Euchre Strategy

• The variables involved make a basic strategy difficult to arrive at without endless exceptions. This work tries to impose a basic set of strategies on a player who wishes to win more euchre games by consistantly taking the best route available.
• Euchre Strategy. The Basics: Ten Commandments of Euchre - Harvey Lapp. An entertaining look at the basics. Major influences from Natty Bumppo and conventional wisdom. Elements of Euchre - Harvey Lapp. The ideas laid out here might clear up some thoughts you've already come across while playing.

♦More Advanced Strategy♦ Euchre Tactics ♥ 'Next' for your partner ♥ Trump Pong Euchre Basics ♥ New to Euchre or unsure of the rules? Euchre History ♥ The complete history of Euchre. Ten Commandments of Euchre ♥ A list of comical, yet solid guidelines of Euchre, with commentary.

Whether you are a beginner player or an experienced veteran, assuming that you have already read our Euchre rules, it is now the perfect time to either learn a few different euchre strategies or brush up on some old concepts!

Euchre Strategy For Beginners

Rely on your partner

Most of the time people overestimate their abilities. This also rings true when it comes to Euchre. For this reason, do not neglect your partner! By using your partner, you have a pretty good chance that there is a trick or two which could easily be won.

• You might think most of the trump cards are in your hand, which does not mean you have all of them.
• Who goes first plays a huge, meaning that you can easily lose the first trick.
• Your partner might actually get annoyed when you do not let them contribute to the game.

Think of the consequences

Each card you play has a direct effect on the outcome of the game. Logically, you should do your best to secure a win every time. One way to accomplish this is to take a few seconds to think about what influence is the next card you plan on playing going to have on your winning chances?

You should pay close attention to the cards that your partner plays as if it seems like he has a trump secured, it makes no sense to make the trick yourself.

Early trumps

If you happen to have a few strong cards, for example, a Bower and an Ace, it might be a good idea to take some pressure off your partner by playing them at the beginning. This way, you let your partner know where those cards are, he does not worry about them throughout the round and therefore can adjust his strategy accordingly!

The ace of your partner

Many Euchre players would argue that this is one the most controversial topic amongst enthusiasts of this trick-taking card game. To trump or not to trump? That is indeed the question.

Trump your partner’s ace:

• There are situations when trumping simply cannot be avoided. Sometimes the only suitable card you could play is that trump, in which case, go for it!

Do not trump your partner’s ace:

• Perhaps the most preferred outcome of the two. Most players swear by this rule, so make sure you pay close attention not to break it, otherwise, your partner would have a valid reason to get pretty frustrated!

Going fishing

Not ideal. If you feel adventurous though, feel free to attempt to draw out the trumps of the other players. The problem lies with the possibility of drawing the only trump of your partner, in which case he/she would not feel positive emotions towards you.

Notice which cards are turned down

If you pay attention to the cards that are being passed by your opponents, most notably a card of a certain suit, it is safe to assume that none of your opponents have those suit cards. It is possible that they could even lack a left bower or any aces of that color, increasing your chances to win.

• In this situation, the logical thing to do is to lead with the opposite suit of the same color.

Memorize which cards are played

Paying attention to the cards that are being played and following the overall flow of the game is a skill that is used in a variety of card games. Mastering it is a sure way to skyrocket your winning chances, as not a lot of players make the effort to watch the cards carefully.

• If you want to learn how to follow which cards have already been played, Euchre is the perfect game to do so.
• Most trick-taking games are played with 52 cards, where Euchre decks consist of 24 cards.
• The fewer the cards, the easier it is to follow them.
• Having an idea which cards have passed makes it easier to make more informed and strategic plays.

Know when to go alone

While we told you earlier that you should learn to rely on your partner, sometimes going alone is the correct decision you have to make to secure a win. Finding those perfect opportunities is not easy and could be considered as an advanced Euchre strategy. Your game knowledge should be quite high, as this is a decision which could easily swing the game in your opponents’ favor.

• The decision to go alone should be taken based on how helpful your partner could be to you.
• Most of the time it is not about the strength of your cards, but whether or not your partner can support you.
• For this reason, do your best to look at the game objectively and make your decision based not on emotions, but reason.

Euchre is a fun social trick-taking card game where subtle calculation and a little luck can determine the winner. Euchre is played by four people in two partnerships sitting directly across from each other. The objective of the game is to be the first partnership to score 10 points.

The Euchre Deck

Euchre uses a deck of 24 playing cards consisting of Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, and 9 in all four suits.

Players

Four players playing in a fixed partnership.

Objective

The goal is to win at least three tricks per hand. If the side that fixed the trump fails to get three tricks, it is said to be “euchred.” Be the first partnership to score 10 points wins the match.

Trump Suit and Card Rank

The highest trump is the jack of the trump suit, called the “right bower.” The second-highest trump is the jack of the other suit of the same color called the “left bower.” For example (see table), if spades are trump, the right bower is Jack of spades and left bower is Jack of clubs. The remaining trumps, and also the plain suits, rank as follows: Ace (high), King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9.

The Euchre Table and Setup

Partners sit directly across from each other. In the diagram, North and South are playing against East and West. Euchre players traditionally keep score by using some of the remaining cards from the deck, typically the 6’s and 4’s. Each pip represents a point, and one card is used to cover the other so as to expose the number of pips corresponding to the team’s score. The scorecards are placed at the corners of the table, and one partner is assigned to keep track of the score.

Picking a Dealer

Players may randomly select a person to be the first dealer. In subsequent hands, the deal is rotated clockwise. After shuffling the cards, the dealer must offer the player to the right an opportunity to cut the deck. If the dealer fails to offer a cut to the player, the opposing team may call a misdeal as long as the cards are still being dealt or no play on the hand has been made.

The Deal

After a dealer has been selected, five cards will be dealt face-down to each player. The dealer will deal clockwise until all the players received their five cards. Traditionally, the cards are dealt in pairs of twos and threes. For example:

The four remaining cards will be placed face-down in front the dealer, this is referred to as the “kitty,” and the top card is turned face up. The card turned face-up is called the upcard.

First Round of Bidding and Making Trump

Play starts to the person sitting to the left of the dealer, and the upcard determines the trump suit for the first round of bidding. Each player will either “pass” or accept the trump suit by telling the dealer to pick up the card. The dealer can turn the card face down signifying that the dealer has passed, or the dealer can pick up the card by accepting the trump suit. If the dealer picks up the card, he will then discard one card from his hand.

If all four players pass, the second Round of Bidding will begin.

Second Round of Bidding

Each player, in turn, can name trump or pass. The suit named to be trump must be different than the suit of the upcard. As soon as a trump is named, the play will begin with the person sitting to the dealers left.

If all four players pass in the second round of bidding, then it is a misdeal, and the deal is passed clockwise. In some games, players enforce “screw the dealer” or “stick the dealer”, where the dealer cannot pass and must name a trump suit.

Going Alone

The player who chooses the trump suit by either accepting the upcard or declaring the suit in the second round of bidding may call “Going Alone” in order to score more points. This means that their partner sits out of the hand and play continues with only three players.

The Play

Once trump is made, the player to the dealer’s left begins play by leading a card. Any card may be led, and each player in clockwise order must follow suit. If a player cannot follow suit, then that player may play any card from their hand. The trick is won by the highest card in the suit led, or by the highest trump played. Please be aware, the left bower is considered a member of the trump suit and not a member of its native suit.

The player that wins the trick collects the played cards from the table and then leads the next trick. After all five tricks have been played, the hand is scored. The deal moves clockwise around the table.

Scoring in Euchre

The team that makes trump must take three tricks to earn a point. Failure to take at least three tricks is known as getting “euchred”, which earns two points for the defenders. The first partnership to score 10 points wins the game.

Euchre Strategy Tips

Keeping Score in Euchre

Euchre players traditionally keep score by using some of the remaining cards from the deck, typically the 6′s and 4′s. Each pip represents a point, and one card is used to cover the other so as to expose the number of pips corresponding to the team’s score. The scorecards are placed at the corners of the table, and one partner is assigned to keep track of the score.

Another popular method is to use the 2’s and 3’s to keep score. Scores zero through 5 are rather self-explanatory. Point tallies for five or greater will be placed in the form of a “V” to represent the Roman numeral five. In any case, it doesn’t really matter how the scores are kept, as long as they are visible for everyone to see.

Variants

Stick the Dealer or Screw the Dealer

Euchre Cheat Sheet For Beginners

Stick the Dealer is a popular variation for euchre players. If all players pass during the second round of bidding, the dealer must name a suit trump. In some variations, the dealer may have the option to bid no-trump.
This variation is intended to speed up the game and encourage players to name call trump during the bidding process.

No-Trump

In this rule variation, a player, during the second round of bidding, may call No-trump. It is an option in which no suit is made trump, and the cards are ranked Ace high to nine. The player with the highest ranking card of the suit led wins the trick. In some variations, this option is only available for the dealer if the table agreed to invoke stick the dealer.

Farmer’s Hand

Basic Euchre Strategy

If a player is dealt a hand which contains three nines or three tens, that play may call out “Farmer’s Hand.” That player is then allowed to show the three cards in question and exchange them for the three unexposed cards in the kitty. If more than one player calls out Farmer’s Hand then the hand is declared a misdeal.

Euchre Strategy Reddit

The purpose of this variation is to ensure a fair deal. Many euchre enthusiasts do not endorse this variation, because it takes away from the game. This variation is used as a major deterrent for stacking of the deck and other card cheats.

Ace-No-Face

If a player is dealt a hand which contains an Ace and no face cards, that player has the option to call a misdeal. The deal is then passed clockwise.

The purpose of this variation is to ensure a fair deal. Many euchre enthusiasts do not endorse this variation, because it takes away from the game. This variation is used as a major deterrent for stacking of the deck and other card cheats.