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How to Play Auction Forty-Fives

The Irish-Canadian partnership trick-taking game with a distinctive trump hierarchy (5 top, Jack second, Ace of Hearts always third). 5 cards per player, bidding in multiples of 5, discard-and-draw before trick play. Match to 120 points.

Players
4–6
Difficulty
Hard
Length
Medium
Deck
52
Read the rules

How to Play Auction Forty-Fives

The Irish-Canadian partnership trick-taking game with a distinctive trump hierarchy (5 top, Jack second, Ace of Hearts always third). 5 cards per player, bidding in multiples of 5, discard-and-draw before trick play. Match to 120 points.

3-4 players 5+ players ​​​Hard ​​Medium

How to Play

The Irish-Canadian partnership trick-taking game with a distinctive trump hierarchy (5 top, Jack second, Ace of Hearts always third). 5 cards per player, bidding in multiples of 5, discard-and-draw before trick play. Match to 120 points.

Auction Forty-Fives (commonly called '45s') is a trick-taking card game descended from 18th-century Irish Maw and Twenty-Fives. It is played with a standard 52-card deck by 4 or 6 players in fixed partnerships. Each player is dealt 5 cards; a bidding auction decides trumps, the winning team must make at least the bid, and each of the 5 tricks is worth 5 points (25 per hand). The defining feature is the trump hierarchy: the 5 of trumps is always the top card, the Jack of trumps is second, the Ace of Hearts is always the third-highest trump REGARDLESS OF WHICH SUIT IS TRUMP (the Ace of Hearts is permanently part of the trump suit), and only then do the remaining trumps follow in a red-high / black-low order. Players holding any of these three 'privileged' trumps (5, Jack, Ace of Hearts) may 'renege' (refuse to follow trump) when a lower trump is led. The game is a cornerstone of Irish community halls, Atlantic Canadian social life (particularly Nova Scotia and Newfoundland), and Rhode Island Irish-American card clubs.

Download rules (PDF)

Quick Reference

Goal
Partnership meets its bid in tricks; first to 120 points wins.
Setup
  1. 4 or 6 players in partnerships. Standard 52-card deck.
  2. Deal 5 cards each (3+2).
  3. Auction: min 15, in 5s, max 30.
On Your Turn
  1. Bid winner names trumps; all players discard and draw replacements.
  2. Trump rank: 5 of trumps, Jack of trumps, Ace of Hearts, then suit-specific order (red high, black inverted).
  3. Must follow suit unless holding a privileged trump lower than what was led.
Scoring
  • Each trick = 5 pts. Taking the trick with the highest trump (top trump played) = bonus 5 pts. Max 30 per hand.
  • Set (fail to meet bid) = LOSE bid amount.
  • Defending team scores their tricks normally.
Tip: Bid on the Ace of Hearts alone; it guarantees a trick as the 3rd-highest trump of every hand.

Players

Four players (2 partnerships of 2) or six players (2 partnerships of 3, sometimes 3 partnerships of 2). Partners sit alternately around the table. Play goes clockwise; deal rotates clockwise. A match to 120 points takes 45 to 75 minutes.

Card Deck

  • One standard 52-card deck, no jokers.
  • Trump-suit ranking (top to bottom): 5 of trumps > Jack of trumps > Ace of Hearts > Ace of trumps (if trumps is not Hearts; if Hearts is trumps, the Ace of Hearts is already the 3rd and the Ace of trumps slot is filled by the next card).
  • Red trumps (Hearts or Diamonds) below the top three: K, Q, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 4, 3, 2 (high to low).
  • Black trumps (Spades or Clubs) below the top three: K, Q, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 (low numbers HIGH; the 2 is higher than the 10 in black trump suits, a key quirk).
  • Non-trump ranking follows the same red-high / black-low pattern: red suits run K-Q-J-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-A high to low; black suits run K-Q-J-A-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 (with exceptions for the privileged trumps if they are in play).
  • Card rank changes dramatically when a suit becomes trump, so refer to the trump hierarchy at the top of the section.

Objective

Make your bid with your partnership, scoring 5 points per trick (25 per hand possible). Over many deals, the first partnership to reach 120 points wins. If the bidding team fails to meet their bid, they LOSE the bid amount from their total.

Setup and Deal

  1. Cut for first dealer (low card deals; Ace is low for the cut). Deal rotates clockwise.
  2. Dealer shuffles; the player to the dealer's right cuts.
  3. The dealer distributes 5 cards face down to each player in two packets: 3 cards, then 2 cards (or 2 then 3 in some regions), clockwise starting with the player on the dealer's left.

The Auction

  1. Starting with the player to the dealer's left and going clockwise, each player bids ONCE: name a number (minimum 15, then 20, 25, 30) or pass. The dealer bids last and has the option of 'holding': bidding the same amount as the current high bid (effectively a bid of the same value that beats the earlier bid because the dealer bids last).
  2. Minimum opening bid: 15 points (some regions start at 20). Bids go up in multiples of 5.
  3. Maximum bid: 30 (all 5 tricks counted as 5 points each would be 25, plus the 5-point bonus for taking the trick containing the highest trump = 30 maximum).
  4. All pass: The hand is annulled and a new dealer shuffles and deals. Some house rules make the dealer's partner bid a minimum instead.
  5. Winning the bid: The highest bidder declares trumps. Their partnership must score AT LEAST the bid to avoid being set.

Discard and Draw (Robbing)

  1. If the card turned up at the end of the deal would have been a trump (in some regional variants the dealer turns a card to propose trumps; in others trumps is set entirely by the bid winner), the dealer may 'rob the pack' by adding that turned card to their hand and discarding one card.
  2. After trumps is set, each player (in turn, starting left of dealer) may discard any number of cards from their hand (keeping at least one trump if they hold one) and draw replacements from the stock to rebuild a 5-card hand.
  3. The dealer draws last and always completes their hand to 5 cards.
  4. This discard-and-draw phase makes bidding on a weak hand with one or two high trumps feasible; you can expect to draw 3 or 4 new cards.

Trick Play

  1. Lead: The player to the dealer's left leads the first trick. The trick winner leads each subsequent trick.
  2. Following suit: Each player in clockwise order must follow suit (play a card of the suit led) if they hold one, WITH EXCEPTIONS for privileged trumps (see Reneging).
  3. Winning the trick: The highest trump played wins; if no trump, the highest card of the led suit wins. Use the trump and non-trump rankings from the Card Deck section.
  4. Ace of Hearts is always trump: Even if Hearts is not the named trump suit, the Ace of Hearts is the third-highest trump. If Hearts is led and you hold only the Ace of Hearts of that suit, you may choose not to play it (renege); see below.

Reneging (The Privileged Trumps Rule)

  • The 5 of trumps, Jack of trumps, and Ace of Hearts are the three 'privileged' trumps. A holder of any of these cards MAY 'renege' (refuse to follow trump) when a trump is led that is LOWER in the trump hierarchy than the privileged card they hold.
  • Example: Hearts is trump; you hold the 5 of Hearts (top trump). Opponent leads the Jack of Hearts (second-highest). You may keep your 5 and play a non-trump card; this preserves the 5 for a later trick.
  • Restrictions: You may not renege when a trump higher than your privileged card is led (e.g., 5 of trumps is always forced to play if the Ace of Hearts is led, because the 5 is higher). You may not renege more than one privileged trump per hand (house rules vary).
  • Penalty for illegal renege: If caught reneging illegally (e.g., refusing to follow suit when you have no privileged trump), the offender's side loses the bid or the 5 points for that trick (house rules differ).

Scoring

  • Each of the 5 tricks is worth 5 points (25 per hand).
  • Winning the trick that contains the highest trump in play (usually the 5 of trumps, if it was played) earns an extra 5 points, for a maximum of 30 points per hand.
  • Bidding team makes the bid: They score all their trick points (as normal).
  • Bidding team sets the bid: They LOSE the bid amount from their score (not just score zero). The defending partnership still scores their own trick points normally.
  • Jink (making all 5 tricks): If the bidding team takes all 5 tricks AND was bid at 20 or higher, they may have declared a 'jink' before the bid was set, scoring 60 (or 30 in some regions) for the hand. A failed jink loses 60 (or 30).

Winning

The first partnership to reach 120 points wins the match. If both partnerships would cross 120 in the same hand, the bidding team's score is counted first (honouring the bid wager); if still tied, play one more hand as a tiebreaker. A match is sometimes played to lower targets (60 or 100) for shorter sessions.

Common Variations

  • Twenty-Fives (non-auction predecessor): No bidding phase; the dealer turns the last card dealt to set trumps. First partnership to 25 points wins. The ancestor of Auction Forty-Fives.
  • Six-handed 45s: Three partnerships of 2 compete, each partner sitting opposite; alternatively 2 partnerships of 3. The maximum bid adjusts to 30 × number of tricks.
  • 120s (Growler): The Irish-Canadian standard form played to 120 points with jink bonuses.
  • Hoss (Canadian variant): A 3-player variant with each player alone; the bid winner chooses one opponent to sit out as partner.
  • Auction Forty-Fives without Robbing: Removes the discard-and-draw phase for faster play; bidders must trust the hand dealt.
  • Irish 45s: Uses a slightly different trump hierarchy where the 5 of trumps, Jack of trumps, and Ace of Hearts retain their privileged status but non-trump card ranks follow natural Ace-high order.

Tips and Strategy

  • The three privileged trumps (5, Jack, Ace of Hearts) are worth 15 of the 25-30 points available. Holding ANY of them makes a bid defensible; holding two is almost automatic.
  • Always bid on the Ace of Hearts even if you have no other trumps; it is the 3rd-highest trump of every hand and guarantees you at least one trick.
  • Use the reneging rule to preserve privileged trumps. When an opponent leads a low trump, renege your 5 of trumps (or Jack, or Ace of Hearts) and dump a useless non-trump card.
  • Count trumps played. With only 13 cards in a trump suit plus the Ace of Hearts, most hands see every trump played by trick 3 or 4.
  • Aggressive discarding during the robbing phase is important. Dump everything that is not a trump or an Ace; the draw pool is likely to give you at least one new trump on a typical 4-card discard.
  • Lead from strength. If you hold the 5 of trumps, lead it on the first trick to grab 10 points (5 for the trick + 5 for the top-trump bonus) before opponents can plan defences.

Glossary

  • 5 of trumps (Five Fingers): The highest trump card in Auction Forty-Fives, always the top trump.
  • Jack of trumps (Right Bower): The second-highest trump, always.
  • Ace of Hearts (The Hearse): The third-highest trump regardless of which suit is trump.
  • Privileged trumps: The three trumps above that may be held back (reneged) from lower trump leads.
  • Reneging: Legally refusing to follow a trump lead when holding a higher privileged trump.
  • Robbing the pack: The dealer's right to swap the turned-up card (if it is a trump) into their hand and discard one card.
  • Jink: Declaring an intent to win all 5 tricks for a bonus.
  • Set: Failing to make the bid; the bid amount is deducted from the team's score.

Tips & Strategy

Master the privileged-trump rule: the 5 and Jack of trumps plus the Ace of Hearts are always the top three trumps and can be reneged. Bid when you hold any of these; always in the top 3 trumps and always a trick-winner. Use the robbing phase aggressively.

Auction Forty-Fives rewards disciplined trump management more than most partnership games because the top three trumps are known and fixed; experienced players count the privileged trumps precisely and time the reveal of their own privileged cards for maximum point capture. The robbing-and-draw phase adds a layer of hand rebuilding that no other trick-taking game offers.

Trivia & Fun Facts

In Newfoundland, a 'Ladder 120s' is a tournament format where partnerships play a sequence of 120-point games, with losers descending a ladder of tables. 45s tournaments in Nova Scotia regularly draw 200+ players. The game's permanent promotion of the Ace of Hearts to trump status (even in spade, club, or diamond contracts) is found in no other mainstream trick-taking game.

  1. 01Which card is always the third-highest trump in Auction Forty-Fives, regardless of which suit is trump?
    Answer The Ace of Hearts. It is a permanent member of the trump suit alongside the 5 and Jack of the named trumps.
  2. 02Why is the 2 of trumps higher than the 10 of trumps when a black suit is named trump?
    Answer Because in black trump suits the non-face-card ranking is inverted: small numbers are high and large numbers are low, reflecting the game's Irish Maw ancestry.

History & Culture

Auction Forty-Fives evolved from 18th-century Irish Maw (popular at the court of James I) and its simpler Irish cousin Twenty-Fives. It arrived in Atlantic Canada with Irish immigrants in the mid-1800s, where it became the dominant pub and community card game of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Prince Edward Island. Today it remains a competitive tournament game across the Canadian Maritimes, with hundreds of players gathering in community halls for weekly 45s nights.

Auction Forty-Fives is inseparable from the cultural identity of Atlantic Canada's Irish-descended communities. Community halls in Cape Breton, Newfoundland, and PEI host weekly 45s nights that double as social gatherings, fundraisers, and living links to Irish heritage. Rhode Island's Irish-American neighbourhoods maintain a parallel tradition that has kept the game alive in New England for over 150 years.

Variations & House Rules

Twenty-Fives is the simpler ancestor without bidding. Six-handed 45s adds a third partnership. Hoss is the Canadian 3-player variant. The game has minor regional differences in renege limits and bid maximums.

For a beginner's version, drop the reneging rule entirely; treat privileged trumps as normal trumps that must be played when led. Play to 60 for a shorter match. Keep a visible reference card with the trump hierarchy at the table; the inversions in black suits trip up even experienced players.