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Do you need to have that suit in hand to pick up jack

Posted: Sat May 05, 2018 7:56 am
by Locasta
Question: When a bower is turned up by the dealer, may he pick it the bower even if he does not have any cards of that suit in his hand but only has the jack of the other suit? My father says you can’t and our family plays that way. I last night I played with a group of people that say you can. Is there a written rule somewhere that says either you can or you can't.

Re: Do you need to have that suit in hand to pick up jack

Posted: Sat May 05, 2018 1:55 pm
by irishwolf
RE: Ordering without a card in a suit

Both can be correct! Your father says you have to have a 'natural trump' to make a suit trump. He is playing by local rules he has been use to.

However, going back to 1862 years in Hoyle books or books just on Euchre, you do NOT have to have a trump to order or make trump, 1st or 2nd round. It's important to know what rules you are playing by. Just like you have to know if you are playing STD, or farmer's hand, defending alone, etc. etc. One of the best authorities on this is THE LAWS OF EUCHRE, 1888 BY DWIGHT & LEEDS. (This also has bee updated to the 21st century.

Regards,

Irishwolf