Ukrainian-Canadian King Pedro Rules

Previously, we published the rules of Canadian King Pedro. As promised, we’re also dedicating an entire page to the game as it’s played within Ukrainian-Canadian communities. The rules are quite different, as you’ll see.

Some players prefer this version, as it’s a bit more challenging. Instead of utilizing a kitty, taken by the winning bidder, each player must bid based on their first 9 cards. Once the auction is won, every player gets 4 additional cards, then discards down to 6. There’s also more points to be had, as the 10 and 9 gain their respective value. So without further ado…

Ukranian-Canadian King Pedro Rules

You’ll need a standard 52-card deck and four players, split into partnerships of two and seated across from one another. All game play runs clockwise.

The object is to catch tricks with points to accumulate score.

Card Ranks & Values

The rank of cards only matters for trumps. No other suit has any value, in points or rank. If a non-trump is led, only a trump may catch it, irrespective of its rank (i.e. if non-trump 3♥ is led, even the A♥ can’t beat it).

The rank of trump suit follows the traditional pattern—Ace high to 2 low—but includes one extra card, called the Left Pedro. The Right Pedro is the trump 5, and the Left Pedro the 5 of the same color. Therefore, if spades are trump, the 5♣ is also trump. The order of trumps, highest to lowest, would be:

A♠–K♠–Q♠–J♠–10♠–9♠–8♠–7♠–6♠–5♠–5♣–4♠–3♠–2♠

Most trump cards are worth points; a collective total of 62. Points are usually awarded to the team that captures them, except the 2 of trump. The player who is dealt the 2 of trump at the start of the hand receives the point for it.

Points are scored as follows:

Ace = 1 point
King = 30 points
Jack = 1 point
10 = 10 points
9 = 9 points
5 (trump) = 5 points
5 (same color) = 5 points
2 = 1 point (to holder)

Dealing & Bidding

A dealer is chosen at random. This player will shuffle up and deal 9 cards to each player. The player left of the dealer will open the auction. The minimum bid is 30, maximum 62.

Taking turns clockwise, each player may bid or pass. Each consecutive bid must be higher than the last, and any player who passes may not bid again. Bidding continues until three players pass, leaving the highest bidder as the winner.

The winner of the bid must declare trump now. Then, each player is dealt 4 more cards, finishing off the deck. Players will now discard only non-trump cards, until they have just 6 cards remaining.

If a player has more than 6 trump, they may discard non-scoring trumps, but they must be placed face up for others to see. If a player has all 7 scoring trumps, they must discard the 2, also face up (and note the points for it).

If a player has no trumps, they can “fold”. Place the hand face down and don’t participate. If holding only one trump, or the 2 trump and one other, this player may pass their trumps to their partner and then fold the hand.

Playing the Game

With winner of the bid will lead the first trick, and must lead with a trump. The highest ranking trump played wins the trick. From here on out, the winner of each trick leads the next, and may lead any card they want.

If a trump is led, all players must follow suit if possible. If a non-trump is led, all players must play any non-trump if possible. Remember, if no trump is led or played, the leader of that trick wins it, regardless of card values.

Scoring & Winning

After all tricks are captured, teams will count up all the points they’ve captured. Don’t forget to award a point to the player who was dealt the 2 trump.

Scoring for Bidders: The team who won the bid must capture enough points to match or exceed their bid. If so, they receive all points captured. Otherwise, they score negative points equal to the bid.

Scoring for Defenders: The defending team will always score all points captured.

The game is won when a team reaches a score of 262+, but only following a successful winning bid.

If a team fails to capture their bid, or is the defending team against a bid, and has 262+ points following the hand, the game is not over. Only a team who wins the bid and succeeds in capturing enough points can win the game with a 262+ score.

Please take a moment to check out our other information on this incredibly fun, Ukrainian-Canadian card game.

More Variations of Pedro
King Pedro History
King Pedro Strategy