Objective
Win as many of the five tricks in each hand as you can, and try to win the trick that holds the best trump played. With four or six players, sit in two partnerships with partners across from each other or alternating around the table. With two, three, five or more, everyone plays for themselves. The first player or side to reach 45 points wins.
Setup
Choose a dealer, who deals five cards to each player, starting on the left, in a batch of three and then a batch of two (or two and then three). Turn the next card face up. Its suit is trumps for this hand.
Any player dealt the ace of trumps may rob the turned card: discard any card face down and take the turned card into hand, before playing to the first trick. If the turned card is itself an ace, the dealer may rob it the same way. A player holding the ace of trumps who chooses not to rob should say so, by asking the dealer to turn the card down.
How to play
The player to the dealer’s left leads to the first trick. The winner of each trick leads to the next.
When a plain suit is led, you may either follow suit or play a trump, as you prefer. If you can do neither, play any card. When a trump is led (and the ace of hearts counts as a trump), you must play a trump if you have one, with one exception: the five, the jack and the ace of hearts may be held back, or reneged, when the trump led is lower than they are. A trick containing a trump goes to the highest trump; otherwise the highest card of the suit led wins.
Card order is where Forty-Five earns its reputation. The old rule of thumb is “highest in red, lowest in black” for the number cards.
- 1Lead any card, or answer the lead
- 2On a plain-suit lead, follow suit or trump, your choice
- 3On a trump lead, play a trump unless you are reneging a top trump
- 4Highest trump wins, or highest of the suit led
| Suit | Rank, highest to lowest |
|---|---|
| Trumps: hearts | 5, J, A♥, K, Q, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 4, 3, 2 |
| Trumps: diamonds | 5, J, A♥, A♦, K, Q, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 4, 3, 2 |
| Trumps: clubs or spades | 5, J, A♥, A, K, Q, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 |
| Plain diamonds | K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A |
| Plain hearts | K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 |
| Plain clubs or spades | K, Q, J, A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 |
Scoring
Each trick is worth 5 points to the player or side that wins it. The trick that contains the highest trump played in the hand earns 5 points more, so 30 points are on offer in every deal.
| Item | Points |
|---|---|
| Each trick won | 5 |
| Trick holding the best trump played | 5 extra |
| Total per hand | 30 |
Keep a running score for each player or side. The first to reach 45 points wins the game.
Variations
Auction Forty-Fives: the most popular form in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Players bid 15, 20, 25 or 30 for the right to name trumps, there is usually a small kitty the bidder picks up, and the game runs to 120. A bidder who falls short loses the amount bid. A bid of “30 for 60” is a promise to take all five tricks for double points.
Older scoring: some tables score 5 points for taking three or four tricks and 10 for taking all five, with nothing for the losing side.
Spoil Five: the ancestor of Forty-Five, played every player for themselves, where you need three tricks to win the pool or else the hand is spoiled.
Tips from the table
Learn the trump order before anything else. Most early mistakes come from forgetting that the ace of hearts is a trump, or that the two of spades outranks the ten when spades are trumps.
Holding the five or the jack lets you sit tight while lower trumps are led. Save it for the trick that matters, ideally the one holding the best trump.
In partnership games, if your partner is winning the trick, do not overtake with a trump. Throw your lowest plain card and keep your strength.
Video Guides Are on the Way
We’re filming Game Guides that walk through full hands at the table, from the deal to the score.
Frequently asked
Why is the ace of hearts always a trump?
It is a fixed rule of the game, inherited from older Irish games. The ace of hearts ranks third in trumps, below the five and the jack, no matter which suit is trumps.
Can I trump even if I can follow suit?
Yes, when a plain suit is led. When trumps are led, you must play a trump unless you are reneging the five, the jack or the ace of hearts against a lower trump.
What is reneging?
Holding back one of the top three trumps when a lower trump is led. It is legal in Forty-Five, and it is how players protect their best cards.
How many points is a game?
Forty-five in the standard game, which is where the name comes from. Auction Forty-Fives plays to 120.
New rules every month
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