Is this a bad call or just bad luck?

[jspectre]

I was in S4 and was the face up card.

My hand was

I passed and my partner called next with

I believe an AS was led, but if not, my partner trumped the spade lead, and then tried leading clubs. It was trumped, and then he trumped another lead, most likely a diamond, and led a club again, which was also trumped. The opposing team still held the right, and scored the 3rd trick for the euchre.

[irishwolf]

Of course it was a bad call (and bad playing) to call Next R2S2! You can do it but need to have 2.75 to 3.0 tricks (HE HAD 2.0 TRICKS - and he never lead trump), and not count on your partner for a trick. The call for R2S2 was spades or clubs. You cross the suit at S2R2 and call next at S1R2 and S3R2 can do either.

IRISHWOLF

[jspectre]

Yeah, this hand feels very borderline to call next, even if a jack was turned down. Plus, you need to realistically consider what an expert player's hand looks like if they turned down a jack, and you hold AKQ in next. That means I turned down a jack without being able to stop a next call, meaning I hold no diamonds in hand, and may very well not have any hearts either, as the 9H/10H are likely the only two trump it could be possible that I'm holding. In S2R2 I think I would just pass here, because there's certainly a chance to euchre a next call, especially one that starts with a trump lead, and I shouldn't be afraid of the other team calling black when my partner could hold very strong cards in black.

Calling clubs in S2R2 would be reasonable as well, though, simply because I have 2 trump to help, while I have none in spades, and I suspect my partner holds a black bower, and possibly other trump or aces. Also, if my partner was going to attempt this marginal call in hearts, they have to lead trump when able, and knock out 2 potential trump, including the right, and then give me a chance to take a trick or hope I have their ace in clubs. The right could even be buried, and then it would be an easy point. Instead they gambled everything on whether the opponents only held 1 trump each, essentially, because all it took to be euchred was the two opponents holding one small trump each, and one of them also having the right.