Solitaire Arcade
Learn how to play 500 online: Australian and American variants, bidding, inkles, kitty, trump, bowers, Misère/Nullo, scoring to 500, and beginner strategy.
500 is a partnership trick-taking game where the auction matters as much as the cards. Each hand starts with bidding for the right to name trump, pick up the kitty, and set the contract. The winning bidder and partner try to take at least the tricks they promised. The defenders try to stop them.
That mix of judgment, partnership reads, and trump control is the whole game. You can play 500 online on Solitaire Arcade while you learn.
Four players, two partnerships, partners opposite. Ten tricks a hand. Reach 500 points to win, or lose by falling to -500.
Bidding, the kitty, the Joker, and the bowers give 500 its own feel among trick-takers. In Australian-style play, Misère and Open Misère flip the aim: take no tricks at all. American tables often call those Nullo and Open Nullo.
Get to 500 before the other team. A contract names how many tricks the bidder’s side must win and which suit is trump. Bid 7 Hearts and you need at least 7 of 10 with Hearts trump. Make it for the bid’s value; fail and you lose that value. Defenders can score for tricks too, depending on the ruleset.
Australian-style 500 usually uses a 43-card deck: Joker, Aces down to 4s in Hearts and Diamonds, Aces down to 5s in Spades and Clubs. Four players, two partnerships. Each seat gets 10 cards; three face-down cards form the kitty.
The winning bidder takes the kitty, then discards three face-down to return to 10 cards.
In a plain suit, cards rank Ace high down through King, Queen, Jack, then 10 to 5 (and 4 in the reds).
Trump is different. Order is usually Joker, right bower, left bower, then Ace, King, Queen, 10, and down. The right bower is the Jack of trump. The left bower is the Jack of the other suit of the same colour, and it counts as trump for that hand. If Hearts are trump, Jack of Hearts is right bower and Jack of Diamonds is left bower, even though the face still shows Diamonds.
See 500 Card Rankings Explained: Joker, Right Bower, Left Bower and Trumps for the full trump order.
A normal bid names tricks plus trump (or no-trump): 6 Spades, 7 Diamonds, 8 Hearts, 9 No-Trump. Higher bids must outrank the previous one. For the same trick count, suit order is usually Spades, Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, then No-Trump. More tricks always beat fewer: 7 Spades beats 6 No-Trump.
Australian and American tables differ on how long the auction runs and whether a 6-level call is a real contract or an inkle. See How to Bid in 500: A Beginner’s Guide to Choosing the Right Bid for counting tricks and picking a contract.
Continuing auction until three players have passed after a real bid. Pass and you are usually out of that auction. Six-level bids are real contracts. Misère and Open Misère use those labels; Misère typically opens after a seven-level bid has appeared. A team must win a successful contract to finish at 500; defender trick points cap at 490 so defense alone cannot end the game.
One round of bidding: each seat acts once. The first two seats in auction order may make 6-level inkles (partner suit signals that cannot win the auction). Pass uses that seat’s turn and does not hand inkle rights later. Seats three and four start suit/NT bids at 7. If the round is only passes and/or inkles, the hand is redealt.
Special bids are Nullo and Open Nullo (same idea as Misère / Open Misère). Defenders can reach 500 on trick points. If both sides hit 500 on the same hand and the contract was made, the bidding team has priority.
For a fuller side-by-side, see Australian 500 vs American 500: What’s the Difference?.
Misère means the bidder tries to take no tricks. It is often worth 250; Open Misère (hand exposed after the first trick) is often worth 500. American labeling on Solitaire Arcade is Nullo and Open Nullo with the same idea.
Normal bids try to win tricks. Misère/Nullo tries to lose every one. Read What Is Misère in 500? How Misère and Open Misère Work for when to bid it and how it scores.
Three face-down cards in the middle. The winning bidder picks them up, then discards three face-down back to 10. The kitty can add trump, fill a hole, or steady a side suit, but you still have to throw three away. You are reshaping the hand, not collecting free gifts.
Contractor leads. Play clockwise. Follow the led suit if you can; if not, you may discard or trump. Highest trump wins; if none, highest of the led suit. Winner leads next. Ten tricks total.
Trump is the suit named by the winning bid. Trump beats every non-trump suit when legally played. Joker is usually top trump in a suit contract, with the bowers just under it. A low trump can steal a trick at the right moment; a high one can protect a contract. Spend them with purpose.
No trump suit: highest card of the led suit wins. Strong when you hold highs across several suits. The Joker has special no-trump rules that can vary; on Solitaire Arcade, follow the on-screen prompts. Without a trump safety net, you need real high-card control.
Values rise with the bid. Common Avondale table:
6 tricks: Spades 40, Clubs 60, Diamonds 80, Hearts 100, No-Trump 120.
7: 140 / 160 / 180 / 200 / 220.
8: 240 / 260 / 280 / 300 / 320.
9: 340 / 360 / 380 / 400 / 420.
10: 440 / 460 / 480 / 500 / 520.
Make 8 Diamonds and score 280; fail and lose 280. Defenders often score 10 per trick, but whether those points can win the game depends on house or site rules.
See 500 Card Game Scoring Explained: Bids, Tricks and the 500-Point Target for the full picture.
Read your hand for trump potential, bowers, Aces, and realistic trick count. Bid or pass. Highest bidder becomes contractor, sets trump, takes the kitty, and discards three. Contractor leads. Follow suit when you can; trump or discard when you cannot. Highest trump (or highest of the led suit) wins; winner leads next.
After 10 tricks, score the hand. Continue until a team reaches 500 or falls to -500. The fastest way to learn is to play a few hands of 500 and watch bidding, bowers, and the kitty shape each deal.
Follow suit if you can. Trump beats non-trump. Joker is usually top trump in a suit contract. Right bower is Jack of trump; left bower is the same-colour Jack and counts as trump. Contractor takes the kitty and discards three. Make at least the tricks bid. Misère/Nullo tries for zero tricks. Score depends on the bid, the suit, and success or failure.
Pick Australian or American rules, then Easy, Medium, or Hard. You sit opposite your partner. The game walks you through bidding, kitty, discards, tricks, and scoring. Legal cards and trump (including when a Jack has become left bower) stay highlighted so you can learn the hand instead of memorising every edge case. Use the bidding board to compare contracts and see which bids (and American inkles) are open.
Bid on tricks you can actually win, not the highest number that sounds brave. Bowers are huge; one or both can turn a middling hand into a real contract. Use the kitty to firm up trump or dump dead wood. Do not burn trump early without a reason. Watch your partner’s plays for strength and weakness. Count toward the contract (or toward stopping it) as tricks fall. Treat Misère/Nullo as “I can duck everything,” not merely “my cards look weak.”
For a fuller bidding overview, read How to Bid in 500: A Beginner’s Guide to Choosing the Right Bid.
Overbidding on a few pretty highs. Forgetting the left bower when following suit or weighing a trick. Wasting trump because it can win now. Automatic kitty discards without thinking about the contract. Calling Misère on a messy middle-card hand. Ignoring the score when a quieter contract would do.
Both are partnership trick-takers, but Spades always has spades as trump and no kitty, while 500’s trump changes with the auction and the contractor reshapes the hand from the kitty. Spades adds partners’ personal bids; 500 fights an auction for one shared contract.
If you know Spades, the tricks will feel familiar; the bidding and kitty will not. See the How to Play Spades guide for that ruleset.
How many players are needed for 500?
Usually four, in two partnerships.
How many cards are used?
Usually a 43-card deck with one Joker.
How many cards does each player get?
10, plus a three-card kitty for the contractor.
What is the kitty?
Three face-down cards. The winning bidder picks them up, then discards three.
What is trump?
The suit named by the winning bid. Trump beats non-trump.
What is the right bower?
Jack of trump; one of the top trump cards.
What is the left bower?
Jack of the other same-colour suit; counts as trump for that hand.
What is Misère?
A bid to take no tricks (Nullo in American labeling).
How do you win?
Help your team reach 500 points, usually through successful contracts.
Can you lose?
Yes. Falling to -500 usually loses.
500 rewards careful bidding, smart trump play, and partnership instincts. Look for bowers. Count real tricks. Do not bid on hope alone. Use the kitty well when you win the auction, and watch how each trick moves the contract.
Ready to try it? Play 500 online, or explore How to Play Spades, How to Play Hearts, and How to Play Solitaire.
Learn how 500 scoring works: the contract table, failed bids, defender points, Misère, and the race to 500 or down to -500.
In 500, a Jack can change suits. Learn trump ranking from the Joker down, how the right and left bower work, and why the left bower counts as trump.
Misère flips 500 upside down: the bidder tries to take no tricks. Learn how Misère and Open Misère work, what makes a safe hand, and how to defend.
Learn how to bid in 500: count likely tricks, value bowers and trump, use the kitty as an upgrade, know when to pass, and choose a contract you can actually make.
Solitaire Arcade
Learn how to play 500 online: Australian and American variants, bidding, inkles, kitty, trump, bowers, Misère/Nullo, scoring to 500, and beginner strategy.
500 is a partnership trick-taking game where the auction matters as much as the cards. Each hand starts with bidding for the right to name trump, pick up the kitty, and set the contract. The winning bidder and partner try to take at least the tricks they promised. The defenders try to stop them.
That mix of judgment, partnership reads, and trump control is the whole game. You can play 500 online on Solitaire Arcade while you learn.
Four players, two partnerships, partners opposite. Ten tricks a hand. Reach 500 points to win, or lose by falling to -500.
Bidding, the kitty, the Joker, and the bowers give 500 its own feel among trick-takers. In Australian-style play, Misère and Open Misère flip the aim: take no tricks at all. American tables often call those Nullo and Open Nullo.
Get to 500 before the other team. A contract names how many tricks the bidder’s side must win and which suit is trump. Bid 7 Hearts and you need at least 7 of 10 with Hearts trump. Make it for the bid’s value; fail and you lose that value. Defenders can score for tricks too, depending on the ruleset.
Australian-style 500 usually uses a 43-card deck: Joker, Aces down to 4s in Hearts and Diamonds, Aces down to 5s in Spades and Clubs. Four players, two partnerships. Each seat gets 10 cards; three face-down cards form the kitty.
The winning bidder takes the kitty, then discards three face-down to return to 10 cards.
In a plain suit, cards rank Ace high down through King, Queen, Jack, then 10 to 5 (and 4 in the reds).
Trump is different. Order is usually Joker, right bower, left bower, then Ace, King, Queen, 10, and down. The right bower is the Jack of trump. The left bower is the Jack of the other suit of the same colour, and it counts as trump for that hand. If Hearts are trump, Jack of Hearts is right bower and Jack of Diamonds is left bower, even though the face still shows Diamonds.
See 500 Card Rankings Explained: Joker, Right Bower, Left Bower and Trumps for the full trump order.
A normal bid names tricks plus trump (or no-trump): 6 Spades, 7 Diamonds, 8 Hearts, 9 No-Trump. Higher bids must outrank the previous one. For the same trick count, suit order is usually Spades, Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, then No-Trump. More tricks always beat fewer: 7 Spades beats 6 No-Trump.
Australian and American tables differ on how long the auction runs and whether a 6-level call is a real contract or an inkle. See How to Bid in 500: A Beginner’s Guide to Choosing the Right Bid for counting tricks and picking a contract.
Continuing auction until three players have passed after a real bid. Pass and you are usually out of that auction. Six-level bids are real contracts. Misère and Open Misère use those labels; Misère typically opens after a seven-level bid has appeared. A team must win a successful contract to finish at 500; defender trick points cap at 490 so defense alone cannot end the game.
One round of bidding: each seat acts once. The first two seats in auction order may make 6-level inkles (partner suit signals that cannot win the auction). Pass uses that seat’s turn and does not hand inkle rights later. Seats three and four start suit/NT bids at 7. If the round is only passes and/or inkles, the hand is redealt.
Special bids are Nullo and Open Nullo (same idea as Misère / Open Misère). Defenders can reach 500 on trick points. If both sides hit 500 on the same hand and the contract was made, the bidding team has priority.
For a fuller side-by-side, see Australian 500 vs American 500: What’s the Difference?.
Misère means the bidder tries to take no tricks. It is often worth 250; Open Misère (hand exposed after the first trick) is often worth 500. American labeling on Solitaire Arcade is Nullo and Open Nullo with the same idea.
Normal bids try to win tricks. Misère/Nullo tries to lose every one. Read What Is Misère in 500? How Misère and Open Misère Work for when to bid it and how it scores.
Three face-down cards in the middle. The winning bidder picks them up, then discards three face-down back to 10. The kitty can add trump, fill a hole, or steady a side suit, but you still have to throw three away. You are reshaping the hand, not collecting free gifts.
Contractor leads. Play clockwise. Follow the led suit if you can; if not, you may discard or trump. Highest trump wins; if none, highest of the led suit. Winner leads next. Ten tricks total.
Trump is the suit named by the winning bid. Trump beats every non-trump suit when legally played. Joker is usually top trump in a suit contract, with the bowers just under it. A low trump can steal a trick at the right moment; a high one can protect a contract. Spend them with purpose.
No trump suit: highest card of the led suit wins. Strong when you hold highs across several suits. The Joker has special no-trump rules that can vary; on Solitaire Arcade, follow the on-screen prompts. Without a trump safety net, you need real high-card control.
Values rise with the bid. Common Avondale table:
6 tricks: Spades 40, Clubs 60, Diamonds 80, Hearts 100, No-Trump 120.
7: 140 / 160 / 180 / 200 / 220.
8: 240 / 260 / 280 / 300 / 320.
9: 340 / 360 / 380 / 400 / 420.
10: 440 / 460 / 480 / 500 / 520.
Make 8 Diamonds and score 280; fail and lose 280. Defenders often score 10 per trick, but whether those points can win the game depends on house or site rules.
See 500 Card Game Scoring Explained: Bids, Tricks and the 500-Point Target for the full picture.
Read your hand for trump potential, bowers, Aces, and realistic trick count. Bid or pass. Highest bidder becomes contractor, sets trump, takes the kitty, and discards three. Contractor leads. Follow suit when you can; trump or discard when you cannot. Highest trump (or highest of the led suit) wins; winner leads next.
After 10 tricks, score the hand. Continue until a team reaches 500 or falls to -500. The fastest way to learn is to play a few hands of 500 and watch bidding, bowers, and the kitty shape each deal.
Follow suit if you can. Trump beats non-trump. Joker is usually top trump in a suit contract. Right bower is Jack of trump; left bower is the same-colour Jack and counts as trump. Contractor takes the kitty and discards three. Make at least the tricks bid. Misère/Nullo tries for zero tricks. Score depends on the bid, the suit, and success or failure.
Pick Australian or American rules, then Easy, Medium, or Hard. You sit opposite your partner. The game walks you through bidding, kitty, discards, tricks, and scoring. Legal cards and trump (including when a Jack has become left bower) stay highlighted so you can learn the hand instead of memorising every edge case. Use the bidding board to compare contracts and see which bids (and American inkles) are open.
Bid on tricks you can actually win, not the highest number that sounds brave. Bowers are huge; one or both can turn a middling hand into a real contract. Use the kitty to firm up trump or dump dead wood. Do not burn trump early without a reason. Watch your partner’s plays for strength and weakness. Count toward the contract (or toward stopping it) as tricks fall. Treat Misère/Nullo as “I can duck everything,” not merely “my cards look weak.”
For a fuller bidding overview, read How to Bid in 500: A Beginner’s Guide to Choosing the Right Bid.
Overbidding on a few pretty highs. Forgetting the left bower when following suit or weighing a trick. Wasting trump because it can win now. Automatic kitty discards without thinking about the contract. Calling Misère on a messy middle-card hand. Ignoring the score when a quieter contract would do.
Both are partnership trick-takers, but Spades always has spades as trump and no kitty, while 500’s trump changes with the auction and the contractor reshapes the hand from the kitty. Spades adds partners’ personal bids; 500 fights an auction for one shared contract.
If you know Spades, the tricks will feel familiar; the bidding and kitty will not. See the How to Play Spades guide for that ruleset.
How many players are needed for 500?
Usually four, in two partnerships.
How many cards are used?
Usually a 43-card deck with one Joker.
How many cards does each player get?
10, plus a three-card kitty for the contractor.
What is the kitty?
Three face-down cards. The winning bidder picks them up, then discards three.
What is trump?
The suit named by the winning bid. Trump beats non-trump.
What is the right bower?
Jack of trump; one of the top trump cards.
What is the left bower?
Jack of the other same-colour suit; counts as trump for that hand.
What is Misère?
A bid to take no tricks (Nullo in American labeling).
How do you win?
Help your team reach 500 points, usually through successful contracts.
Can you lose?
Yes. Falling to -500 usually loses.
500 rewards careful bidding, smart trump play, and partnership instincts. Look for bowers. Count real tricks. Do not bid on hope alone. Use the kitty well when you win the auction, and watch how each trick moves the contract.
Ready to try it? Play 500 online, or explore How to Play Spades, How to Play Hearts, and How to Play Solitaire.
Learn how 500 scoring works: the contract table, failed bids, defender points, Misère, and the race to 500 or down to -500.
In 500, a Jack can change suits. Learn trump ranking from the Joker down, how the right and left bower work, and why the left bower counts as trump.
Misère flips 500 upside down: the bidder tries to take no tricks. Learn how Misère and Open Misère work, what makes a safe hand, and how to defend.
Learn how to bid in 500: count likely tricks, value bowers and trump, use the kitty as an upgrade, know when to pass, and choose a contract you can actually make.
