Pepper

• Introduction
• Players
• Cards
• Dealing
• Bidding
• Card Exchange
• Dropping Out
• The Play
• Scoring
• Variations (four player partnership)
• More Variations (cutthroat, 5 or 6 players, double deck)
• Software
• Contributors

Introduction

The card game Pepper is played in the Midwest of North America, in the region around the Great Lakes, particularly in Iowa but there are also players in Wisconsin, Michigan and some other places. It is a essentially a version of Bid Euchre. Euchre games with added bidding appeared in the American card game literature in the early twentieth century under the German name Hasenpfeffer ('peppered hare'), and over the years this name was transformed into Pfeifer, Horse and Pepper and many other similar sounding names. In the early literature there was Single Hasenpfeffer, played with a single 24 card deck of Ace down to 9 in each suit, and Double Hasenpfeffer, played with a doubled deck of 48 cards. Over the past century a huge number of local variants have evolved and the naming of them is not entirely consistent.

Nowadays the name Pepper is most often used for a single deck partnership game for four players and I will start by describing how this is typically played in Iowa, followed by a survey of some common variants. However, I have also received descriptions of versions Pepper for 5 or 6 players, and some using double decks, and I will include notes on some of these at the end of the page.

Players

The usual game is four four players in fixed partnerships, each player sitting opposite their partner.

Cards

A standard pack of 24 cards is used containing 9, 10, J, Q, K, and A in each of the suits hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades. The rank of the cards in the trump suit, in descending order, is:

• Jack of the trump suit, known as the right bower (highest)
• Jack of the of the other suit of the same color as the trump suit, the left bower
• Ace of trumps
• King of trumps
• Queen of trumps
• Ten of trumps
• Nine of trumps (lowest)

In the other three suits the rank from high to low is Ace, King, Queen, (Jack,) Ten, Nine - omitting the Jack in the suit that is the same color as trumps.

When playing with no trumps, all four suits follow the non-trump suit ranking from Ace (high) down to Nine (low).

Dealing

The first dealer may be chosen by any convenient random method: one way is by dealing the cards around the table to face up one at a time until a Jack appears, designating the first dealer. Subsequently the turn to deal passes to the left after each hand has been played and scored.

The dealer shuffles the cards and deals them all clockwise, starting with the player to the dealer's left, so that each player receives six cards. The deal is normally in batches of two or three cards at a time, at dealer's discretion. Cards may be dealt singly, but never more than three at a time.

Bidding

Starting with the player to the dealer's left, and proceeding clockwise, each player can bid or pass. A bid indicates the number of tricks that a player will contract to win if allowed to choose the trump suit or no trump. The possible bids are the numbers from one (lowest) up to to six, followed by 'little pepper' and 'big pepper' (highest). The pepper bids are also undertakings to win six trick, little pepper for a higher score and big pepper without help from partner.

There is a single round of bidding beginning with the player to dealer's left and ending with the dealer. Each player in turn must pass or bid, and each bid must be higher than the previous bid.

The final (highest) bidder either names a trump suit or chooses 'no trump'. This fixes the trump suit, if any, for that hand. Any lower bids made by other players are superseded and have no effect on the play or scoring.

If all four players were to pass, the cards would be thrown in and there would be a new deal by the next dealer in turn. This is extremely unlikely to happen in practice since any player with a jack can safely bid at least one. Since there are 6 tricks one team is bound to win at least three of them, so it is unusual for the final bid to be lower than 3.

Card Exchange

After the high bidder has named the trump suit or called for no trumps, if the bid is a number 1-6 or little pepper the bidder may discard one unwanted card face down. The bidder's partner must then also discard one card face down without consultation and without looking at the card discarded by the bidder. The bidder takes the card discarded by their partner - normally a card that the partner thinks will be useful such as a high trump or an Ace. The bidder's partner discards their hand face down along with the card discarded by the bidder and takes no further part in the play.

If the bid is a number 1-6 or 'little pepper' then the bidder may choose instead to play 'with partner'. In this case no cards are discarded or exchanged and all four players will take part in the play.

If the bid is 'big pepper' ('pepper without help') there is no card exchange and the bidder's partner does not play. The bidder plays alone with the 6 cards originally dealt to them and must take all 6 tricks to succeed.

Dropping Out

After the bidder's team have exchanged cards or chosen not to and before the play begins, the opposing team must decide whether to play or surrender. If they choose to play they are rewarded with a point for each trick taken but incur a penalty equal to the bid if they lose every trick. If they choose not to play the cards are thrown in, the bid automatically succeeds and the bidder's opponents neither win nor lose any points.

When agreeing on this decision, the opponents are not allowed to give specific information about their hands. They may say 'yes' if they want to play, 'no' if they want to drop out, or 'maybe' if they are not sure.

The Play

The highest bidder then makes the opening lead, and may lead any card. The other players in clockwise order each play a card and must follow suit if possible. A player who has no cards of the suit that was led may play any card. The trick is won by the player of the highest trump or, if there are no trump cards in the trick, to the highest card of the suit led. The winner of a trick leads to the next trick.

If the bidding team exchanged cards or the bid was 'big pepper' there are only three active players - the bidder's partner's hand is face down on the table and is not used. It is only in the unusual case where the bidder chose to play with partner instead of exchanging cards that all four take part in the play.

Note that for the purpose of following suit the left bower counts as belonging to the trump suit, not to the suit that is printed on it. For example if spades are trump, the jack of spades is the highest trump, followed by the jack of clubs (the other jack of the same color) which is considered a spade for this hand, then the ace of spades, K, Q, 10, 9. The jack of clubs is not a club and cannot be played on a trick to which clubs are led (unless the holder has no clubs). If a spade is led the holder of the jack of clubs can follow suit with it, and must play it if they have no other spades. If the jack of clubs is led the other players must play spades if they have them; those with no spades can play any card.

Scoring

Each team starts with a score of zero, and at the end of the play they add or subtract points depending on the result. A team's cumulative score can be negative.

For a bid from 1 to 6, if the bidding team take at least as many tricks as their bid or if the opponents surrender, the bidding team adds the amount of their bid to their score. If they win fewer tricks than their bid they subtract the amount of the bid from their score.

If the opponents play and win at least one trick, they score plus one point for each trick they win. If they play and win no tricks, they score minus the amount of the bid. If they surrender they score zero - their cumulative score remains the same.

For a bid of little pepper, if the opponents surrender the bidding team scores +7 points and the opponents score 0. If the opponents play and the bidding team win all 6 tricks the bidding team scores +7 and the opponents score -7. If the opponents play and win at least one trick then the bidding team scores -7 and the opponents score +7.

For a big pepper the score are twice as much as for little pepper: +14 or -14 if the opponents play, but if the opponents surrender +14 for the bidders and 0 for the opponents.

Note. Although the objective in a 6-bid is the same as in a pepper, there is less risk. If the bid fails the opponents will only score 1 point for each trick they take, rather than +7 for a failed little pepper. On the other hand the opponents will never surrender as there is no penalty for them if they win no tricks.

The target score to win the game is a cumulative score of 42 or more points, over as many deals as it takes for a team to reach the target. If either team has a score of 42 or more at the end of a hand, the game ends and the team with the higher score wins unless the teams have equal scores. If the scores are tied at 42 or more, another hand is played to decide the winners.

Variations

There are many variants of Pepper - I have received over a dozen descriptions and no two of them agree on every detail. Here are some of the common variants.

Minimum Bid and Stick the Dealer

Many play with a minimum bid of either 3 or 4. If the first three players pass the dealer must either bid at least this minimum or surrender and take a score of minus the minimum bid while the opponents score nothing.

Some play that when the dealer is forced to make the minimum bid and chooses to play rather than surrender, the opponents are not allowed to drop out but must play the hand, taking a negative score if they fail to win any tricks.

Wendell Harmon describes a more complicated bidding structure where the possible bids are 'say 3', 'say 4', 'bid 4', 'bid 5', 'pepper', 'big pepper'. The final bid must be at least 4. If no previous player has bid, the first or second player can indicate that they hold one or more aces by saying 'say 3'. This must always be overcalled by a later player since the minimum final bid is 4. A player who holds a jack of each color can indicate this by 'say 4', which is equivalent to a bid of 4 if no one bids higher. A player who just wishes to bid 4 without promising anything about jacks simply says 'bid 4'. There is no 6-bid in this version.

Procedure for Dropping Out

Some players prefer a more formal way for the bidder's opponents to agree whether they will challenge the bid by playing. The first opponent (left of the bidder) says 'yes' (to challenge), 'no' (if willing to drop out) or 'maybe' (if unsure). On the basis of this the second opponent (right of the bidder) makes the final decision: 'yes' to play or 'no' to surrender.

Score what you get

Some play that the bidding team score a point for each trick that they take, not just for the tricks that they bid.

Also a few groups play with a fixed penalty for a failed bid or for opponents who play and take no tricks. In these cases the penalty is 5 or 6 points rather than equal to the bid.

The 6-bid

Some play that if the bid is 6 there is no penalty for playing and winning no tricks, and therefore no reason for the opponents to surrender. If the bidders bid 6 and win all six tricks they score 6 while the opponents score zero.

Some versions do not include a bid of 6 at all. Above 5 the next higher bid is little pepper. In some (but not all) of these versions the score for little pepper is +/-6 rather than +/-7 and for big pepper +/-12 rather than +/-14.

Dirty Clubs

Some play that if the bidder names clubs as trump, the opponents do not have a chance to surrender but are compelled to play, receiving a penalty equal to the bid if they take no tricks.

No Trumps

There are several variants of the no trump option.

• Some players do not allow no trumps as a choice at all - the final bidder must always choose a trump suit.
• Some who those play the dirty clubs variant above play with the same restriction in no trumps: the opponents are not allowed to surrender but must play and are penalised if they take no trick.
• Some play that in no trumps the first lead is made by the player to the left of the bidder begins the play, so that the bidder plays last to the first trick.
• One description gives as a variant the strange rule that in no trumps the player to the right of the dealer leads to the first trick.

Target score

The target score for winning the game is variously given as 30, 31, 42 or 43 points. 42 is sometimes explained as 'three big peppers'. The targets 31 and 43 may arise from a difference of opinion among players as to whether the aim is to reach the target of 30 or 42 or to exceed it.

Must bid to win

Some play a team can only win the game on a hand where they make a successful bid. If a team reaches or passes the target by scoring points for tricks taken against a bid by the other team, or for a failed pepper by the other team, they do not win: another hand must be played. If both teams reach or pass the target in the same hand, the bidding team wins the game, even if the other team's cumulative score is higher. In this variant there is also a rule that the game ends if a team reaches a negative score equal to the target - for example if the target is 30 and a team reaches a score of -30 or worse, the other team wins irrespective of their score. This is to prevent a losing team from endlessly prolonging the game by means of a series of failed sacrifice bids.

Playing with partner

Some descriptions imply that the bidder's partner always drops out of the play. If the bid is lower than big pepper the must exchange a card with partner and play alone. The bidder's option to 'with partner' does not exist in these versions.

At the other extreme, the unusual version contributed by Jon Melton, which was originally published on this page, does not allow card exchange at all. The bidder's partner always plays except in 'big pepper' where the bidder plays alone. Other features of Jon Melton's version are:

• The auction is not just one round, but continues around the table for as many circuits as necessary until there are three consecutive passes.
• If the bid is successful, the bidder's scores a point for each trick they win, which may be more than the bid. If they fail they always score -6 irrespective of the bid.
• The bidder's opponents score one point for each trick they win, even in a pepper bid. There is no penalty for taking no tricks and no opportunity to drop out.
• The bids are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, pepper, big pepper. Pepper is worth 6 points and big pepper is plus or minus 12 for the bidding team.
• The target is 30 points to win the game.

Rough Round

Some players begin the game with a 'rough round' of four deals in in which the player to dealer's left is forced to bid four 'with partner'. No cards are passed and the opposing team cannot surrender. Some also play a rough round when the scores of the two teams are tied.

Other web pages

Another fairly typical set of set of rules of game can be found on Jeremy Condit's Pepper page (archive copy).

More Variations

Cutthroat Pepper

This is a version without partners, which can be played when there is an odd number of players such as 3 or 5. The number of cards dealt can be adjusted according to the number of players. Some cards may also remain undealt or the size of the deck can be adjusted by adding or omitting low cards. For example if there are three players you can deal eight cards each from the 24 card deck and pepper bids undertake to win all eight tricks. Players score individually and opponents of the bidder can drop out individually in turn to avoid scoring minus the amount of the bid if they fail to take a trick. Usually there is a minimum bid for example 3.

Pepper for 5 or 6 and double deck variants

Some people play versions of Pepper for 5 players in which the dealer obtains a partner by calling for a card, usually a high trump. The holder of that card becomes their partner and there is often a rule that the called card must be played at the first legal opportunity. There is no card exchange and no dropping out.

For example John Dilley describes a 5-player version played in Michigan using a double deck of 48 cards. If two identical highest cards are played to a trick the first of them wins. Nine cards are dealt to each player and there is an undealt kitty of 3 cards. The minimum bid is 4. The bidder names trumps and the rank and value of the card whose holder will be their partner. The first player other than the bidder who is legally able to play the called card must do so and becomes the partner. If two copies of the called card are held by two players other than the bidder, the holder of the second copy is under no restrictions as to when to play it other than the normal requirement to follow suit. If no player other than the bidder has the called card - for example the bidder has one copy and the other is in the kitty - the bidder plays alone against a team of 4. No details of scoring are given - presumably a cumulative score is kept for each player, the players of the bidder's team scoring plus or minus the bid value and the members of the opposing team scoring a point for each trick taken by their team.

Nate Reagan from Iowa describes a 5-player game with 30 cards - a standard 24-card Euchre deck to which four 8's and the 7's of hearts and spades are added. The possible bids are 3 (minimum), 4, 5, pepper, big pepper, and dealer must bid at least 3 if the other four players pass. The final bidder names trumps and then the other four players 'vote' on whether to drop out. If at least three want to drop out the hand is not played and the bidder automatically wins. If at least two vote to play, the hand will be played and all must take part, including any who wanted to drop out. If the bid was big pepper the bidder plays alone against a team of four. In all other cases the bidder calls a card they do not hold, which must not be a bower. The holder of the called card is the bidder's partner, but their identity will only be revealed when the called card is played, which can be at any time subject to the normal rules of following suit. The score for big pepper is +/-12. In other cases each member of the bidding team scores the amount bid if they succeed and lose that amount if they fail. Their opponents each score 1 point for each trick that their team wins, if any, or lose the bid amount if they lose every trick.

'Widebeard' describes a 6-player Pepper game between two teams of 3, each player sitting between two opponents. A double deck of 50 cards is used - two Euchre decks plus two jokers ranking as trumps between the left bowers and the aces. Eight cards each are dealt plus a face down kitty of 2 cards. The minimum bid is 4 and the dealer must bid 4 if the first five players pass. The final bidder takes the two kitty cards without showing them, discards any two cards face down and then names the trump suit or no trump. There is no card exchange or surrender. The bidding side score for the tricks they take if the bid is successful or -5 if they fail. The opposing team score 1 for each trick they take or -5 if they take no tricks. In 'no trump' the jokers are the highest cards but cannot be led (unless the player on lead has no other cards) and can only be played to a trick if the player cannot follow suit.

Rob Johnston, from Ontario, describes a 4-player partnership game using a double deck of 44 cards (all cards duplicated except the 9's). The players receive 10 cards each and there is a kitty of 4 cards which is exposed and taken by the high bidder who then discards 4 cards face down. The minimum bid is 3 and bids include the proposed trump suit as well as the number of tricks (3 clubs, 5 diamonds, etc.). As usual there is just one round of bidding, and each bid must be for more tricks than the previous bid (there is no hierarchy of suits). The bidders score for all the tricks they take if the bid succeeds but lose the amount of the bid if it fails. The opposing team score 1 point for each trick they take, subject to a maximum cumulative score of 42. The target score is 43 and a team must bid to win.

Software

You can download a freeware Pepper / Bid Euchre program from Thanos Card Games.

Contributors

Bill Carlson, Carol Collins, Jeremy Condit, John Dilley, Mike Dykhoff, Wendell Harmon, Rob Johnston, Craig Mackaman, Kira March, Jon Melton, David Miller, Ruth Norton, Ricky Olson, Nate Reagan, John Spiegel, 'widebeard'.