500 (card game)

This article is about the trick-taking game. For the variant of Rummy, see 500 Rum. For other uses, see 500 (disambiguation).
500
Extra cards for 6 players
OriginUnited States
Alternative namesFive Hundred
TypeTrick-taking
Players2–6
SkillsMemory, Tactics
Cards33–63
DeckFrench
Rank (high→low)Trump suit: Joker J J A K Q (13) (12) (11) 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 (3) (2)
Other: Joker A K Q (J) (13) (12) (11) 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 (3) (2)
PlayClockwise
Playing time30 minutes
ChanceMedium
Related games
Euchre, Bridge

500 or Five Hundred is a trick-taking game developed in the United States from Euchre.[1] Euchre was extended to a 10 card game with bidding and a Misère contract similar to Russian Preference, producing a cutthroat three-player game like Preference[2] and a four-player game played in partnerships like Whist which is the most popular modern form, although with special packs it can be played by up to six players.

It arose in America before 1900 and was promoted by the US Playing Card Company, who copyrighted and marketed a deck with a set of rules in 1904.[3] The US Playing Card Company released the improved Avondale scoring table to remove bidding irregularities in 1906.[4] 500 is a social card game and was highly popular in the United States until around 1920 when first auction bridge and then contract bridge drove it from favour.[5] It continues to be popular in Ohio and Pennsylvania, where it has been taught through six generations community-wide, and in other countries: Australia, New Zealand, Canada (especially Ontario and Quebec) and Shetland. Despite its American origin, 500 is the national card game of Australia.[6][7]

  1. ^ Peter Arnold, The Book of Card Games, ISBN 1-56619-950-6, p. 122–126
  2. ^ L. Dawson, Edmond Hoyle, Hoyle's Card Games, ISBN 0-415-00880-8, p. 222
  3. ^ Charles Henry Goren, Ely Culbertson, Goren's Hoyle Encyclopedia of Games, 1961, p. 210
  4. ^ "Company History | Playing Cards, Card Games and Rules, Games and Family Fun from Bicycle". 2011-07-07. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
  5. ^ David Parlett, Oxford Dictionary of Card Games, ISBN 0-19-869173-4, p. 108
  6. ^ Five Hundred at www.pagat.com. Retrieved 8 Jan 2019
  7. ^ Mike Fowlds (2022-08-29). "Card games: 500 vs bridge". Retrieved 2024-01-30. 500 is known as the national card game of Australia. I took an informal poll and most (non immigrant) Australians will know of the game, even if they last played it at a school camp and are a bit vague now on the rules.