The game has 4 phases: Dealing, Bidding, Discarding, and Playing.

Dealing

Each player is dealt 5 cards, and 3 cards are dealt to a kitty.

Bidding

Bidding starts with the player to the left of the dealer and moves clockwise. Players can bid or pass, with bids starting at 15 points and increasing in multiples of 5 up to 30 points. Whoever had the highest bid names the trump suit. If no one bids, the dealer is "bagged" and must bid 15, choosing any suit as trump.

Holding: the dealer bids last and may hold, taking the bid at the current high bid without raising it. A player who holds names trump just like any other bid winner.

Discarding

Each player discards cards from their hand, keeping at least 1 card and no more than 5. The player who won the bid gets the kitty and can discard additional cards, maintaining the same limits. The dealer then replenishes each player's hand to 5 cards, starting with the player to their left.

Playing

The bidder leads the first card, and each player follows with one card, forming a trick. The winner of the trick leads the next one. Here are the rules:

1. Follow the suit if you can (e.g. play a heart if a heart is led).
2. You can always play a trump card, even if an off-suit is led.
3. A trick is won by the highest trump or the highest card of the suit led if no trumps are played.

Reneging exception: The three highest trumps (5, J, Ace of Hearts) can renege when a lower trump is led. For example, if the trump 6 is led, a player with one of these top trumps and no lower trumps can throw an off-suit card. However, you cannot renege a higher trump. If the trump Jack is played, the holder of the 5 can renege, but not the holder of the Ace of Hearts.