Weakest Hand To Go Alone With

[RedDuke]

This just happened in a game I'm playing online.

I'm dealer, we are down 7-2.

I'm holding:


Upcard is .

Everyone passes, I pick it up and go alone, discarding the 9.

I actually wound up getting euchred because one of the opponents had three trumps, including the left+ace. He led the left, I took him out with my right, then the ace took out my king and his third trump wound up taking out one of my other aces so I couldn't grab the lead before he started leading his green aces.

My partner was furious and started spouting death threats against me!

Was this really a horrid call though? I had right+1, a void, and two off aces. Yeah, it was a thin call, but realistically, there's nothing my partner could have done to stop the euchre and with us being down 7-2, I thought it was worth the risk.

Would you guys have done this as a loner or was this really too weak to try?

[Wes (aka the legend)]

R+1+off ace+suited off ace with no gap in your suited ace from the dealer spot is a MUST go alone at every score except when your team is at 8 or 9 pts. This is a premium 2 trump loner. Having no gap in your suited ace + last position makes it so. There's certainly other 2 trump loners that will fall into the close/debatable category but not this specific configuration. Pull the trigger EVERY time.

Now after S1 leads the Left and you take it out with the Right, I'm not exactly sure what you led next, but you next lead should be the KS.

[LeftyK]

no brainer loner hand down that many --- p can take a chill pill - and Wes is correct; lead the KS.

[Richardb02]

R+1+off ace+suited off ace with no gap in your suited ace from the dealer spot is a MUST go alone at every score except when your team is at 8 or 9 pts. This is a premium 2 trump loner. Having no gap in your suited ace + last position makes it so. There's certainly other 2 trump loners that will fall into the close/debatable category but not this specific configuration. Pull the trigger EVERY time.

Now after S1 leads the Left and you take it out with the Right, I'm not exactly sure what you led next, but you next lead should be the KS.

I agree with Wes 100%. His details are excellent.

The real issue was RedDuke’s partner’s response. It is important to realize that the Loner order is beyond most players’ comprehension! You have to expect the occasional outrageous reaction. On line, where chat protects us, I simply respond, “down 2-7, why not?” That isn’t effective in person. I get that! You simply have to expect the outrageous response on occasion.

[RedDuke]

no brainer loner hand down that many --- p can take a chill pill - and Wes is correct; lead the KS.

Why lead the king of spades instead of the ace of diamonds? In this particular case, my opponent had the ace of trump and the left, so he would have taken out my king. He also had a third trump and the ace of clubs, which I wouldn't have been able to stop at that point.

Granted, I didn't know what he had at the time. If he didn't have both the ability to take the lead from me and didn't have the ability to lead into my void, then I probably could have kept control and swept with the aces... or even taken control back if he led diamonds or spades. So granted, I wouldn't have gotten euchred unless my opponent had those specific cards.

It's kinda like the one game I played where someone called a loner holding 4 trump (king, queen, ten, nine) and a side ace. I had both bowers and the ace of trump so I managed to euchre him... but realistically he would have made at least a point there unless I happened to have that exact setup.

[Tbolt65]

I would have tried it as well. Although, when he lead the left into your loner It would have tipped me off that he is probably loaded. I would have not played right bower, right away in hopes of getting the lead back from one of your aces. Thing is you said he did have a green ace as well. So it seems like no matter how you played, you were doomed. As Wes says, "no way out".

Tbolt65
Edward

[Wes (aka the legend)]

no brainer loner hand down that many --- p can take a chill pill - and Wes is correct; lead the KS.

Why lead the king of spades instead of the ace of diamonds? In this particular case, my opponent had the ace of trump and the left, so he would have taken out my king. He also had a third trump and the ace of clubs, which I wouldn't have been able to stop at that point.

Granted, I didn't know what he had at the time. If he didn't have both the ability to take the lead from me and didn't have the ability to lead into my void, then I probably could have kept control and swept with the aces... or even taken control back if he led diamonds or spades. So granted, I wouldn't have gotten euchred unless my opponent had those specific cards.

It's kinda like the one game I played where someone called a loner holding 4 trump (king, queen, ten, nine) and a side ace. I had both bowers and the ace of trump so I managed to euchre him... but realistically he would have made at least a point there unless I happened to have that exact setup.

Leading the KS is best after this action from this particular hand configuration for the long run. In any particular hand it certainly may not matter. Why is the KS generally best? Becuz the probability it walks is the same as the AD but leading the KS gives your enemy worse information.