SOLO

Solo is played with 32 cards from a standard 52 card deck. The cards used are as follows: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7 of all suits. The current bid determines the trump value of each card, as described below.

After shuffling the deck, each player is to receive 8 cards. Dealing begins on the dealer's left and continues to each player. A 3, 2, 3 dealing scheme or any personal preference can be incorporated to distribute the cards. The dealer must verify that each player has received the correct amount of cards before turning over his/her cards or a misdeal can be called. In the event of a misdeal, the dealer loses the privilege of dealing and the deal is passed to the left. At the end of each hand, the deal is rotated to the left of the last dealer. Bidding begins with the player to the dealer's left. Essentially, a bid is nothing more than stating what type of hand the bidder wishes to play. The types of bids are listed below in order of increasing value. Higher value bids override lower ones. If the player has a hand in which he/she can't play anything, he/she can elect to pass. Each player is allowed to bid once.

Scoring in Solo can be accomplished in a number of ways. The most common way is by using money. Each bid pays differently, depending on the probability of successfully completing it.

Nickel Solo is a common type of scoring. To compute, multiply the score value of the bid by 5 cents. This is the amount to be paid to the player (or players) by each of the other players if he/ she is successful in completing the hand. If not, he/she must pay each of the other players that amount. Common variations to Nickel Solo are Dime and Quarter Solo. In these games the score value is multiplied by 10 and 25 cents respectively. Hand values are doubled when played with clubs as trump.

Note: Solo is not intended to be a source of income for players. Money is used strictly for identifying players who are winning during the current game. All money should be returned at the completion of the game.