Going alone on Left, Q, 10, 9 and a side Ace...

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akdas1119
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu May 24, 2018 10:55 am

Going alone on Left, Q, 10, 9 and a side Ace...

Unread post by akdas1119 » Thu May 24, 2018 12:22 pm

Hello,

I played at this restaurant/bar, and my partner said he has been playing Euchre ever since he was young. (I started playing a few years ago (online) and recently took the “Main” Euchre quiz and scored only 68%. The result said that was average, although I am sure on the “low end” of average).

The dealer turned down a diamond. In seat 1, I went alone in clubs... I had 4 trump (LEFT, QUEEN, 10, 9) and ACE OF HEARTS. I lead the LEFT. My opponent had the remaining 3 trumps (RIGHT, ACE, KING), took the trick and I was euchred. In this group, if you get euchred on a lone, the opposing team gets 4 points. Even though it is very improbable that my opponent would have those 3 cards, my partner got mad at me and yelled at me and said his family would skin me alive for such a mistake. Should I have played it safer and played the QUEEN first......?

Thanks,
Ashis



Play2Win
Posts: 16
Joined: Thu May 10, 2018 10:03 pm

Unread post by Play2Win » Thu May 24, 2018 1:59 pm

Having 4 trump leaves the location of the other three unknown. When you call alone there are nine cards that are out of play. The chances that all three were in one opponents hand were slim. Euchre is a game where an aggressive player normally comes out on top. In the hand you describe card distribution was against you. That happens sometimes.

You made the right call. I would have called the same. All good players get euchred, even when calling alone, good partners understand this.

Jeepster
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat May 26, 2018 11:12 am

Unread post by Jeepster » Sat May 26, 2018 9:31 pm

One reason to call alone is that your partner is unlikely to be able to assist you. The decision to call alone should be based on how much your partner can help. If he cannot help, there is no point in taking him along. Ask yourself, if your partner did have the other three trump, would that have made your hand stronger?

akdas1119
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu May 24, 2018 10:55 am

Unread post by akdas1119 » Mon May 28, 2018 8:29 pm

Thanks for the replies! Glad you would have also gone alone. But what about my question:

“Should I have played it safer and played the QUEEN first......?”

I am asking your opinion on mitigating the risk of this improbable outcome which gave the other team 4 points under this particular set of rules. (A game is 4 hands, no score limit) I think I did the right thing.

Play2Win
Posts: 16
Joined: Thu May 10, 2018 10:03 pm

Unread post by Play2Win » Wed May 30, 2018 11:46 pm

You were euchred no matter how you played. If you had started with a queen lead, your partner would have had good reason to be upset. A queen lead says you’re not serious about making this call. If you’re not willing to go all-in, take your partner along. By playing alone, first knows he just has to overtake your first lead, sit back and let you come to him. Would he have done the same, knowing your partner has the next play? What if your partner had an ace for his next lead? A lot of meaningless what-if’s. I agree with your lone call. However, if that is your plan then go for it. If it starts to go bad, change course and try to save the hand.

Catch10110
Posts: 48
Joined: Sat Jun 02, 2018 12:50 pm
Location: Aurora, IL

Unread post by Catch10110 » Sat Jun 02, 2018 1:06 pm

I feel like you made the right call and made the right lead. The only way this alone call works is if the right is buried or in your partners hand, so you go ahead and play like this is the case.

If you lead the (Card_Q-C) your lone call is defeated if either of your opponents have ANY of the remaining trump.

The only way you get euchred here is the unlikely scenario where one opponent has those exact 3 cards. It happens, it just doesn't happen that often.

Wes (aka the legend)
Posts: 1541
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2018 3:03 pm

Unread post by Wes (aka the legend) » Wed Jun 13, 2018 3:11 pm

Having that key outside ace, makes this a loner, but without it--say you had the Kh instead--you should just call (assuming a neutral score) given the harsh penalty of losing 4 points on a euchred loner--a terrible rule that only handicaps expert play.

XaviRonaldo
Posts: 84
Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2018 11:41 am

Unread post by XaviRonaldo » Thu Aug 16, 2018 12:06 pm

You probably would've gotten euchred anyway even with a partner. So in a regular game it's a no brainer to go alone especially in next (I know it wasn't in this case) but I'd probably still try it in this version depending on score.

XaviRonaldo
Posts: 84
Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2018 11:41 am

Unread post by XaviRonaldo » Thu Aug 16, 2018 12:09 pm

akdas1119 wrote:
Mon May 28, 2018 8:29 pm

“Should I have played it safer and played the QUEEN first......?”

I am asking your opinion on mitigating the risk of this improbable outcome which gave the other team 4 points under this particular set of rules. (A game is 4 hands, no score limit) I think I did the right thing.
Playing the queen wouldn't matter if second seat was smart. They lay their ace or king and seeing everyone else void in trump can just play offsuit and get the other two tricks still holding ace king.

irishwolf
Posts: 1319
Joined: Tue Apr 24, 2018 9:33 pm

Unread post by irishwolf » Tue Dec 04, 2018 3:33 pm

akdas1119,

First of all, the rule the opponents get 4 points is unusual. Standard rule is 2 points for a euchre on a loner.

If you go alone, why would you play it safe and lead the Queen? That's nuts because you have the right, ace and king against you that can win the trick. If you go alone, you lead the Left because there is a 44% chance the Right is buried or with your partner. Going alone depends on the score . . . if down in score by more that 3 points, go alone. Even one player having the ace/king will also stop you. So making a loner with this hand I would estimate statistically is about 25 - 28%. If score is tied, you might want to take your partner along but lead low if not going alone. Score and situation always has to a consideration.

You crossed the suit, Next was the call for your partner. Going green you have to expect opponents will also have green suit. However, that said, for exactly all three trumps in one opponents hand is about 3% probability.

In the short run, shit happens.

Irishwolf



---------

“Should I have played it safer and played the QUEEN first......?”

I am asking your opinion on mitigating the risk of this improbable outcome which gave the other team 4 points under this particular set of rules. (A game is 4 hands, no score limit) I think I did the right thing.

daktsk
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2019 7:37 am

Unread post by daktsk » Thu Apr 18, 2019 10:51 am

I was wondering what the odds of this happening were, and Irishwolf supplied them......3%. I don't think there's a euchre player out there who wouldn't play this hand, alone or otherwise. Sometimes you get the bear, and sometimes he gets you. Personally, I don't think I'd play in a league where you get four points for a euchre. It's too much an integral part of the game.

akdas1119
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu May 24, 2018 10:55 am

Unread post by akdas1119 » Mon Jul 22, 2019 10:35 pm

Forgot to thank everyone for comments! Very helpful!

(I hope some of you attend the 2019 World Series of Euchre tournament in St. Louis, MO, Sep. 27-28!)

Tbolt65
Posts: 820
Joined: Sun Jun 16, 2019 9:14 pm
Location: Las Vegas

Unread post by Tbolt65 » Tue Jul 23, 2019 2:00 am

akdas1119 wrote:
Thu May 24, 2018 12:22 pm
Hello,

I played at this restaurant/bar, and my partner said he has been playing Euchre ever since he was young. (I started playing a few years ago (online) and recently took the “Main” Euchre quiz and scored only 68%. The result said that was average, although I am sure on the “low end” of average).

The dealer turned down a diamond. In seat 1, I went alone in clubs... I had 4 trump (LEFT, QUEEN, 10, 9) and ACE OF HEARTS. I lead the LEFT. My opponent had the remaining 3 trumps (RIGHT, ACE, KING), took the trick and I was euchred. In this group, if you get euchred on a lone, the opposing team gets 4 points. Even though it is very improbable that my opponent would have those 3 cards, my partner got mad at me and yelled at me and said his family would skin me alive for such a mistake. Should I have played it safer and played the QUEEN first......?

Thanks,
Ashis

You called and played it just fine. The game is called euchre for a reason. You where just unlucky.

Tbolt65
Edward

RedDuke
Posts: 473
Joined: Sun Dec 02, 2018 2:22 am

Unread post by RedDuke » Wed Jul 24, 2019 2:50 am

Tbolt65 wrote:
Tue Jul 23, 2019 2:00 am
akdas1119 wrote:
Thu May 24, 2018 12:22 pm
Hello,

I played at this restaurant/bar, and my partner said he has been playing Euchre ever since he was young. (I started playing a few years ago (online) and recently took the “Main” Euchre quiz and scored only 68%. The result said that was average, although I am sure on the “low end” of average).

The dealer turned down a diamond. In seat 1, I went alone in clubs... I had 4 trump (LEFT, QUEEN, 10, 9) and ACE OF HEARTS. I lead the LEFT. My opponent had the remaining 3 trumps (RIGHT, ACE, KING), took the trick and I was euchred. In this group, if you get euchred on a lone, the opposing team gets 4 points. Even though it is very improbable that my opponent would have those 3 cards, my partner got mad at me and yelled at me and said his family would skin me alive for such a mistake. Should I have played it safer and played the QUEEN first......?

Thanks,
Ashis

You called and played it just fine. The game is called euchre for a reason. You where just unlucky.

Tbolt65
Edward
I probably would have made the same call you did. Like was stated earlier, the only way you were going to get euchred is if one opponent had the right, ace, king. Those weren't good odds. I'm going to guess and say that you actually had a better chance of getting the sweep than you did of getting euchred.

The easiest way to stop the sweep in this example is to have the right bower. There are 19 cards that you don't know about here... so the odds that one opponent has the right are 10/19. So that alone means that you had a ~52% chance of failing the sweep. You can still make the point at least unless one opponent has all three remaining trumps. That's about a 3% chance.

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