You’re sitting at a wobbly wooden table in a dive bar in Rhode Island or maybe a basement in Newfoundland. The air is thick with competitive energy, and someone just slammed a Jack of Trump onto the table like it was a winning lottery ticket. That’s the high low jack game. It isn't some flashy, modern app-based distraction. It’s a gritty, trick-taking battle that has survived for centuries because it’s fast, mean, and surprisingly deep.
Most people call it Pitch. Some call it All Fours. In New England, it’s almost exclusively High Low Jack. Whatever name you use, the soul of the game remains the same: you’re hunting for four specific points while trying to screw over your neighbors. It’s a game of calculated aggression. You don't just play your cards; you weaponize them.
The Brutal Simplicity of the Four Points
The game is built on a foundation of four points. That's it. High, Low, Jack, and Game. If you can’t remember those, you're going to lose your shirt—or at least the next round of drinks.
High is the highest trump card in play. Usually an Ace.
Low is the lowest trump card dealt. This is where things get weird. Unlike High, which is just about power, Low is often about protection. If you’re dealt the Deuce of trumps, you have that point. But you have to play it at the right time so it doesn’t get eaten by a bigger card, even though the point stays with the person who was originally dealt the card in many regional variations.
Then there’s the Jack. This is the card that causes the most shouting. To get the Jack point, you have to win the trick containing the Jack of trumps. It’s the only point that can be "stolen." You can hold the Jack, play it, and if someone drops a Queen or King on it, they take your point. It’s heartbreaking.
Finally, there’s Game. This isn't a single card. It’s a collective total of the "face value" of all the cards you won in your tricks. Tens are worth 10, Aces are 4, Kings are 3, Queens are 2, and Jacks are 1. You do the math at the end. If you tied for Game? Nobody gets the point.
Why the Bidding Phase is a Psychological Minefield
The high low jack game begins with a bid. This is where the amateurs reveal themselves.
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Usually, you get six cards. You look at them and decide how many of those four points you can actually take. You can bid two, three, or four (the "Smudge"). If you bid three and only get two, you go "set." That means your score goes backwards. You literally lose three points.
Honestly, the bidding is more about reading the person across from you than the cards in your hand. If Joe across the table bids three instantly, he’s probably sitting on the Ace and King of something. If he hesitates? He’s got a "weak" three—maybe just a Jack and some luck. You have to decide if you want to outbid him just to steal the trump color.
In some versions, specifically "Setback," if you bid and don't make it, you're in the hole. It's not uncommon to see a score of -5 to 11. It’s a climb. A long, painful climb.
The Strategy Nobody Tells You: The "Throwaway"
New players think they should win every trick. Wrong.
Winning a trick with a bunch of low-value non-trump cards is a waste of time. You want to save your power for when the points are on the line. If someone leads a suit you don't have, and you know the Jack hasn't been played yet, that's your moment. You "trump in." You use a small trump card to snatch a trick that has a Ten or an Ace in it.
Knowing When to Bleed Trump
If you’re the "pitcher" (the person who won the bid), you usually want to lead with a high trump card. Why? To "bleed" the other players. You want to force them to cough up their trumps early so they can’t use them to steal your Jack or your Game points later. It’s a scorched-earth policy. If I have the Ace and King, I’m playing them first. I want to see what everyone else is hiding.
The Mystery of the Off-Suit
Sometimes, the best move is to play a card you know will lose. It sounds counterintuitive, right? But if you’re trying to protect your "Low" card (like the 2 or 3 of trumps), you want to wait until the big trumps are out of the way. You throw away a 7 of Diamonds just to stay out of the lead. You want to be the last person to play on the final trick, not the first.
Regional Quirks: Pitch vs. High Low Jack vs. Setback
The high low jack game is a bit of a shapeshifter. If you play in a VFW hall in Connecticut, the rules might be slightly different than a game in a pub in Ireland.
In some places, you play with a "Widow" or a "Kitty." This is a small pile of extra cards the highest bidder gets to pick up. It changes the game from a test of what you were dealt to a test of how lucky you are with the draw. In the Irish version, "Twenty-Five," the Five of trumps is the highest card. It’s chaotic. It defies the standard hierarchy of cards we’ve been taught since childhood.
Then there is the "Smudge." If you bid four and win all four, you win the game instantly in some circles. It's the grand slam of the high low jack game. But if you bid four and get three? You're buried. Most people aren't brave enough to "Smudge" unless they're holding the Ace, King, and Queen of the same suit.
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How to Not Get Kicked Off the Table
- Don't "Reneg." If someone leads a Heart and you have a Heart, you must play it—unless you want to play a trump. You can always trump. But you can't play a Spade if you have a Heart and aren't trumping. If you get caught reneging, the hand is over, and you lose points. It's the ultimate sign of a cheat or a distracted player.
- Watch the "Game" count. Keep track of the Tens. If you see two Tens go into an opponent's pile, stop worrying about the "Game" point. It's gone. Pivot. Focus on the Jack or just making sure they don't get the "Low."
- The Deuce is a Diamond. Well, not literally. But the Deuce of trumps is a guaranteed point for whoever was dealt it in many common house rules. If you have it, don't be scared. Even if someone takes the trick with an Ace, the point for "Low" still goes to you at the end of the round.
Why This Game Survives in the Age of Video Games
There’s something visceral about the high low jack game. It doesn't require a screen. It requires a deck of cards that’s probably missing the jokers and has a few beer stains on the corners.
It’s a social game, but it’s a quiet one. There’s a lot of staring. A lot of sighing. It’s about the tension of the "Pitch." When you lead that first card, you are setting the tone for the entire hand. You’re telling the table, "This is my turf."
Is it better than Poker? In many ways, yes. Poker is about the math and the bluff. High Low Jack is about the flow. It’s about understanding the distribution of a 52-card deck among four people. It’s more mechanical but feels more personal. You aren't just betting against someone; you are actively taking their cards away from them.
Real-World Tips for Your First Game
If you're jumping into a high low jack game tonight, keep your mouth shut for the first few rounds. Watch how the locals bid.
- Count the trumps. There are 13 cards in each suit. If you’ve seen 10 trumps played, there are only 3 left. If you have them, you are a god.
- Don't bid 2. It’s a "chicken" bid. Unless you have absolutely nothing, a 2 bid is weak. Most competitive tables expect at least a 3 to take the lead.
- Protect the Jack. If you hold the Jack, do not lead it. Ever. Wait for someone else to lead that suit, or wait until you've bled the table of higher trumps.
The beauty of the game is that it’s never the same twice. The cards change, the trumps change, and the person sitting next to you might be your best friend one minute and the person trying to "set" you the next.
Actionable Steps for Mastery
- Memorize the "Game" values immediately. You can't be "that guy" asking how much a King is worth in the middle of a heated hand. (Ace: 4, King: 3, Queen: 2, Jack: 1, Ten: 10).
- Practice the "Three-Bid" Logic. Look at a random 6-card hand. If you have the Ace of a suit and one other card in that suit, you have two points (High and potentially Low or Game). Do you have a third? If not, don't bid three.
- Find a local variant. Ask the people you're playing with: "Does the Low point stay with the dealer or the winner of the trick?" This one question will save you from a massive argument in the fourth inning.
- Download a basic "Pitch" app. Use it just to get the rhythm of trick-taking down before you play for real stakes or reputation.