Here are some of your comments left for OhioEuchre

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On May 01, 2018 OhioEuchre changed to a forum based comment area. Below are some of the more notable comments left prior to that date.

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I've enjoyed looking around this web site. It brings back a lot of good memories. I was born and raised in Cincinnati, OH where I were raised on goetta and eggs. I attended college at the Univ. of Cincinnati, where I majored in Math and minored in Euchre. As a young person, I hung around while the grownups played euchre. I would wind up fetching beers and sodas for the players (and Grandpa always slipped me a quarter for the service). As i got a little older, I got to be a "pee player". This was when I could sit in and play one of the adults' hands while they visited the restroom. Older still. I got my own seat at the table, but the Grandparents would put up the money for my ante. I feel like a real adult when I was finally allowed to risk my own allowance money at the table. Ah, the good old days. I now live in Cold Springs, Nevada, and NOBODY here plays it. It's one of the many things I miss about Ohio.

I have just started to play euchre and your explanation above has been really helpful. I am hoping to progress very soon into the professional group of our club and can see this will be a very enjoyable, strategic game for me. Thanks for your ongoing lessons

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Going alone with 8 points

Going alone on 8 is 100% acceptable. Say you are the dealer, and the score is 8 to 8 for example. You have a loner hand, but do not go alone because of "Etiquette." Seat one plays a low off suit, and your partner trumps it. Your partner, having only one trump, cant lead you trump, so he plays an ace. You throw off, and the behind you trumps it. Or worse, he throws into your off suit ace, you toss your ace, and the guy after you trumps it. Plenty of times when going alone on 8 is the correct play.

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I've stopped playing euchre at sites online because I play to win. I'll go alone at 8 points if the cards are right. In playing to win, I could honestly care less about your feelings & whether or not you feel I'm rude. A win is a win and if you can't take the score of 12-"whatever," go play Candyland with the little ones!

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I am proponent of playing alone on 8 and have been for many years. It's about time someone takes up this issue head on. Keep up the good work.

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Donating aka Blocking

Donating is used to protect a large lead. But, just because you donate doesn't mean you automatically give up the two points. No, instead play the hand the best way possible to try to make a point. Because you and your partner still may pull off a point. It does happen from time to time.

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Defending against a lone

This is for all the beginners who trump their Partners ace with a nine, when the opposition go alone. Why waste a trump? If they are have to use a trump, it will be larger than nine, I have seen a lot of this lately. The only reason to play our trump on you partners ace is to force them to use a high trump. If you have the left or ace play that. Your partner may have the other one, and that could stop the lone.

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The art of calling next

Calling Next is great strategy, you should follow up on Bushwacking. A Strategy used to counter Calling Next

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In response to the first comment, I too sometimes wait in the bushes. Not sure how this disrupts the strategy if calling next.

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If you know that someone will call next automatically, then a strategy of sandbagging has a fair chance of working. However, very few players are this predictable. You may find yourself holding the bag, while the opponents make a point.

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As your excellent introduction explains, the goal is to "get a point", and thereby deny your opponents an opportunity to bid. Getting 2 points with a next call is great, but secondary. Therefore I think an example with a much weaker hands would make your point better. An example of 1 trump + 2 aces would illustrate WHY this concept should change your thinking.

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Euchre Rules

Question: To order up a suit, must you have one of the same suit in your hand? Also do you need one in your hand to pick up that suit?

There is NO rule stating you must hold a natural trump in your hand(a card in the same suit). It is not in any book ever written on euchre.

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I cannot show in a rule book, Don, but I can tell you that I have been playing euchre for 50 years (learned at my father's knee as a girl and played in many many bar and club tournaments in NE Ohio for a quarter a game a dollar a euchre--these were tournaments with old guys who had played for many years before me) and if you picked up or ordered w/o trump in your hand you would have been shown the door or more colorfully put--drawn back a stump:). Euchre is one of those games that people have sought to codify retroactively.

The fact that you can't show me in a rule book may be a hint. I'm sure you noticed as you were searching for the nonexistent rule, that these rule books cover every possible situation that comes up in a game, but yet you think they forgot to mention anything about needing a suit in your hand before calling that suit trump? It may just be possible that you are wrong. And it may be possible that those that taught you were wrong. Retroactive? There are books on this site that go back to the 1800's. They were some of the many sources of information that were used in the formation of these rules.
You know, when I was young, my dad believed that you should eat a spoon full of Vicks Vapor Rub as a cure for a cold. Yet the company that manufacturers Vicks, says if ingested, Poison Control should be called immediately.
Sorry dad, you knew a lot about many things, but not everything about everything

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Question: Say I am the dealer and I have just dealt. The card that was flipped face up on top of the kitty was Jack of Spades. The first guy passes , then my partner tells me to pick up the Jack. After I pick up the Jack can I go alone and tell my partner to stay at home ?

Once a partner orders up a card, they are the only one that can play alone. This is why I recommend that someone should only order the right into their partners hand if they hold three or more of that suit. The only time it would be correct to order with less than three would be if your team was at nine points and going for the win. While I'm on the subject, It is a good idea to pick up the right even if you only hold one other trump. You will then hold two possible tricks in your hand. You just need your partner to get one for the point...

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If you are playing a lone hand and the opposition reneges, how many points do you score, 2 or 4?

A renege against a lone call is 4 points.

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If the scoring team forgets to take their points and the next person deals, can they still take the points?

All point must be marked before the end of the next hand. Once the next point is made, any prior points made, but not marked up are forfeited.
It is up to each team to track their own points, and not up to the opposition to remind them.

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Does a player have to "make it" to go out, or can one get their 10 or 11 points from a Euchre ?

There is no requirement in euchre that says your have to bid to go out. It's the first team to reach 10 or more points. If your are at 8 points and the other team gets euchred... Well congratulations, you have just won.

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Is the card considered played if the hand is still holding the card, and while the player is placing the card on the table, he/she realizes he/she would be guilty of a renege later if this card is played? Can the player pull the card back, replace it in his/her hand and play another card that follows suit? In other words, is the card considered played if the player's hand is still on the card enabling the player to pull it back? Is it of any consequence that all players saw the card's face? Thank you for your time, interest,and consideration.

The key to answering this is in your last line. If the card has been extended far enough that other players see what that card is, then the card is considered as having been played.

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Hi Don...Great Site....Q. A player pauses at length at their partners turned up card and passes and then the partner (dealer) picks up the card. Should this not be an automatic miss deal?

The simple answer is Yes, it should be re-dealt, as a long pause always gives some information to the partner. IE: should he call or not. Hesitations or delays in bidding are always a problem. Sometimes there is a very fine line between what is acceptable and what is not. Social games tend to be more forgiving.

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Dealer picks up turned up card and says nothing for about 20 seconds. My partner is arranging cards, and before he plays, dealer says I'm going alone. I call foul, but dealer says he can do that because no card has been played yet. Could you offer your opinion please?

That's a tough one to answer. On the surface I would have to say the bid was OK. No one that plays euchre likes any type of delay. Depending on the players history with such bids, I would say a warning about hesitation may be appropriate. (also see the above post.)

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I dealt. My partner ordered me to pick up the Jack of Spades. At this point after I discarded I have the Right, & Left bowers, the Ace of Spades, The Queens of Spades, and the Ace of Clubs. Can I say Alone and play the hand alone? I guess My partner figured he had a good enough hand with me holding the Right Bower to make our point. He had NO way of knowing what I was holding when he ordered me up.

No, Once your partners orders then trump had been named. A good rule of thumb is not to order up the right to your partner unless you hold 3 trump in your hand. Your example clearly show why.

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What's the customary time allowed of the dealer's partner to either call Trump or pass? The longer that person ponders, they are indicating they have a decent hand in what the dealer turned up, in my opinion.

I agree. Delays in calling or passing always indicate they are trying to decide. Of course this says they hold something. I am reluctant to give a set time, however anything over a few seconds should be a concern. Most good players are in-tune with even the slightest delay.

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Hi! My father in law had the deal and everyone passed the first time around. I was ready to make trump when he flipped the card over and threw in his cards and said no ace no face no trump. Can he do that? I never got the chance to make trump so how does he even know he has no trump? Made no sense to me.....????

"No Ace No Face" is a made-up rule that has no business in an game where adults are playing. Like most things in life, one must play the card they are dealt. We don't get to pick and choose the hands we want to play. After all, If one was dealt a lay-down lone, would they throw that in because it was unfair to the other players?