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Learn how to Play Euchre
Lesson 7

Updated on: Mar 3, 2022
A review of what we have learned

"Experience may be the best teacher, but you need proper guidance"


There are 24 cards in a euchre deck. They consist of the ace through the nine in each of the four suits. The highest-ranking card is the jack of the suit that has been named trump. The jack of the same color as trump is the second highest-ranking card, followed by the Ace, King, Queen, Ten, and Nine of trump. The non-trump cards have the standard values of Ace highest through nine lowest.

Cards are most commonly dealt in groups of 2 and 3 clockwise until each player has 5. That leaves 4 cards undealt, called the kitty. The top card of the kitty is turned face up. Bidding begins with the first player to the left of the dealer and proceeds in order of player. Any player may declare the suit of the kitty card as trump, in which case the dealer picks up that card and discards a card of their choosing. Then play begins.

If no one names trump, the top card is turned down and a second round of bidding starts. On the second round, no one can name the suit that was turned down as trump.

A player may also bid alone in either round and try, without his partner's help, to take all 5 tricks. If successful, that team gets 4 points. If a team member names trump, the team must take at least 3 tricks to make a point. If they take less than 3, then they are said to have been euchred, and the other team gets 2 points. If they win all 5 tricks they earn 2 points.

Everyone must follow suit if they can. If a team member does not follow suit when they are able, it is a renege and the other team gets 2 points. Standard games are played to 10 points.

It is the fear of being euchred on a hand that stops most new players from bidding, and some never get over this fear. But in fact, this is a bidder's game, and not bidding usually results in losing many more games than one wins. Keep in mind that this is a partnership game. You do not need to take all 3 tricks yourself; you should generally rely on your partner to take the third trick.

When it is your turn to bid,
the following things should be kept in mind.

    1) Risky bids may be made at low scores but should be avoided as teams get closer to 10.

    2) As your position at the table changes, so do the bidding strategies.

    3) The third seat is the hardest place to make a bid from.

    4) Consider going alone if your partner cannot help improve your hand.

    5) Holding only the right, and a small trump is normally a biddable hand

    6) Second round bidding , 1st or 3rd seat: Next suit has the best chance of working

    7) Second round bidding, 2nd seat or dealer: Green suit has the best chance of working


Choosing the proper discard entails more than just scrapping your lowest card. Creating a void is your primary goal, but just as important is keeping your double sets. When given the choice between discarding next or a green suit, pick the green suit. That is what most players will lead. You should always watch for patterns in the opposition method of play, as most people tend to always play the same way.

Discards for lone calls are handled a little differently than for a standard hand. When someone calls alone from the 3rd seat, the dealer should try and discard Next to void themselves, and their partner should try to lead Next. If the dealer is bidding alone, and holds a green Ace-King along with the other green Ace, discarding the single Ace is usually best.

When you cannot follow suit, use this opportunity to show your partner the suit you have the boss cards in. This can be done by playing an Ace from an Ace-King combination, or the lower card, from any Ace-X combination.

Just leading your Aces, without any thought as to the suit or the number of cards you hold in that suit, may not be the best play. Deciding the best card to lead among the 5 you hold involves considering things such as: What team bid? What is Next? Has trump been led? And so on. A singleton green Ace lead is normally the best first choice. Leading the turned-down suit will often get trumped. One should also avoid leading Next. Aces have a much better chance of surviving once a round of trump had been played. When lacking a better lead, the smaller card from a King-X combination may set up the king for later use.

When your partner has bid, try and show them any bowers you may hold. Play one, but never both. This helps them decide how to play the balance of card their hand. If you have first lead, play a trump before playing any Aces. As there are only 7 possible trump, it is generally not wise to lead trump twice. This may leave all the power cards in the opponents' hands.

On a Next call, when holding Bower-x and an off-suit Ace, the smaller trump tends to be the best lead. If you only hold 2 small trump but no power, lead low from a double suit if possible.

As the bidding team, it is not advisable to lead a trump on the fourth trick (unless your last card is an Ace). Lead the other card. This gives your partner the best chance of taking this trick and giving the team two points instead of one.

What about Lones

The team that makes the first lone had the greatest chance of winning. This is the reason why one should try a lone attempt any time they have a sure point in their hand. Risky lone calls may put you back in the game. We've all seen lones made with two small off-suit cards walking the board. The problem is that most players will not try these. Out of the 24 cards in a deck, nine cards are not used in a lone try. Euchre is, like all card games, a game of chance. Sometimes the cards run in your favor and sometimes not. The only way to know is to try. Very often, we see hands where taking your partner along will not increase the success rate of the hand. An example of this could be holding 5 trump without the Right. If your partner holds it, will it change the outcome of your hand? I've seen many players say they didn't try a lone because they didn't hold the Right. It is not required that you hold both bowers to try a lone. Many two suited hands with strong trump are potential lones.

The dealer's position is one of the best spots to call a lone from. You can be reasonably sure no one has a lot of power in your suit. You are able to discard an unwanted card and have 6 cards to choose from. 1st seat is also a strong position as you have the first lead. Lone calls from 3rd seat require a very strong hand.

    When you get set on a lone call, it is unlikely that your partner could have been able to help.

    Euchre is a game of chance. Not every call is going to work every time. It's imperative to take chances and bid. The team that bids the most normally wins.

That was a great game

Here is a short test on this euchre lesson

1) Perhaps the most important thing to remember in euchre is * that this a mostly a game of luck. You just need to get good cards
* that it's a partners game and one must consider how each play will affect their partner.
* that getting euchred will likely cause you to lose the game.   





2) When bidding, your position at the table * makes no difference, It’s all about the cards
* should be taken into consideration
* is important, you should, if at all possible, name trump from third seat.   


3) On second round bidding, second seat should * try to bid in next, his partner must have some help.
* try to bid in one of the green suits with anything over a King-Nine combination
* pass because their partner passed   





4) Successful Lones are seldom made from * Third seat.
* Second seat
* First Seat   

5) When deciding what card to discard * you should try and hold your highest cards
* you should try and hold one card from each suit.
* try and create a void if possible.   

6) If you hold 4 strong trump plus an off suit queen * you should try and play alone
* you should pass
* you take your partner along, They most likely have the matching Ace to your Queen .   



7) Let us say that you try one of the suggested plays listed here and get euchred, you should * never try it again. It just doesn't work for me.
* send the author an email and tell them they are wrong.
* Try and remember, this is a game of chance. Not every play is going to work every time.








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