Pitch
How to play Pitch (Setback)
Pitch — also called Setback or High-Low-Jack — is one of America's classic trick-taking games, a fast partnership game where the bidding decides who names trump. You and your partner sit opposite and take on two bots. This is the popular four-point game. You can also take the table online against real people.
Play Pitch online with friends
Choose Play online to be matched with real opponents for a live game, or share a private invite link so your own foursome can play together. It all runs in the browser — no account, no app — and the server keeps every bid, trump call and trick in sync for all four players.
The cards
A standard 52-card deck; everyone is dealt six cards (the rest are not used this hand). Cards rank high to low Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10 down to 2.
The bid
Starting left of the dealer, each player bids 2, 3 or 4 — or passes. A bid must beat the current high bid, so there is one winner: the pitcher. If everyone passes, the dealer is "stuck" and must take it for two. The pitcher leads to the first trick, and whatever suit they lead becomes trump for the hand.
Playing a trick
- You must follow the led suit if you can — but you may always play a trump instead.
- If you cannot follow the led suit, play anything — trump it or throw off (you are never forced to trump).
- The highest trump wins the trick; with no trump, the highest card of the led suit.
The four points
Each hand is worth up to four points: High (the side dealt the highest trump), Low (the side dealt the lowest trump), Jack (the side that wins the Jack of trumps in a trick, if it was dealt) and Game (the side that captures the most card-points — each 10 is worth 10, Ace 4, King 3, Queen 2, Jack 1; a tie scores no Game point).
Scoring
The pitching side must take at least its bid in points. Make it and you score the points you won; fall short and you are set, losing the bid amount. The other side always scores whatever points it earns. The first side to 11 wins — the bidding side counts first if both reach it at once.
Strategy
Pitch a long, strong suit so its high cards bring you High and Game. Hold the Jack of trumps if you have it, and try to capture the opponents' Jack. As a defender, smother the pitcher's tens and aces with trumps to steal the Game point, and remember your partner is fighting the same battle — feed them your fat cards when they are winning a trick. Tap a card to play it; legal cards are highlighted. N starts a new game.