How to play Pluck: rules of the three-player card game

Pluck is a cutthroat trick-taking game for three, played across the American South. Each player has a quota of tricks to take. Beat yours, and next hand you get to pluck: hand a card to a player who fell short and take back their best card of that suit.

• Players3
• Cards52-card pack less three 2s, plus two jokers (51)
• Hand17 cards
• GoalFirst to 20 points (or 10)

The cards and the deal

Take a 52-card pack, remove the 2♦, 2♥ and 2♠, and add the two jokers: 51 cards, seventeen each, dealt one at a time. The deal moves to the left each hand.

Quotas

Every hand, each seat has a number of tricks to take: the dealer 7, the player on the dealer's left 6, and the player on the right 4.

The pluck

After the deal, anyone who went over their quota last hand plucks anyone who fell short, once for every trick they were short. To pluck, you pass a card (never a joker) to the player you are plucking. They must give you back their highest card of that suit. If they have nothing higher than the card you gave, your card comes straight back. Plucking is how good players turn a strong hand into a stronger one - and why falling short hurts twice.

Trump and play

The dealer names trump. The two jokers are the highest trumps - big joker, then little joker, then the ace of trump. Whoever holds the 2♣ leads it to the first trick. You must follow suit if you can. Trump can't be led until it has been broken (someone trumped in), unless trump is all you hold.

Scoring and winning

Every trick over your quota is a point. The first player to 20 wins (or 10 in a short game), as long as they are alone at the top when the hand ends.

Questions

How many cards do you need for Pluck?

51: a standard pack without the 2♦, 2♥ and 2♠, plus two jokers, so the three players get seventeen each.

What happens if you get plucked?

For each trick you were short, a player who went over hands you a card and you must give back your highest card of that suit. If you have nothing higher, their card comes straight back to them.

Can I play Pluck online with friends?

Yes, free: open a table and send the code, or tap Play online now. The computer plays any empty seat, and takes over for anyone who leaves so the others can finish.