Picking Up The Right

[RedDuke]

This happens to me quite a lot and I was wondering if I'm in the wrong here or if I keep winding up with baggers/ultra-conservative players.

I'm the dealer, holding this:



Upcard is the .

Everybody passes and the turn comes to me. I pick up, discarding the lone club.

Probably 70% of the time I wind up getting euchred with only the right taking a trick. Inevitably, my partner ends up being totally useless on a hand like this and my opponents have all the trump and the Ace of next almost always gets trumped).

Am I making the right call here or am I being too aggressive in picking up with only the Right+King?

[Wes (aka the legend)]

Am I making the right call here or am I being too aggressive in picking up with only the Right+King?

Never, ever, EVER turn down Right + 1 as the dealer when you don't block all suits.

You're just running bad. Don't let yourself fall into the results oriented trap. If you make the right order, and play the hand well and get euchred so be it.

PS: If your team is down 9-6, this marginal hand needs to be turned into a hail mary loner. If the is buried and neither of your opponents have two trump you can be golden.

[RedDuke]

Am I making the right call here or am I being too aggressive in picking up with only the Right+King?

Never, ever, EVER turn down Right + 1 as the dealer when you don't block all suits.

You're just running bad. Don't let yourself fall into the results oriented trap. If you make the right order, and play the hand well and get euchred so be it.

PS: If your team is down 9-6, this marginal hand needs to be turned into a hail mary loner. If the is buried and neither of your opponents have two trump you can be golden.

That's what I thought, Wes. Just was wondering why I'm getting euchred half the time or more when I pick up on a hand like this.

I get that this is a hand that your partner really needs to be able to help as unless the first lead is a club, I wouldn't be able to get that crucial first trick. Almost always, the first lead is a diamond that third seat winds up trumping (thus negating my ace) or the first lead is the Ace of Spades.

If I pass then I'd be worried that first seat would try a loner in next and I don't have a guaranteed stopper here. I can only block the black suits if I don't pick up.

I've thought about trying this as a hail mary loner... would get euchred a lot though since you're bound to have an opponent having a guarded left or guarded ace.

[irishwolf]

I think what is missing here is how are you playing this hand? If eldest leads to your void - - what are you leading to the next trick? For me, the holding posted is a decent hand even if your partner is of not much help.

I get that this is a hand that your partner really needs to be able to help as unless the first lead is a club, I wouldn't be able to get that crucial first trick. Almost always, the first lead is a diamond that third seat winds up trumping (thus negating my ace) or the first lead is the Ace of Spades.

If I pass then I'd be worried that first seat would try a loner in next and I don't have a guaranteed stopper here. I can only block the black suits if I don't pick up.
I'm the dealer, holding this:




Irishwolf

[RedDuke]

I think what is missing here is how are you playing this hand? If eldest leads to your void - - what are you leading to the next trick? For me, the holding posted is a decent hand even if your partner is of not much help.

If eldest led to my void, as long as I could trump with the king, I'd have a halfway decent shot.

What usually happens though is something like this:

Eldest leads the Ace of Spades. Everybody follows suit and opposition has first trick.
Eldest leads Left, my partner throws off, and third seat plays a low trump (9 or 10).

I could take this with the right, but unless the Ace is buried, I'm screwed. If I throw off the king and they don't lead to my void, I'm still screwed. Usually, I wind up taking it with the right and then lead back the Ace of Diamonds, only to have that trumped.

[irishwolf]

Not really - following your logic.
Eldest led the AS, you played the JS (and still have the KS, AD, JH, KH). You then said he leads the left (JD) and partner throws off (means no trump?? i guess) 3rd plays 9 or 10H and you take the trick with JH. Your next lead is the KS to force the opponent to use a trump and you still hold AD & KH. If eldest trumps with AH your KH is high and your partner could take the next club i led or your AD if diamonds is led. If eldest leads trump, then yes he might have AH & another. Three with an ace, he should have ordered. But never the less, you will score a point over 80% of the time with the hand used as an example.

If eldest led to my void, as long as I could trump with the king, I'd have a halfway decent shot.

What usually happens though is something like this:

Eldest leads the Ace of Spades. Everybody follows suit and opposition has first trick.
Eldest leads Left, my partner throws off, and third seat plays a low trump (9 or 10).

I could take this with the right, but unless the Ace is buried, I'm screwed. If I throw off the king and they don't lead to my void, I'm still screwed. Usually, I wind up taking

[RedDuke]

Eldest led the AS, you played the JS (and still have the KS, AD, JH, KH). You then said he leads the left (JD) and partner throws off (means no trump?? i guess) 3rd plays 9 or 10H and you take the trick with JH. Your next lead is the KS to force the opponent to use a trump and you still hold AD & KH. If eldest trumps with AH your KH is high and your partner could take the next club i led or your AD if diamonds is led. If eldest leads trump, then yes he might have AH & another. Three with an ace, he should have ordered. But never the less, you will score a point over 80% of the time with the hand used as an example.

If I remember right, eldest actually had Left-Ace plus the Ace-Spades, his partner had all the remaining trumps (my partner was void and had no aces) and the Ace-Clubs. First seat was also void in diamonds. I could be wrong about whether eldest or his partner had three trumps.

Yeah, I thought though that my partner could have taken a trick here but with the opposition having five trumps, that wasn't going to be easy. My hand was too weak to really be able to count on three myself. Although, I was hoping that I could get at least two.

[Wes (aka the legend)]

My hand was too weak to really be able to count on three myself. Although, I was hoping that I could get at least two.

This hand does get 3 tricks quite often tho, which is why Irishwolf said this: " For me, the holding posted is a decent hand even if your partner is of not much help."

Sometimes you'll take the first trick with your off ace and then massage an end play with your .

Other times the enemy will lead to your void, then you trump in with the , lead the next and then play the to victory.

[RedDuke]

My hand was too weak to really be able to count on three myself. Although, I was hoping that I could get at least two.

This hand does get 3 tricks quite often tho, which is why Irishwolf said this: " For me, the holding posted is a decent hand even if your partner is of not much help."

Sometimes you'll take the first trick with your off ace and then massage an end play with your .

Other times the enemy will lead to your void, then you trump in with the , lead the next and then play the to victory.

That was the exact strategy I was hoping I could use when I called it. I was hoping that I could either trump the first lead with the King of Trump and then lead back the Right or take the first trick with the ace of diamonds and then lead back the right. Didn't work though.