Pinochle Most books of post-1945 rules say that unless trump is led, there is no requirement to try to win the trick. It is only when trump is led that "heading" the trick is mandatory. In pinochle circles and tournaments the post-1945 rules are played about half of the time according to Pagat and Hoyle. If two identical cards are played, the first one outranks the second. After the first trick, the winner of each trick leads the first card for the next trick, until all the cards are played. Points are scored based on the tricks won in the hand.
Officers' Skat wins or loses, whereas game points determine how much is won or lost. Many people calculate the points using additional matadors ("Spitzen") as in Skat, so that in a game with all four Jacks and the Ace of trumps, the winner gets 5 matador points for a game value of 6 times the base value. The same goes for the calculation of "Unters" or Jacks not held. In addition there are also simplified forms of scoring: If agreed, a game can also be played where players can 'pass' instead of choosing trumps. If the actual declarer passes, the dealer can