500 Card Game Rules: The Complete NZ Guide (2025)

If you’ve ever sat around a Kiwi kitchen table on a rainy afternoon, chances are someone’s suggested a game of 500. 500 card game rules might seem daunting at first glance, but once you’ve had one round under your belt you’ll wonder how you ever spent a Sunday without it. This complete guide covers everything — from setting up the deck and understanding the bidding system, to advanced strategy that’ll have your opponents shaking their heads. Whether you’re a total beginner or just need a refresher, you’re in the right place.

Why 500 Is So Popular in New Zealand

500 has been a staple of New Zealand social life for generations. Walk into any RSA, bach, or family gathering and you’ll find a well-worn deck ready to go. The game strikes a rare balance: it’s complex enough to reward skill and strategy, yet accessible enough for a fourteen-year-old to pick up in an afternoon.

Part of 500’s enduring appeal is that it sits in a sweet spot between simpler trick-taking games and more demanding ones. If you’ve ever played the trick-avoidance classic Hearts, you’ll recognise the core idea of following suit and counting cards — but 500 adds bidding and partnership play that raises the stakes considerably.

The game also scales beautifully. You can play with two, three, four, or even six players with minor adjustments, making it one of the most versatile card games in any Kiwi household. Four-player partnership 500 is by far the most popular format here in New Zealand, and that’s the version we’ll focus on throughout this guide.

There’s also a quiet competitive scene — local 500 clubs operate around the country, and the game is taken seriously enough that tournaments are held regularly. But don’t let that put you off. At its heart, 500 is a game meant to be enjoyed with a cup of tea and good company.

Cards, Players and Setup for 500

Getting the setup right is essential before your first hand is dealt.

The Deck

500 uses a modified 43-card deck. Start with a standard 52-card deck and remove the following cards:

• All fours, threes, and twos (12 cards removed)
• The red fives — the five of hearts and five of diamonds — are also removed
• Add one Joker

This leaves you with 43 cards: Ace down to Five in spades and clubs, Ace down to Six in hearts and diamonds, plus the Joker. Some groups include a bid card (a separate reference card listing bids and their values) — highly recommended for beginners.

Players and Partnerships

The classic format is four players in two partnerships. Partners sit opposite each other. Decide partnerships before play begins — cutting for partners works perfectly.

Dealing

Deal 10 cards to each player in batches (a common deal is 3–4–3), with 3 cards set aside face-down as the kitty. The dealer rotates clockwise each hand.

Quick-Reference: Player Count Variants

Players	Deck	Cards Each	Kitty	Format
2	43-card	10	3	Head-to-head
3	33-card	10	3	Individual
4	43-card	10	3	Partnerships (most popular)
6	63-card	10	3	Partnerships (3v3)

Understanding the Bidding System

Bidding is the heart of 500, and getting comfortable with it is the key to everything else.

What Is a Bid?

A bid is a declaration of how many tricks (out of 10) you believe your partnership can win, combined with a nominated trump suit — or, if you’re feeling bold, No Trumps. The minimum bid is Six (meaning you commit to winning at least six tricks).

Bid Order and Values

Bids increase in value and can be ranked by suit. The suit order from lowest to highest is: Spades → Clubs → Diamonds → Hearts → No Trumps. So a bid of Six Hearts outranks Six Diamonds, and Seven Spades outranks Six No Trumps.

Bidding proceeds clockwise from the player to the dealer’s left. Each player must either make a higher bid than the previous one or pass. Once three players have passed, the highest bidder wins the contract and becomes the declarer.

The Misère Bids

Two special bids exist outside the normal system:

• Misère: You commit to winning no tricks. Played without a trump suit. Worth 250 points.
• Open Misère: Same as Misère, but you play with your hand face-up on the table. Worth 500 points — the highest possible bid.

These bids add a brilliant twist that keeps experienced players on their toes.

How the Kitty Works in 500

The kitty is those three face-down cards set aside during the deal, and it’s one of the most strategically interesting elements of 500.

Once the bidding is won, the declarer picks up the kitty and adds all three cards to their hand — giving them 13 cards temporarily. They then choose any three cards to discard face-down before play begins. The discarded cards are out of play for that hand, though any tricks won by the declaring side do capture discarded cards for scoring purposes (more on that in the scoring section).

Using the Kitty Wisely

The kitty gives you a chance to strengthen your hand significantly. Common tactics include:

• Discarding off-suit low cards that might force you to lose tricks
• Getting rid of cards in a suit you’re void in, allowing you to trump later
• Discarding high cards deliberately if you’re playing a Misère bid

The kitty is not available to the opposing team — it belongs entirely to the declarer. If the declaring partnership loses the contract, the opposing team does not score points from the kitty cards; they simply count their won tricks normally.

Playing Tricks and Following Suit

With the kitty sorted, play begins. The declarer leads the first card, and trick-taking follows familiar rules — with a few important twists unique to 500.

How to Play a Round (Step by Step)

1. The declarer leads any card from their hand to start the first trick.
2. Each other player, moving clockwise, must follow suit if they can — playing a card of the same suit as the lead card.
3. If a player cannot follow suit, they may play any card, including a trump.
4. The highest card of the led suit wins the trick — unless a trump has been played, in which case the highest trump wins.
5. The winner of each trick leads the next one.
6. Play continues until all 10 tricks are complete.

The Special Cards: Jacks (Bowers)

Here’s where 500 gets interesting. In a trump suit:

• The Jack of the trump suit is the highest trump card — called the Right Bower.
• The Jack of the same-coloured suit (e.g., Jack of Diamonds when Hearts is trump) becomes the second-highest trump — called the Left Bower. It is treated as a trump card, not as its original suit.
• The Joker is always the highest card in the deck when trumps are declared. In No Trumps, the Joker has special rules — typically it can be played at any time and wins the trick, but the declarer must nominate a suit for it.

Getting your head around the Bowers is the single biggest learning curve for new players — but once it clicks, it becomes second nature.

Scoring in 500: Positive and Negative Points

Scoring is where strategy meets consequence, and it’s refreshingly straightforward once you’ve seen it once.

Making Your Contract

If the declaring partnership wins at least as many tricks as they bid, they score the bid value from the official points table. Note: they score the bid value, not the actual number of tricks won — so winning 8 tricks on a 6 Heart bid still only scores the 6 Heart value (100 points). The exception is winning all 10 tricks regardless of bid — this earns a bonus of 250 points minimum.

Going Under (Getting Set)

If the declaring partnership falls short of their bid, the bid value is subtracted from their score. This is called being set or going under, and it can swing a game dramatically. Negative scores are very much possible in 500.

The Non-Declaring Side

The opposing partnership scores 10 points per trick won, regardless of how the declaring side fares. This means staying competitive throughout every hand pays off — even when you’re not the one bidding.

Winning the Game

The first partnership to reach 500 points wins — hence the name. Equally, a partnership that reaches −500 points loses immediately. This creates real tension: a series of failed contracts can end a game just as fast as a run of successful ones.

Common Mistakes New 500 Players Make

Everyone makes these errors early on. Knowing them in advance will save you a lot of grief.

• Overbidding a weak hand. New players get excited and bid 8 or 9 on hands that can only safely make 6 or 7. Count your sure-winners before you bid.
• Forgetting the Left Bower. Playing the Jack of a suit that is currently the Left Bower as if it belongs to its original suit is one of the most common errors — and it can cost a crucial trick.
• Ignoring partner’s signals. In partnerships, the cards your partner plays early in a hand communicate information. Don’t just play in isolation — pay attention.
• Misusing the kitty. Discarding a card you’ll need later, or keeping a card from the kitty that doesn’t improve your hand, is a trap worth watching for.
• Playing trump too early. Drawing trumps can be smart, but stripping yourself of trumps before you’ve secured enough tricks is a fast way to go under on your contract.

If you’re familiar with how bidding works in Spades, you’ll find some of these principles feel familiar — though 500’s bower system and kitty add a distinct layer of complexity.

Advanced 500 Strategy for Serious Players

Once the basics are solid, these strategic principles will lift your game considerably.

Count the Bowers and Joker First

Before bidding, identify how many of the top three trump cards (Joker, Right Bower, Left Bower) you hold. Holding two or three of them dramatically increases your trick-winning ceiling and justifies a higher bid.

Communicate Through Your Opening Leads

When you’re not the declarer, your opening lead tells your partner a great deal. Leading your highest card in a strong suit signals strength; leading a low card suggests you want partner to lead that suit back to you. These conventions mirror practices used by experienced players of contract Bridge, and they’re just as effective in 500.

The Art of the Defensive Hold-Up

As the defending side, sometimes it’s worth deliberately losing a trick you could win in order to preserve a tenace (two non-consecutive high cards) that will trap the declarer later in the hand.

When to Bid No Trumps

No Trump bids carry the highest point values, but they require near-perfect distribution. A hand with at least three Aces, the Joker, and reasonable length across suits is typically the minimum you’d want before going No Trumps at the six or seven level. Never bid No Trumps purely for the points — the negative scoring on a failed contract is brutal.

Manage Your Score Trajectory

If your partnership is well ahead and approaching 500, bid conservatively to lock in the win. If you’re behind, you may need to make aggressive bids to close the gap — but weigh the risk of going negative. Awareness of the current score should always inform how boldly you bid.

Frequently asked questions

How many cards are in a 500 card game deck?

A standard four-player game of 500 uses a 43-card deck. This is a regular 52-card deck with the twos, threes, fours, and red fives removed, plus one Joker added. The resulting deck gives each player 10 cards and leaves 3 for the kitty. Different player counts use modified decks with more or fewer cards.

What is the Joker’s role in 500?

The Joker is the highest-ranking card in the game when a trump suit is declared, sitting above the Right Bower. In a No Trumps contract, the Joker can still be played at any time to win a trick, but the player must nominate a suit for it. The Joker makes a huge strategic difference and is a prized card in any hand.

Can you score points when you’re not the declaring side?

Yes — the non-declaring (defending) partnership scores 10 points for every trick they win, regardless of the contract outcome. This means it always pays to play actively on defence. If the declaring side is set, the defending team still accumulates their 10-points-per-trick score on top of the satisfaction of watching their opponents go backwards.

What happens if both partnerships reach 500 in the same hand?

The declaring partnership wins if both sides reach 500 in the same hand. Since the declaring side’s score is calculated first, they are declared the winners even if the defending side also crosses 500 on that same hand’s tricks. This rule underscores the importance of being the bidding side late in a close game.

How is 500 different from Bridge?

Both games involve bidding and trick-taking in partnerships, but 500 is generally considered more accessible. 500 uses a smaller deck, has a simpler bidding structure, and includes the unique Bower system that Bridge does not. Bridge features a more complex scoring system and the concept of a dummy hand. If you want to explore Bridge, our guide to Bridge card game rules covers it thoroughly.