1) You're in a Euchre tournament. The structure is very simple. You play 6 games with random partners. The person with the most points in the end wins. Each game is up to ten with the max points possible being 13. You are in game one.
You are the dealer, and your team is up 6-0
The upcard is the
You hold
,
,
,
,
ANSWER: Do not go alone. Just call. This is a tricky question. Just remember that the person with the most points at the end of the night wins. Points are more important than actually winning. If you go alone you get 10 points, game over, end of story. If you just call your team goes up 8-0 with a chance to finish with 11, 12, or 13 points. In fact if you can get up 9-1, 9-2, 9-3, 9-4, and maybe 9-5, you should now pass all biddable hands fishing for that coveted 4 point loner hand. While it's true that if you go up 8-0 bad things can still happen and approximately 4% of the time your team will end up losing with 8 or 9 points. But 4% is not a high enough probability to worry about, plus losing with 8 or 9 points is not a disaster. That's still a decent point total that keeps you in the running in the tournament. This is a highly counterintuitive spot where the EV (expected value) of going up 8-0 is higher than winning 10-0.
Where did I get that 4% figure?: http://members.tripod.com/borf_books/euchprob.htm
The rest of the questions are for normal non-tournament games.
2) The score is 0-0. You are the dealer.
The upcard is the
You hold
,
,
,
,
ANSWER: Call clubs. When you block no suits, two trump plus a singleton green ace is a call more for defensive purposes than offensive purposes. Yes it's a marginal call, and you will certainly get euchred more than you'd like. The theory here is you will squeeze out enough points offensively, plus block enough seat 1 loners + seat 1 calls that end up getting 2 points or 1 point, to make up for the higher euchre frequency of this marginal holding. I would also make this defensive call with two trump and a doubleton green ace, or two trump and a singleton non-green ace.
3) The score is 3-3. You're in seat 1, and the dealer turned down the
You have
,
,
,
,
ANSWER: This hand actually comes from a Natty Bumppo column:
http://members.tripod.com/borf_books/ecolum41.htm#euchrehand
While most people in the poll voted to call something, I agree with the author that this is a pass. This is a pretty decent euchre hand. I don't know if there's a formal definition of a euchre hand out there but I would say it is any hand where you have all suits blocked with nearly two tricks in every suit. This hand qualifies. Don't waste this opportunity by calling.
4) Your team is up 7-0. Your partner, the dealer turned down the
First seat passes and it's on you.
You hold
,
,
,
,
ANSWER: Make a hail mary reverse next club call. This is basically a donation from the 2 seat, a donation you're making to protect your team from a 3rd seat loner, a possibility that goes up significantly given your garbage holding. With such a nice lead never pass a hand in this spot when you block nothing. It is often the case in euchre where doing what's best for your team is more important than your actual holding. This means playing sound defense which equates to playing to win instead of just playing your cards.
5) The score is 5-5. You're in the 2 seat and the dealer upcard is the
You have
,
,
,
,
ANSWER: Call diamonds. Right + 1 from the 2 seat is a marginal call that makes a point quite often, and it's a marginal call you must make when you only block 1 out of the 3 remaining suits in the 2nd round. If you pass, your partner will pass all kinds of marginal helper hands that would've allowed your team to eke out a point. Your partner would never pass these hands if he could see your cards. Don't induce your partner to make these technical mistakes (I.E. any time your partner plays his hand differently than he would have had he seen your cards he has made a technical mistake). It is especially tragic when you pass this hand and your partner passes one of those helper hands I'm talking about and then Seat 1 goes alone in black. Never give seat 1 a chance at a black loner or even a 2 point call. Even though this hand is a marginal call, it's way too big of a hand to give seat 1 that opportunity. IOW never pass Right + 1 in this spot if you don't block all suits.
6) The score is 0-0. You're the dealer.
The upcard is the
You hold
,
,
,
,
ANSWER: Go alone in hearts, discarding the spade. (Right + 1) + (Suited ace) + (another ace) is a marginal loner configuration but a loner nonetheless. It may look scary but it actually doesn't get euchred that often and it gets 4 points often enough to make up for that downside. That said, when you do go alone with this holding you have to play it right when things go badly. E.G. say seat 1 leads a spade and Seat 3 trump it with the Th. Don't over-trump with the right and blow up your hand. Understand that the instant Seat 3 trumped in with a card higher than your lower trump, your loner attempt got ruined. Go on the defensive and throw off with the Tc instead. You're now playing for a point. As the saying goes sometimes discretion is the better part of valor.
A good example hand can be found on this site, it's the last example on this page: https://ohioeuchre.com/L-Learn_To_Play_Euchre_Lesson-10-AdvancedPlayExamples3.php
Note: I actually disagree with the way that hand was played in the later stage. I would play the Js before the Ac.
7) Your team is up 4-3. You're in the 2 seat and the dealer upcard is the
You're hold
,
,
,
,
ANSWER: Pass. Not only do you have all suits blocked with a decent euchre hand but you have a viable loner hand in the 2nd round. So pass in the first round with the intention of going alone in black in the 2nd. That said, change the Ad into the Ac and now you should order hearts in the first round. Now you don't block a next call. As mentioned in hand (5), never pass Jack + 1 from the 2 spot in the first round when you don't block all suits. The only time to consider violating this rule is if seat 1 is a very weak player who passes often and you have a 2 round loner. I'm also sympathetic to the idea of passing a biddable hand from the 2 seat in the first round to go for a loner in the 2nd round when your team is down 9-6/9-7 regardless of how many suits you have blocked. Keep in mind tho that this play will never work if seat 1 is a strong player because strong players will never pass from seat 1 in the 2nd round up 9-6/9-7 unless they have all suits blocked for the obvious reason.
8) Your team is up 6-0. You're in the 1 seat. The dealer just turned down the 9s.
You have
,
,
,
,
ANSWER: Call next (clubs). Never pass in this spot when you're up 6-0 and you don't block reverse next. Grit your teeth and do what's best for your team and protect that nice lead. Don't give Seat 2 a chance at a red loner. Hell it's even possible for Seat 2 to have a loner sweep in clubs! BUT NOT ON YOUR WATCH!!!
9) Your team is down 9-6. You're in the 1 seat. The dealer just turned down the
You have
,
,
,
,
ANSWER: Go alone in diamonds. You're down 9-6. It's hail mary time. And this hand isn't as bad as it looks. If the right is buried you have a decent shot here, and the possibility that the right is indeed buried goes up significantly after your opponents turned down a heart. Lead the left and pray. Also, if you don't convert the loner sweep it isn't the end of the world. This hand still often scores a point by itself with all those aces.
10) Your team is up 4-2. You're in the 1 seat. The dealer upcard is the
You have
,
,
,
,
ANSWER: Grit your teeth and call spades. Sure you'd rather not, but you have no where to go in the 2nd round should the dealer pass. If the dealer turns down the As, you're now in a nightmare spot potentially passing with a garbage hand that blocks nothing. Ideally you'd like to never put your team at that kind of grave risk. The less riskier venture is to order up spades in the first round. It's not hopeless. You still have 3 trump. Things can go your way. Look at it like a semi-donate.
11) The score is 0-0. You're in the 3rd seat. The dealer upcard is the
You hold
,
,
,
,
ANSWER: I pass here. IMO this hand is not strong enough to order up from the 3rd spot. It isn't just because the 3rd seat is where a high percentage of euchres happen due to the fact that you don't have the lead and can easily get over-trumped should your partner have no trump to lead. You also have to play very tight from 3rd becuz this is where the most technical mistakes happen on your calls. Again, technical mistakes are made any time you would play your hand differently had you seen everyone's cards. I.E. every time you call and the dealer would've ordered himself had you passed you've made a technical mistake. And every time you call from 3rd and the dealer would've passed but your partner had a better hand in the 2nd round, especially a loner, you really lose out, and even when your partner has a 2nd round hand that would've scored a point you've made a technical mistake because your 1st rd call now was an unnecessary risk. Also, don't forget about the possibility of the dreaded 6 point technical mistake. That is, you call, and get set whereas if you had passed, the dealer would've passed and your partner had a 2nd round loner sweep. For these reasons 3 trump without the right and no off aces is a pass for me. Also, remember, all the dealer really needs here to pick up is to also have the right to go along with his upcard, and if the dealer passes you still have the right power to help out a next call.
12) Your team is up 8-1. You're in the 2 seat. The dealer's upcard is the
You hold
,
,
,
,
ANSWER: Call Hearts. Whenever your team reaches 8 or 9 points and you have a big lead you need to loosen up your calls from the 2 seat, first round when you block very little. This is becuz 1) you no longer have to worry about blocking your partner's loner and 2) the last thing you want to do here is give up a seat 1, 2nd round loner. So hands that are normally not quite good enough to call, like 2 low trump + an off ace. now become a must call when you block no suits up 8-1. Don't fall in the autopilot trap of just playing your cards. Always play the situation, always think ahead. Always play sound defense.
13) Your team is up 9-0. You're the dealer.
The upcard is the
You hold
,
,
,
,
ANSWER: This is one of the few situations where you should donate from the dealer spot. With such a garbage hand, blocking nothing, having no aces, don't even give seat 1 a chance at a 4 point play when you're up 9-0. Remember in euchre, there's not many buried cards. Most of the cards are in play. So when you have absolutely nothing, there's a great chance someone else is loaded.
14) The score is 0-0. You're in seat 1 and the dealer turned down the
You have
,
,
,
,
ANSWER: Pass. Never call marginal from seat 1, 2nd round when you block all suits except when your opponents are at 9.
15) Your team is up 3-2. You're in the 2 seat. The dealer turned down the
, and seat 1 passes in the 2nd round.
You hold
,
,
,
,
ANSWER: I call clubs here. I posted this hand becuz it was debated in one of Natty Bumpo's columns back in the day. Here's the discussion:
http://members.tripod.com/borf_books/ecolum41.htm#jury
For me there's not really much of a debate here. Call clubs, but if I had a partner that called spades instead here I wouldn't sweat it. However, if my partner passed with this strong of a hand when he doesn't block next, he would be dead to me.
16) The score is 6-6. You're in the 3rd seat. The dealer upcard is the
You hold
,
,
,
,
ANSWER: Pass. Too many good things can happen if you pass here. 1) If the dealer picks up you have a great chance to set him (all he needs is the Right bower to justify an order). And 2) If the dealer passes you hit your partner no matter what he calls, and those times your partner goes alone you'll also be glad you passed. And the worse case scenario, the dealer and your partner both passing isn't that bad as you have all suits blocked. Ordering this hand up in the first round from the 3rd spot and getting set would be a small tragedy since it was a risk you didn't need to take given the upside to passing--a real risk to always respect since 3rd seat orders are the toughest ones to make.
17) Your team is down 9-7. You're the dealer. The upcard is the
You have
,
,
,
,
ANSWER: Go alone. If both bowers are buried you have a shot. You're down 9-7. It's go time. With two aces you still have a shot to make a point anyways. Go for 4 and the win.
18) The score is 6-6. You are the dealer.
The upcard is
You have
,
,
,
,
ANSWER: Pass. You have a super strong euchre hand plus a club loner in the 2nd round. Calling in the first round and trying to fight for a point would be a great opportunity wasted.
19) The score is 4-4. You're in seat 1. The dealer picks up the
You hold
,
,
,
,
What do you lead?
ANSWER: Lead one of the bowers (The poker player in me prefers leading the Right since it conveys less information than leading the Left). I posted this hand because it's inherently controversial and discussed here:
http://borf_books.tripod.com/ecolum91.htm#2bowers
Bottom line. The argument given for leading a bower is certainly not at the level of a mathematical proof, but it's more compelling than the other side, and at the end of the day all we can do is make decisions based on the best evidence available.
20) The score is 9-9. You're in the 2 seat.
The upcard is the
You hold
,
,
,
,
Answer: Call diamonds. It's the best you got, and you pretty much have nothing else. If you pass and the dealer passes the game is almost certainly over given how weak you are in the other suits. So it's all in on diamonds for better or worse. Always remember, that at 9-9, the 2 seat has to loosen up his calling range significantly.
21) The score is 0-0. You're in the 1 seat. The dealer turned down the
You hold
,
,
,
,
Answer: Call next. There's a concept that sometimes comes up in gambling where you have to make a -EV decision becuz your other choice(s) happens to have a worse -EV. I believe this happens a lot in euchre, and the best players in the world intuitively understand these spots and grit their teeth and make that tough call. Put another way, there are many times in euchre where passing is more risky than making a weak call. The opposing team just turned down a black card and you have virtually nothing in reverse next. Passing here and giving the 2 seat a chance at a red loner is just not acceptable. Call next and try to hit your partner. The game is young. If you go set it's no big deal.
22) The score is 0-0. You're in the 1 seat. The dealer turned down the
You hold
,
,
,
,
ANSWER: Call next. Same idea as in 21). You don't block reverse next, and in fact you have zero hearts which is extra scary given that your enemy just passed on a black card. Passing is extremely dangerous in this spot. Don't even consider it when you have 2 trump in next and an off ace. Yeah it's not the greatest hand in the world but it's good enough for the situation. When you block nothing, calling next with 2 trump + an off ace is a MUST call to protect your team. These precarious spots are why next calls exist! Play sound defense. No 2nd round loners for seat 2. Make people dread sitting on your left!! Also never worry about getting euchred when you block no suits or you have nothing in reverse next. The cost of getting euchred is virtually nothing in the long run when you add up all those times you blocked a 2nd seat loner, or a 2 point call, and a 1 point call. And don't forget all those coveted 5-6 point swings you can create. I.E. You call next and your team gets 1 or 2 points whereas if you pass the 2 seat had a loner sweep. Creating those type of big swings certainly makes up for a lot of euchres.
23) Your team is down 5-0. You're in the 2 seat.
The upcard is the
You have
,
,
,
,
ANSWER: Go alone. You're down 5-0. It's time to MAKE PLAYS. This is what I would call a gambler's loner. Meaning it's usually either a 4 point hand or a -2 point hand. Not much in between. Go for it and try to get back in this game. If neither of your opponents have 2 trump you're golden, and one trump, the dealer's upcard is already out of action. Most people are afraid to get euchred and look dumb, so they don't take chances like this. Don't be like those people. Always play to win!
24) The score is 0-0. You're in seat 1. The dealer upcard is the
You hold
,
,
,
,
ANSWER: Donate. You have what I call the nightmare hand. No trump and no aces. The probability of your opponents getting 2 points on a call is pretty much as high as it gets given your holding. So getting euchred here doesn't really cost that much, therefore you might as well prevent them from ever getting 4 points--a possibility that is significantly more likely than normal here. Going down 0-2 to start the game isn't the end of the world anyways. You got plenty of time to come back. Not that it matters, cuz your holding is already sufficiently bad enough, but you also have no where to go in the 2nd round even if you did pass and a miracle happens and everyone else also passes.
25) Your team is down 0-3. You're in the 2 seat.
The dealer upcard is the
You hold
,
,
,
,
ANSWER: Go Alone. Ok here me out. Yes you only have 2 trump, and yes you don't even have the Right, but look at the other variables. You have two green aces meaning these suits are less likely to get trumped on the first lead, and you have no gap in your suited ace. Think about all those times you have AdQd and someone has Kd9d to stop your loner. That can't happen here. Also, while it's true you can get over-trumped on the first lead, that doesn't hurt that much since only the Right can overtrump you, a card that was destined to stop you anyways. Another plus to going alone with this hand from the 2 seat is the Ts is taken out of the action, so that's one less trump you need to worry about. So yeah, I am asking you--imploring you--to go alone with 2 trump without the right, but it's the very best possible two trump sans Right loner in the game! If the right bower is buried you're golden. Plus you're already down 0-3. Things aren't exactly starting out so hot. A 4 point sweep could really help here, but even if you can't sweep this hand makes a point often enough. Honestly tho, even at 0-0 or 6-6 go alone! This underrated hand is worth it.
26) Your team is down 9-6. You're the dealer.
The upcard is the
You hold
,
,
,
,
ANSWER: Go alone! You're down 9-6. It's hail mary time. This hand isn't as bad as it looks. All you really need is the Ad to be buried to have a shot. Trump the first lead with the Ac. Lead the Jc to hopefully clear out trump, then close your eyes, say a prayer to the euchre gods, and play the Kd. I've made this desperation loner often enough to believe in it. Sometimes the world needs a hero. You're down 9-6. Let that hero be you.
27) The score is 4-4. You're in seat 2.
The dealer upcard is the
You hold
,
,
,
,
ANSWER: Order it up. When you only block 1 out of 3 suits in the 2nd round, Left + 1 and an off Ace is a must order. While this hand is marginal it is still too strong to allow seat 1 a chance at a 2nd round loner sweep.
28) The score is 4-4. You're in seat 2.
The dealer upcard is the
You hold
,
,
,
,
ANSWER: Pass. Never call marginal when you have all suits blocked and this hand qualifies as marginal. Another benefit to passing here is you'll never block your partner's loner. That's the drawback to ordering in hand 27) but in that hand making sure seat 1 never gets a chance at a 2nd round loner was a more important priority.
29) The score is 2-2. You're in the 3rd seat. The upcard is the
You hold
,
,
,
,
ANSWER: Order it up. It's a marginal 3rd seat call that can easily go set, especially if seat 1 can't lead trump. 3rd seat is such a tough spot for reasons I've already talked about. This hand actually represents close to the bottom of your calling range. Basically "Right & 2 trump + no off suit help" is a good proxy for the bottom. If all I had was Left & 2 + nothing else I would pass. Having close to a nothing hand in the 2nd round to help your partner out also helps make this a call, but I wouldn't be excited about it.
30) The score is 0-0. You're in the 1 seat. The upcard is the
Your partner orders the dealer up from 3rd.
You hold
,
,
,
,
You lead the
, 2 seat plays the
, your partner follows suit with the
, and the dealer follows suit with the
What should you lead next?
ANSWER: I'm disappointed that so many people........got this right! Yes, lead the 9d. With seat 2 being void in diamonds and the dealer playing a low diamond, it is very likely the dealer has another diamond. Remember the dealer already had a chance to create a void when he was ordered up so when you see one diamond from him you'll probably see another unless the action suggests otherwise but in this case the action is screaming the dealer has another diamond. So leading the 9d is your best chance to give your partner the lead and your team's best chance at getting 2 points here, something you have a good shot at given that your partner has a strong hand in trump and you have all the aces. Leading another ace would be too dangerous here since you could easily be leading to the dealer's void and your partner will probably throw off. Not a healthy dynamic for getting 2 points.
Sadly what will almost predictably happen in real life is you will double lead the 9d, and your partner--who will probably give you a dirty look--won't realize what's going on and either throw off and ruin the play or trump so high that it blows up his hand and your team's opportunity at 2 points. But hey, this quiz is more about you making the right play than adjusting for suboptimal partners, although the latter is certainly a worthwhile topic.
