New England 45s rules
Auction 45s travelled to New England with Maritime and Irish families and is still played across Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, especially in the Merrimack Valley. The New England game keeps a couple of older customs.
What's different from Nova Scotia
- First lead: The bidder (Nova Scotia: Left of the bidder)
- Plain-suit aces: Traditional order (Nova Scotia: Always high)
In the traditional order, a plain-suit ace ranks below the jack in black suits and at the bottom in diamonds, rather than above the king.
With the bidder leading, the bidding team gets to set the tone from the first trick, which makes leading a top trump to pull the opponents' trumps a common opening.
Everything else follows the standard rules.
New England rules at a glance
| Rule | NS | NB | PEI | NL | New Eng. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest bid | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Dealer may hold | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Kitty | 4 cards | 4 cards | 4 cards | 4 cards | 4 cards |
| Cards you may discard | Up to 5 | Up to 5 | Up to 5 | Up to 5 | Up to 5 |
| Bidder must hold a trump | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| First lead | Left of the bidder | Left of the bidder | Left of the bidder | Left of the bidder | The bidder |
| When a plain suit is led | Follow suit or trump | Follow suit or trump | Follow suit or trump | Follow suit or trump | Follow suit or trump |
| Plain-suit aces | Always high | Always high | Always high | Traditional order | Traditional order |
| Cards that may renege | 5, J and A♥ | 5, J and A♥ | 5, J and A♥ | 5, J and A♥ | 5, J and A♥ |
| 30 for 60 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 60 for 120 | Only when in the hole | Only when in the hole | Only when in the hole | Only when in the hole | Only when in the hole |
| Over 100 | Must win the bid to score | Must win the bid to score | Must win the bid to score | Must win the bid to score | Must win the bid to score |
| Game | 120 | 120 | 120 | 120 | 120 |
| Deal | 3 then 2 | 3 then 2 | 3 then 2 | 2 then 3 | 3 then 2 |