Pinochle Online Game

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to adapt and find new ways to connect with our loved ones and engage in activities we once enjoyed together. For me, this meant finding a way to play my favorite card game, Pinochle, online with friends. In this article, I will share how I achieved this using an old BASIC program and a free online software called PC-BASIC.

As a member of a weekly Pinochle group, we were devastated when social distancing measures were put in place, forcing us to cancel our gatherings. However, I was determined to find a way to keep the game alive. With four players acting alone (cutthroat) or in two partnerships, Pinochle is an American card game that requires strategy and skill. The game probably derives from a German variety of bezique.

To simulate the conventional shuffle, cut, and deal process, I needed a program that could deal four hands of 20 cards each. After experimenting with different pool sizes for random numbers, I finally settled on 1,000. The program worked well, but generating 1,000 random numbers each time made it a bit slow.

Using PC-BASIC, a free online software that runs Basic programs on Windows 10 computers, I modified the program to produce three hands needed for cutthroat Pinochle. Since we were not concerned with financial aspects, we relied on good faith and used the files generated by the program as our virtual decks of cards.

The next step was to set up an online meeting using Zoom, where we could see and speak with each other. We obtained 16 decks of cards and prepared four Pinochle decks - one for each team. With today's technology, we were able to play Pinochle online, using only the 10s, Jacks, Queens, Kings, and Aces from our virtual decks.

The program listed here worked very well, and I was pleased to see that it still performed as expected despite being written in an outdated language like Basic. Good old Basic may have been replaced by more advanced programming languages, but it still has its uses, especially when dealing with legacy systems or specific tasks.

In conclusion, playing Pinochle online was a fun and rewarding experience, and I hope that this article will inspire others to explore similar possibilities. With the help of PC-BASIC and some creative problem-solving, we were able to bridge the gap between social distancing measures and our love for the game. Whether you're a seasoned Pinochle player or just looking for a new way to connect with friends online, I encourage you to give it a try.

Pinochle online game