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The American Card Player section-2

The origin of euchre
By William Brisbane 1866, Pages 57 - 81


Last update on: Dec 21, 2016

TECHNICAL TERMS page 2

Rule 21. - In discarding, you put away any card not a trump, no matter how valuable, that will give you a chance to trump that suit. For instance, if Hearts be trumps, and your lay cards are the Ace of Spades, and the Queen of Clubs, and Eight of Clubs, discard the Ace of Spades.

Rule 22. - The discard is not complete until the card is under the pack; and if the eldest hand plays before the discard is complete, the dealer may change the card, or may go it alone, though a card has been led.

Rule 23. - When your opponent turns it down, it is your policy to make it the next in suit, that is to name the trump of the same color, unless you have a commanding hand in one of the cross suits.

Eldest Hand. - The left-hand adversary of the dealer, so called because he is the first to play.

Euchre. - The failure of that side which makes, orders up, or takes up a trump, to take three tricks; this failure scoring two points to their adversaries.

Face-Card. - The coat-cards

Faced Card. - One with its face turned up in shuffling, cutting, or dealing

Finesse. - This is where a player holding the best and third best trump, plays the latter first, taking the risk that his opponents do not hold the second best trump, or that his partner does. In either case he wins the two tricks.

Force. - To lead a suit of which your opponents hold none, thus obliging them to trump or lose the trick.

GAME. - When one party makes five points before the other.

Go Alone. - Synonymous with "play alone".

Guarded. - Having a strong card of another suit behind your trumps; or having a smaller trump behind a strong one.

Hand. - The five cards dealt to each player

Information. - Anything passing from one partner to another, by which the latter knows how to play.

Rule 24. - If a player indicates his hand by words or gestures to his partner, directs him how to play, even by telling him to follow the rules of the game, or in any way acts unfairly, the adversary scores one point.

Rule 25. - If a player, when they are at a bridge, calls the attention of his partner to the fact, so that the latter orders up, the latter forfeits the right to order up, and either of the opponents may play alone, if they choose so to do.

"What are trumps?" "Draw your card" "Can you not follow suit?" "I think there is a revoke?"
The above remarks, or those analogous, are the only ones allowed to be used, and they only by the person whose turn it is to play.

Lay-Card. - Any card other than trump.

Lay- Suit. - Any suit not a trump

Lead. - The right to play first. The first card played

Left Bower. - The Knave of the same color as the trump suit.

Left Bower Guarded. - The Left Bower protected by another trump

Lone Hand. - A hand so strong in trumps alone, or in trumps, guarded by high cards of a lay suit, that it will probably win five tricks if its holder plays alone.

Lone Player. - The one playing without his partner.

Love-Game. - Scoring five points to your adversary's none.

Making a Point. - Where the responsible team wins the odd trick

Making the Trump. - Naming a new suit for trump, after the dealer has turned the trump card down.

Rule 26. - Any player making a trump cannot change the suit after having once named it; and if he should by error name the suit previously turned down, he forfeits his right to make the trump, and such privilege must pass to the next eldest player.

March. - Where all the tricks are made by one side.

Marking the Game. - Counting

Misdeal. - An error in giving out the cards, forfeiting the right to the deal, unless the dealer be interfered with, as elsewhere provided. (See Deal.)

Next in Suit. - Dutching it.

Numerical Cards. - Those cards neither ace nor face

Odd Trick. - The third trick.

Ordering Up. - Requiring the dealer and his partner to play the trump as it has been turned.

Pack. - The ordinary pack of cards, with the smaller cards from Deuces to Sixes, inclusive, thrown out.

Partner. - The one joined with you in playing against your adversary

Rule 27. - The penalty of the misconduct of one partner falls on both

Pass. - To decline to play at the trump turned up

Pass Again. - To decline the privilege of making a new trump, after the first has been turned down.

Pip. - The marks or spots on the inferior cards

Play Alone. - To play a hand without one's partner.

Point. - One of the five required for the game

Revoke. - Playing a card of a different suit from that demanded This is sometimes vulgarly called renege

Rule 28. - When a player revokes, the adversaries add two to their score.

Rule 29. - A revoke is not complete until the trick is quitted, and the revoker, or his partner, has played again.

Rule 30. - Though the revoker can correct his error, before he or his partner has played a second time, yet the opponent can call the exposed card if it be the revoker's next lead, or his turn to play one of that suit

Rule 31. - When the revoker corrects his error, his partner, if he has played, cannot change his card played; but the adversary may, if he could have played another card before.

Rule 32. - When a revoke is claimed against adversaries, if they mix their cards, or throw them up, the revoke is taken for granted, and they lose the two points.

Rule 33. - No party can claim a revoke after cutting for a new deal.

Rule 34. - A revoke on sides, forfeits to neither; but a new deal must be had.

Rule 35. - If a point has been made by a revoke, it must be taken from the score of the offender.

Rank. - The relative power of the cards, commencing and going down, in trumps, as follows : Right Bower, Left Bower, Ace, King, Queen, Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven ; but in the Lay Suits the Jacks take place between the Queens and Tens.

Responsible. - The party who order up a trump, assist, make a trump, or take it up.

Rule 36. - None have the privilege of playing alone, except those who take the responsibility of the trump

Right Bower. - The Jack of trumps

Right Bower Followed. - The Right Bower with another trump behind.

Round. - The four cards in a trick

Rubber. - The best two of three games

Ruffing. - Another term for trumping a suit other than trumps.

Score. - The points gained in a game or rubber.

Sequence. - The numerical succession of cards of the same color

Shuffle. - To mix the cards before dealing

Side-Cards. - Lay cards.

Slam. - Love-game, vulgarly called "a skunk

Spot. - The marks on the inferior cards.

Stock. - To fraudulently shuffle the cards so as to deal what cards are desired for the dealer. The cards not dealt out.

Suit. - Each separate set of the four denominations of cards in the pack; as the suit of Hearts, the suit of Diamonds, etc.

Taking it up. - Indorsing the trump by the dealer, and discarding another card for it, after the rest have passed.

Rule 37. - The dealer who takes it up must let the trump remain on the talon until it is necessary to play it on a trick.

Talon. - The cards remaining in the pack after a deal

Tenace. - Where the last player holds in his hand the highest and third best of the cards out.

Throw Away. - To play a worthless, card on a trick, when you cannot follow suit, and do not desire to trump; as, for instance, where it is your partner's.

Throwing Up. - Tossing one's cards on the table

Rule 38. - Throwing up a hand is giving up the points; and if the cards are turned face up, the left-hand player may call them as he thinks proper, and they must be played accordingly.

Rule 39. - No player has a right to see any trick but the last.

Trump. - The suit turned up, or made the commanding suit

Trump Card. - The card which is turned up by the dealer after the hands have been dealt around.

Turn Down. - The trump card which is turned face downward on the talon by the dealer, after all have passed.

Turn Up. - The trump card.

Underplaying. - Following suit with a low card, when you have one in your hand superior to your adversary's.


The American Card Player

* Index *

Section - 1

Section - 2

Section - 3

Section - 4

Section - 5

Section - 6

Section - 7

Section - 8 - 2 handed euchre

Section - 9 - 3 handed euchre


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