Questions & Answers about
Double-Deck Pinochle
FAQ Contents
Q: I need help with installation, font problems,
etc.
A: See my Technical
Support page for some suggestions.
Q: How can I enlarge the size of the
cards, etc., on my monitor?
A: Pinochle will use whatever resolution
your display is set to. If you reduce your screen resolution,
the cards and everything else will get larger. For example,
most 17" inch monitors are set to 1024x768 resolution,
but you may prefer Pinochle at 800x600 or even 640x480.
Microsoft has a free utility called "QuickRes" for
Windows 95 that allows most users to change resolution
"on-the-fly". You can find it at www.microsoft.com.
Select the "Free Software | Shareware and Utilities |
Power Toys" choices to get to it.
Q: Can I register with a credit card?
A: Yes. After you have installed
Pinochle 3.6 or 4.0, select "Help | Register | Register
Now" from the menu. This will run the REGISTER.EXE
program to allow you to register by mail or e-mail. You may
use a credit card, check, money order, or First Virtual
account. Click here for more
information and other options. Credit card information is
kept secret and secure by my payment processing company, Kagi (the largest shareware
registration service).
Q: Is there any other way to register
besides the REGISTER program?
A: Yes. You may register via WWW or postal
mail. Click here for details.
Q: What do you do with my email address?
A: I do NOT use email addresses for anything
other than registration and (very infrequent) messages about
upgrades to Pinochle. In particular, I do not sell or release
them to spammers. The same privacy also holds for names,
phone numbers, mail addresses, and everything else.
Q: The Meld counting often is incorrect.
For example, I have Jacks but they aren't counted.
A: In the default configuration, meld is
only counted if it exceeds 20 points for a team. You can
change this in the "Options | Setup Meld Table |
Miscellaneous" menu choice. To count all meld for a
team, set the value to "1". See my rules page for complete information.
Q: I pulled 18 counters but still went
set!
A: The program requires 20 counters to save
meld. However, you can change this default under
"Options | General | Scoring." To count all meld
(if the bid is made), set the "Counters required"
to "1".
Q: Is there an internet/network version of Pinochle
for multiple players?
A: I'm working on it! Click here
for more information about Pinochle 4.0.
Q: My winning percentage is XX%. Is that good?
A: That depends upon whether you enjoy the games! My
personal win percentage hovers around 60%. One experienced
pinochle player reports his win percentage is over 90%!
Because of the computer players' relative difficulty with
more "intuitive" thinking, your win percentage
should be highest with the four card exchange enabled.
Q: Why do East and West get so many great hands?
A: The hands dealt are randomly determined (insofar as
a computer can be "random"). However, you may alter
the deal by selecting "Rotate Deal" from the
Options menu. This option works as follows. A given game
number (such as 123456) will deal specific cards to each
player. If the deal is "rotated," then those hands
are shifted clockwise around the table. For example, a 90
degree rotation will take the hands that would normally be
dealt to East, and will instead give them to South, and so
forth around the table.
Q: How do East and West so often
"get through" our team when they lead?
A: They don't
cheat; sometimes they are simply lucky.
Q: Why does "Undo" sometimes not repeat
plays exactly?
A: When no clear strategy is available, some plays are
determined partly by chance. If such a play is undone and
then re-played, it may differ.
Q: How can I leave the program without forfeiting?
A: Just exit the program and choose to save the
current game. It will be restarted the next time you play
Pinochle.
Q: Ugh! North played the stupidest cards and we
were set!
A: (sigh) No, the computer is not perfect. All players
make "mistakes" or strategic miscalculations; it's
just more frustrating when a supposedly logical computer does
so. But think: if it played perfectly, would one ever beat
East and West? However, I do try to make continuing
improvements in the computer's playing strength and
understanding.
Q: When will [some feature] be implemented?
A: I plan numerous improvements to the program, but
will never be able to include every option for every player.
Information about any upgrade plans are available on the main
Pinochle page (click here).
I welcome your suggestions and input at any time (e-mail me).
Q: How much will an upgrade cost?
A: Nothing, if you're a registered user, even if the
price goes up for new users. Any time an upgrade is
available, I attempt to contact previously registered users.
You may also check my home page at any time for information.
Q: What other Pinochle programs are out there?
A: Check my main page for some pointers (click here). I
haven't used these programs myself, but I list these sites
for convenience.
Q: Is there a Pinochle version for the
Macintosh?
A: Yes, at least one, although I haven't
tried it. Click
here for the link.
Q: Can we put the program on our CD-ROM, bulletin
board, etc.?
A: Yes, final versions are redistributable as long as
all files distributed here are included and the
copyright/shareware messages are unchanged, and you do not
charge more than $3 per program on your collection (not
including download costs). Note that Beta Versions are not
redistributable.