Should you go alone on 8 ?
There are many old sayings associated with euchre, don't trump your partners ace, count on your partner for a trick, take a trick when you can and so on. Most give sound advice for the beginner. There is one however, that is dead wrong! That being "Don't go alone on 8". I have no clue where or how this one got started, ( unless it was to help a younger sister win against her older brother? )It just makes no sense. There are many hands where not going alone on 8 is not only wrong, it will cost you the game. Most skilled players know this, yet many inexperienced players will not play alone, insisting that it is wrong, rude or maybe just because mom told them not to.
Look at the following hand. The only way to make two points and win the game is to go alone.
(You sit at bottom in first seat, order trump to dealer and have first bid)
Now lets say you didn't go alone and only made 1 point. The opposition now has the deal with the score at 9-9. They will most likely win the game.
Here is another possible scenario
Thanks go out to "Lead um" for this
Turn card
J
Dealer
J 9
A
A
A
-------------
Dealer Discard
9
Score tied 8 to 8, deal is to you with Jack of D's up.
Other cards in your hand are the left, ace, and both black aces.
Clubs is led which your partner does not have so he trumps it with his 9 to take the trick.
BAM, your first ace is lost.
Then your partner throws out his king of spades...
(either because he thinks you may be weak, has no more trump, or does not believe in leading trump)
Bam, opponent does not have a spade and trumps it.
Not only are you about to lose your second suit ace, but also your chance for two points and a win.
Had your p not been in the mix, you would have taken the first trick with your ace, and had the lead
Had your p not been in the mix, you would have taken the first trick with your ace, and had the lead
Had your p not been in the mix, you would have taken the first trick with your ace, and had the lead
Right, left, ace, and more than likely that ace of spades would also go through and game is over.
The following hand is similar to the one above.
Lets say 1st seat leads 9 of diamond, Then dealers partner, thinking this is his only chance to help out, trumps in with left. He now has to lead back a heart that gets trumped by 3rd seat. Again both of the dealers aces have been wasted and the chance of winning the game has been greatly reduced.
This was send to me by Ricky D from Indiana,
While this is not about going alone on eight, It does show the importance of playing a hand alone. The score was 9-6 them, Things had not been going well for us. First we gave them 4 point via two euchres. then they got a lone plus a one pointer. The cards turned in our favor and we made it up to six points. They dealt the following hand. I passed, second seat passed and my partner when alone. As luck would have it, he took five tricks for the win. He later said "It was our only chance." Later on that evening I replayed the game and realized had he not played alone we would have only made one point. With them at nine the chance of winning that game would have been slim.
Turn card
10
Dealer
Q
Q 9 J
K
-------------
Dealer Discard
Q
Here is how the hand played out. second seat lead the ten of spades, my partner trumped in with the queen. He then lead the Ace, Left. Next he lead the Ave of clubs and the 9 for the win. Was it a risky move? sure but at that point it was do or die.
Had he taken me along, I would have lead the right, then Ace of hearts, then a club, second seat would have made his last trump good.
Current Comments
1 comments so far (post your own)I am proponent of playing alone on 8 and have been for many years. It's about time someone takes up this issue head on. Keep up the good work....
Jim
Posted by Euchre Champ on Wednesday, 12.31.69 @ 17:00pm | #10