Editing Pinochle (section)

===Dealing===
The game is played with a deck of 48 cards and four players; one player is the dealer.

After the [[shuffle]], the dealer will offer a cut to the player on their right, then distribute the cards. All the cards are dealt in partnership pinochle. In variations for odd numbers of players like three, a "widow's hand" (also called a [[Talon (playing cards)|"kitty", "talon", or "stock"]]) of cards remains. Traditionally, the deal is done clockwise, dealing a packet of three or four cards at a time, starting with the player to the left (the [[eldest hand]]) and ending with the dealer. The deal rotates clockwise, so the dealer's left-hand opponent will deal next.

Some versions include a rule that a player being dealt five nines constitutes a misdeal, and the cards must be redealt. A variation of this stipulates that if someone is dealt five nines, they must also have no aces to constitute a misdeal, or if one has six nines and up to one ace.