# Pinochle Pro — user reviews > 68 indexed App Store user reviews of Pinochle Pro by Black Panther Software LLC, rated 4.59/5 from 537 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pinochle-pro/id567644839/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pinochle-pro/id567644839.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 359 · 4★ 86 · 3★ 17 · 2★ 8 · 1★ 15 ## What do users think of Pinochle Pro? Overall sentiment: mixed **Pros** - 👍 Realistic and intelligent AI partner bidding and play - 🎮 Engaging gameplay that keeps users addicted - 🧮 Automatic meld calculation feature - 👥 Customizable player characters - 📱 Accessible for screen reader users (VoiceOver) - ⚙️ Solid game mechanics with pinochle sense - 💰 Ad-free version available for reasonable price **Cons** - 🐛 Frequent game freezes and crashes - 📺 Excessive and inappropriate advertisements - 💳 Payment issues and failed transactions - 🎨 Poor quality and unappealing graphics - 🤖 AI partner makes illogical card passes - 🎯 Suspected rigged dealing favoring high meld hands - ⚖️ Unfair game balance and discriminatory dealing - 🔄 Game-breaking bugs after recent updates - 🚫 Limited free play (5 games only) - 🔐 Poor customer support accessibility **Commonly reported bugs** - Game freezes when bidder has no meld - App crashes mid-game after bidding phase - Only allows one hand at a time instead of full game - Cards disappear during gameplay - Cannot see cards being played or count trump - Screen size prevents selecting 'Done' button on iPad Pro Max - Player character (Shirley) repeats same dialogue inappropriately - Trick scoring incorrectly assigned to wrong partnership - App fails to load or requires device restart - Payment/upgrade purchase errors and spinning screens - Partner passes non-trump 9s and other illogical cards - Meld calculation includes cards in player's hand **Most requested features** - Option to pass 4 cards instead of 3 - Clear trump indicator for both bidder and opponents - Reward for running the board (taking every trick) - Allow playing hands without meld to block opponents - Option to disable passing cards feature - Meld-only bid option - No-passing pinochle variant - Better graphics and character design - Improved partner AI bidding commitment - Display trump suit more prominently in color ## Newest reviews (11 of 68) ### 2/5 — It’s OK *2026-07-12, version 2.25* This game is ok. The ads spoil it. You not only have to watch an ad between every hand, but the stupid thing sits there frozen before the ad even comes on. What a waste of time! You play 1 minute for every 2 minutes of wasted time. They say you can pay for no ads, but reviewers say they paid and still get ads, so why would you?! Why does my idiot partner pass me multiple nines when I win the bid?! Could he be any less helpful?! It feels like he’s trying to sabotage me! ### 4/5 — Absolutely despise the characters but more so the commercials *2024-10-02, version 2.24* Commercials are a waste. I get that you have to have them but GOD ### 4/5 — What is trump *2024-04-16, version 2.17* It is noted that when we take the bid, trump is indicated. When the opponents take the bid you have to be watching for their call and otherwise I do not see it indicated, you need to watch the play to figure it out. Would be nice for both and in color would be nice. Thank you …… ### 4/5 — Bug *2024-03-21, version 2.13* When the bidder has no meld, the game freezes, and he cannot lead out his first trick. Please fix. Really like game, especially the one bid option. Meld bids would also be great. ### 3/5 — Not random deals *2024-01-08, version 2.13* I play a lot of pinochle, and double pinochles DO NOT come up as often as this game deals them! The deals must be rigged for high meld hands. ### 2/5 — Mostly bad *2022-03-31, version 2.13* Over and over again my partner bids while having 2 or 3 meld and 4 cards of a suit to make trump, duh. Hand after hand, I get no aces or just one ace. ### 4/5 — Partner Outbids Then Passes *2020-04-06, version 2.9* I’ve played this game nearly 2700 times, so its safe to say I like it OK. However there is one major flaw in the bidding, and it has happened to me several times. I bid, my partner bids, it comes back to me and, though I like my hand, since my partner outbid me I assume he has a strong hand and thus pass, allowing him to carry us. Then, surprise, he passes on his next bid. Where I come from, even if he isn’t a real person, I ought to be able to assume he is going to carry on the bid, at least for a bit. After all, we want to force the other side to work for it and if we don’t win the bid, perhaps make them go set. This ought to be a relatively easy fix, and would improve the game. When my machine partner outbids me and I pass, he needs to bid at least 1-3 more times. You have to make a commitment to your partner when you outbid him, so that we increase the odds of winning the bid with the better of our two hands in control. ### 2/5 — Used to be fun *2020-03-03, version 2.8* Played this game for several months and it was fun. Lately tho, it is very frustrating when the game freezes, especially when you have a good hand. Am rapidly losing interest. Update: happy to report that, within an hour of my review, the developer responded. Yay! A fix for the freezing is in the works! Love the game and play many many games. Thanks for the positive response! The fix would definitely change my review to FIVE STARS! ### 5/5 — Great game! *2020-01-30, version 2.8* I love playing this game as I relax in the evenings ### 5/5 — Fun game *2020-01-26, version 2.6* Love this game. Play it all the time to keep up on my pinochle skills. Thank you! ### 3/5 — Can’t see the cards *2019-10-30, version 2.4* Played the game for a while then all of a sudden I can’t see the cards being played can’t count Trump and this just started I was able to see cards but now I can’t and no way to contact anyone ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — No pay *2025-10-07, version 2.24* Don’t pay for no ads, I paid twice now and just got told I never paid. ### 1/5 — Update ruined this for me *2024-04-18, version 2.17* I loved playing this version until the latest update. Now it only allows me to play one hand at a time not the full game. Tried deleting and reinstalling but it happened again and again. Have now deleted it permanently. ### 1/5 — Was great *2024-04-11, version 2.15* Well, several of us have been playing this game for years and it was awesome but for some reason they changed several things in the last update and now it is a hot mess. ### 1/5 — Facebook Support Really? *2023-09-30, version 2.13* We used to love this app but after upgrading our phones, the app was restored with ads. Only message is to sign into our iTunes account that has no effect at all. Product support sends you to Facebook that we don’t use and don’t wish to. Apparently only Facebooker’s can have support. ### 1/5 — Cheaters *2022-05-07, version 2.13* How can an opponent bid 36, make 35, and still win? This has happened so many times. And your partner bidding against you and when you pass your partner passes. Also has happened so many times. I’ve deleted the app twice before and I’m done this time. I like the way this game plays, but I don’t like AI that cheats! ### 1/5 — Game Malfunction *2022-01-23, version 2.13* I bought this game about a week ago. Suddenly the game started quitting in the middle. Now it quits right after the bidding is finished . The players and the cards just disappear. ### 1/5 — Obscene adds *2021-12-03, version 2.11* The game is fine but the obscene adds are completely inappropriate. Deleing this app. Do not let your kids download this!!!! ### 1/5 — Sort of accessible to the blind, but question about seeing trump and scoring. *2020-04-02, version 2.9* Hi, so your app is very accessible for the most part using the Voiceover screen reader. I'm totally blind, used to play pinochle with braille cards. There's just one problem. I can't tell what's trump. It's shown up a few times, but I've made bad passes when trying to pass cards to my partner. So maybe if there's something that says what trump is, that would be very helpful. Other than that, I can play the game because I can count cards in my head. Update: another big problem. I'm very confused. If someone plays, on my left, a Queen of Spades, and my partner (north), plays the Ace of Spades, East plays, say, Jack of Spades, and I play a King of Spades, that should give my partner and I 2 pointers. Instead, they seem to be going to the West-East partnership. That's not right! If North plays the Ace, then they get the trick. At least, that's how I was told. It seems that in this version, whoever plays the trump card first wins the trick. Was I told incorrectly or something? ### 1/5 — cannot choose different partners on i pad pro max *2020-01-09, version 2.4* love the game but when you go to swap out different players screen size will not allow you to chose "Done" ### 1/5 — Not accurate *2019-09-18, version 2.4* Many times players will meld with cards I have in my hand. Frustrating ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Best pinochle game! *2026-04-11, version 2.24* I love it ### 5/5 — Observations *2024-04-29, version 2.17* 1. Dealing—seems to be discriminatory. Programming will favor a team. Programming needs to be as random as live play with human players and real cards. 2. The computer players are unable to bid sensibly. They will bid themselves into default because the program tells them it should be their hand regardless of not being able to make the bid or going set. ### 5/5 — Passing cards *2024-04-20, version 2.17* I like passing four cards, not three. That’s my only complaint. ### 5/5 — Realistic pinochle game play *2024-04-11, version 2.14* I play the ad-free version. I’ve been playing the game with few glitches and no crashes. Both partner and opponent play seems to make “pinochle sense”, with no one making blatantly stupid plays (like throwing a second ace to give your partner a counter early in the hand). I’m curious about the Achievements, though: I’ve blown past 100 games, but somehow haven’t earned that badge yet. I think player Shirley got broken in the recent (2024) upgrade, though. She now says after every deal “that’s because you’re sitting in my lucky chair.” She only ever used to say that when someone else got a really good hand. ### 5/5 — Serious Flaw *2024-01-17, version 2.13* This version of Pinochle has some serious flaws! Many times I had POWERHOUSE HANDS whereby I took EVERY book in the hand. Yet, your messenger comes on and says “I can’t make it”. If I turned every book in the hand, that should WIN me the entire game, but your game crafter won’t allow it! Read Hoyle! If you don’t know how to play the game, you shouldn’t penalize people who do know how to play the game. ### 5/5 — Flaws and Imissions *2024-01-14* There is no provision or reward for “turning every trick” ,”running the board” as it is! that’s a real flaw in this game. In real Pinochle, you look for those opportunities when you can take every book and you get a reward for doing so: that is winning the entire game. Also, players should be allowed to play their hand. If they have a good hand without appropriate meld, they should be allowed to play their hand to keep their opponents from making points and progressing. There’s no provision for that in this game. **Developer response:** Thanks Darkcity! Im happy you are enjoying the game. Thanks for the suggestions I have added both of them to my feature request board. You can view it here: https://pinochle-pro.canny.io/feature-requests-bug-reports. Please feel free to add additional requests there or drop me an email at travis@blackpanthersoftware.com I think these ideas are great! Ill work on getting these implemented after a pretty significant set of changes I am working on. Stay tuned. ### 5/5 — Great game! *2024-01-04* Ok yup, I'm addicted 👍🏻 ### 5/5 — Really solid game *2021-06-12, version 2.11* I agree with the other reviewer who said the bad reviews must have been from previous builds that have since been fixed. I’ve been playing the game with few glitches and no crashes. Both partner and opponent play seems to make “pinochle sense”, with no one making blatantly stupid plays (like throwing a second ace to give your partner a counter early in the hand). I’m curious about the Achievements, though: I’ve blown past 100 games, but somehow haven’t earned that badge yet. I’m upgrading to the ad-free version just to support the developer. **Developer response:** Thanks for the review Dennis! ### 5/5 — Great Game *2020-07-18, version 2.11* This game is a lot of fun. The lower ratings seem to be for earlier issues that the developer has since corrected. I like that the game automatically calculates the meld for you. Also you can see and change the players. In this version, the winner of the bid exchanges 4 cards with their partner which makes the game more interesting. There are ads, but they are not too annoying and there is an option to remove ads for $4.99. I am really enjoying this game. ### 5/5 — Love it, just love it! *2020-02-01, version 2.8* Thank You, Thank You, Thank You for the recent updates, I just love this game!!!!! --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-26.*