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Trumping Double Leads-June Winner 2004
By Jnkns, member of Euchre Freaks league
I see this all the time and it drives me nuts.
Lets say your partner leads an off suit ace and it goes through. Now your
partner leads the same suit again and the person that made trump or his partner
or you can now follow suit or trump it. If you trump your partners 2nd
lead you are just wasting trump. You need to make sure that the card lead
is the highest suit card out. For example, say your partners second lead was the
Queen to the Ace that was already led and the king fell on the first lead. That
Queen is just like an ace it takes trump to get it. If you trump it, you are
just throwing away your trump. Instead, throw a suit that you only have
one card in so you can trump into that suit when its lead and therefore make use
of your trump. You'd be surprised how many times that the 9 of trump will get
you a trick on the offsuit lead. If you wasted your trump on the 2nd card
lead by your partner, you may have given them a 2 point hand.
Lead Trump To Your Partner-May
Winner 2004
By SassyLittleBaby, member of Euchre Freaks league.
If your partner calls up the trump, and u have
the right or left bower, always lead it. Your partner will be glad to know
where it is. They can throw a lower trump on it. It will, also, draw out the
higher trump from your opponents hand. The opposite sides to this is: if you
don't lead it and your partner gets the lead, he will lead with trump and pull
it out of your hand. Possibly when it could have been 2 points instead of 1.
Choosing Your Lead-April Winner 2004
By Upstate_grl_, member of Euchre Freaks league.
Good players don't randomly select cards. Many
players know that when their partner "throws off" that it is a good idea to lead
the suit they threw off. For example, I lead the ace of spades, my partner has
no spades but doesn't want to trump my ace so throws a "diamond". On my next
lead (assuming ace was good) I will often lead a diamond hoping my partner short
suited themselves and can trump it. (as they should have) There is a very
important exception that is OFTEN overlooked. If my partner was the dealer and
he picked up trump then he most likely already short suited himself. Therefore
when my partner now "throws off" he is likely throwing a suit he has 2 of since
he already discarded the suit he had only one of. So in the situation above, if
my ace was good and my partner threw off, I would NOT lead the suit they just
threw. I would pick the other suit. (Not trump, Not the suit I just led, and Not
the suit my p "threw off"). Conversely, you should lead the thrown off" suit if
the opponent who just picked up trump is the one "throwing off". Example,
opponent to my left leads off ace, my p follows suit, dealer (who picked up
trump) throws off, I trump the ace. I then lead the suit the dealer just threw
off assuming that they already short suited themselves and the suit they just
threw is a suit they have 2 of. (I am hoping my p can trump this trick and
dealer will have to follow suit) Remember, this exception ONLY applies when the
dealer picks up trump and is able to discard. Any other time (or any other
player) you assume the person is short suiting themselves and play accordingly.
There were 6 Euchre strategies submitted for our May contest.
Read them all
HERE..
Trump Play
By DaveKoz. Dave was the first person to write a
strategy for our very first Euchre Tips Newsletter in December, 2001
Always keep track of trump
played and trump remaining and consider how the trump is most likely
distributed. The following example should help you realize the value of this
effort. You pick up the right bower and have queen and 10 trump in
your hand. The off suit you receive is a side ace and a side loser. The
opponent to your left leads an ace that captures your loser (your partner had
to follow also). Next he leads other off suit that is not your ace,
and your partner trumps it with the 9 of trump. At this point, most
players would discard their ace and let there partner have the trick (you
can't overtrump your partner..right?)..wrong!! You must overtrump your p
and then lead your right bower. Lets look at why. First of
all the trump you can see is right, queen, 10 (your hand) and 9 (p's hand) and
the remaining trump is left, ace, king. If the left ace king are
together in one of the opps hands then you are already euchred, so
ignore this possibilty and remember > that player is a serious
bagger...lol. But what if they are split up between all other players?
After you overtrump your p and you lead the right, you will capture all
remaining trump. Then your remaining cards (10 and side ace) are
boss and the rest of the tricks are yours. But what if they are split
between the 2 opps ..one has left and ace, and the other has the king.
In this situation both of the opps will lose 1 trump when you lead the right
bower after overtrumping your partner. You then will lead your side ace, and
if it wins you have point. If the opp trumps it with his last trump,
then your trump is good for the last trick and point is still yours. Now
lets consider what could happen if you don't overtrump your p (your a nice guy
or gal..lol) If you discard your ace and let your p have the trick
then it will be his lead and you are in big trouble unless your azz is
covered and he's leading out the left bower (yee-haww) .But if he has no
trump to lead (rut roh) you have to trump his lead with a small trump and hope
it doesn't get overtrumped. If the opp on your left overtrumps your 10
or queen there is a good chance you are euchred. After you get
overtrumped, if the opp on your right has left ace or if he has one big trump
and plays it on the next lead which forces out your right leaving his p with
the highest trump, you are toast! The difference between getting
euchred and making point by playing your cards the right way is 3
points. (1 point you lose and 2 points you give away). Very often the
difference between winning or losing a game is one mistake..or that one
point.
THE "LONER"
By Joe Andrews. Joe writes the monthly Euchre column at
MSN "The Zone". This is a sample!
The Loner is the most powerful bid in Euchre, and, if successful, is worth 4
points - 40% of a standard game. If a player has a particularly decent hand,
especially with strong trump, it is usually good technique to "go alone". Of
course, the score will dictate the final decision (see below). For those of
you who are newcomers to Euchre, the player who names the trump has the option
of calling a Loner. In "live" play, the person declaring the Loner announces
it as soon as he names the trump, and his partner immediately places his hand
face down on the table. (Internet Euchre automatically converts the game to
three hands, after a Loner is called).
Some hands are "ice-cold" for five tricks. Examples are:
1. The top five trump!
2. The top four trump and a side
Ace. (not quite 100%, but a virtual "lock"!) Your Ace might get trumped - a
bit remote!
3. Four trump, including the
Right - but - missing the Left (which may have been turned down or in the
"kitty"), as well as a side Ace. (another high percentage probability).
Then we have some "good - but not guaranteed" hands.
1. Two of the top three trump,
and two side Aces, or an A-K of a side suit. (A trump "stack" in an opponent's
hand will limit your hand to one point). The odds are still in your favor to
take 4 points!
2. Any hand with four
trumps, including either the Right or Left.
(Now it comes down to where the other Bower is, and what your fifth card is.)
3. The Left and Right (only), and
a side Ace. (and a favorable
lead!)
4. A-K-Q of trump, and two
side Aces.
5. Any four trump, and a side
Ace. (now we are getting thin!)
Finally, here are some hands, which can make a Loner, but are a bit "off the
wall"!
1. The Left and the Right, (only)
and two side Kings.
2. The Right and two small
trump, and a side Ace.
3. Three low trump,
and two side Aces.
- And we could continue to take this "down the ladder"!
Some of us have seen Loners made with the singleton Right and two side Aces; I
saw one Loner "walk through" with the Left- Q of trump and K-Q-J of a side
suit! Once in a while, a nine will become your fifth trick, if the opponents
discard favorably.
Why play alone? Well, as in the
above examples (especially, the "ice cold" hands, and the "close" hands), the
reward of four points is well worth the risk.
Hands which have significant trump weakness, and poor side suit cards,
are not recommended for Loners. If you have a hand which has a decent trump
suit, and less than a King in a side suit as your 5th card, a Loner is still
not a good call. Let your partner help you to take two points instead of
hoping for an errant discard or favorable card in the kitty.
Score considerations-
If you are losing badly, then the Loner may be your best chance for salvation.
Now the "borderline" hands become candidates. If the opponents are "at the
bridge" (9 points in a ten point game), and you have a score of 6 or 7 points,
a Loner by your side is a virtual forced call. Sometimes, it is good technique
to order up your partner, and then go alone. That takes a trump (which might
be a Bower) out of the play. On the other side of the coin, bidding a Loner
with a sizeable lead is folly - unless the hand is a sure thing. - And NEVER call a Loner when the
score is 8-8! This is a slap to
your partner's face, and will agitate the opponents, as well.......
What To Lead
By Hotsauce5221969 at Pogo. Hotsauce wrote
this strategy for our 2nd newsletter, January 2002.
Regardless of who called trump. When ever it's my turn to lead and I have
3 of the same offsuit including the ace, I most often lead something other than the ace.
Why? If I have 3 cards of the same suit, that means I already hold half
of the six cards in that suit. Especially if trump is the same color of my offsuit, my
ace will most likely be trumped. Keep in mind once trump is called the left becomes
trump and is no longer part of my offsuit leaving only five possible cards in that suit.
I hold three cards leaving only two. Also there are 4 cards not dealt each hand.
If I lead the ace and the first opponent throws off or follows suit, my partner
will not trump my ace. Most likely to be trumped by the last card played in that
hand. You really want your partner to think someone other than yourself has the
ace and force him to trump it, hopefully, with something other than the nine. The
best-case scenario is if the first player after you trumps it and your partner over
trumps their card most likely the last player to play will have to follow
suit. Of course if I have trump to lead when my partner calls I would lead
trump. If you have the ace and the king play the king just in case you do take the
trick.
Alone On 8 Points
By Davekoz. This strategy appeared in our 3rd
newsletter, February 2002.
Even though there are rules to govern
our play in euchre, there are also exceptions to those rules. In the
last newsletter, Joe suggested we need not or should not go alone when we
have 8 points already on the scoreboard. However, when you receive a
hand as the dealer that contains no cards lower in rank than ace or trump,
and the hand is not a lay down hand, I would suggest you play it alone.
Here's why: With a hand like this
your partner most likely cannot help you in any way, but he or she can hurt
your team's effort by gaining the lead and causing your team to lose a
trick, which could easily change the outcome of the game.
Let’s look at an
example to justify the reasoning......
The score is 8 to 9 in your
opponents favor. You pick up the 9 of hearts as dealer. The
other cards you keep are both bowers and both black aces. First hand
(eldest hand) leads out the king of clubs. Your partner trumps the club with
his ace hearts (Clubs is his only void and he believes you may have called
light since your pick-up is the 9 and the score is yelling "don't pass").
Third seat had to follow the club lead and of course your ace is wasted.
After gathering up the trick your partner leads out a spade. They had
2 spades and 2 diamonds and chose the spade to lead.
Why?
Because leading out “next”, while having 2 of them, and an opponent sitting
after their partner is not usually a good idea. The “next” suit is
already short and your partners 9 will get ruffed.
Third seat follows, you play your
ace and start drooling about leading out your bowers and closing out the
game............Bamm! The queen of hearts ruffs your ace of spades.
So much for getting 2 points and winning the game! Now the opponents
have the deal, which gives them the advantage. All they need is 3
tricks to get the last point and the game is over. Yes, this situation can
happen at 8 to 8 score also.....Another lesson about playing your cards
trying to be Mr. nice guy or gal which will result in a loss for your team.
Unfortunately, you may have to take some chit for going alone on 8 from
those who do not understand the logic. Good Luck!!..LOL...Imagine
this, you receive the same hand and opt not to go alone on a 8 to 0 score,
your favor, and the same thing happens (you score 1 point). After that
the cards do the big change and you never score again. (Must be
playing at Pogo?!?) Can we feel the frustration yet?....lol.
Anyway you might not want to do the loner when playing with good friends,
but certainly it could be great entertainment after you have been getting
some trash talk from some arrogant opponents. LOL Good luck!
Defensive Euchre Strategy
By MamaLovesEuchre (webmaster). I wrote this
defense euchre strategy for the March, 2002 newsletter.
Many Euchre players have never heard of the concept of
"Defense" during a euchre game. In my opinion, every game of chance
must naturally encompass an "Offense" and a "Defense", creating a balance.
Perfecting that balance involves good judgment (and a lot of Luck O' The Irish).
Why Defend?
The more
control that you have over the scoring in a game, the better your chances
are of winning. Defensive strategy can help you win more
games, no matter what that game is. The following strategy will help
you decide "When" to follow defensive strategies in a Euchre game.
First, let me list a few assumptions regarding Defensive Strategy....
▪ You are in the first seat after the dealer.
Common
practice- If you are sitting to the left of the dealer, it is up
to you to judge the "defensive play" for that hand. Basically, your
job is to stop the opponents from going alone and receiving 4 points.
You must ask yourself.. "Do I have a stopper (ie. protected left bower, 3
low trump, or even 2 off aces) if the dealer picks it up and proceeds
alone in the play?"
▪ "If I order it up to the dealer, should I lead trump?"
That Depends- I was taught that you should ALWAYS lead trump in
a defensive play, even if it was the right bower that was ordered up.
Obviously the purpose here is to pull trump, and also see where it is.
Your partner may have 4 trump ( Luck O' The Irish again), so your ultimate goal is to
try and take 3 tricks and achieve a point.
On the other hand....for some reason I always feel
uneasy about leading trump if I have ordered up the right bower,
especially if I have 2 small trump and no offsuit aces. Why?
If I lead out with one of my 2 small trump, the dealer may come back with
another high trump and I will be unable to take any tricks....since I
don't have any offsuit aces. Lets assume I ordered up the right
bower, I have 2 trump, my partner has 2 trump and the dealer is sitting
there with bare bowers. The dealer can see that his partner doesn't
have any trump if I lead with trump, causing him to come back with the
other bower and draining both my partner and I of our remaining trump.
All the dealer and his partner need to do now is have an off ace and they
win the 2 points for the euchre.
Sometimes I don't lead trump against a jack and we end up
making the point through cross-trumping their offsuit. This happens
when the dealer really didn't have a loner, and will be afraid to pull his
partners trump, thereby leading the offsuit, hoping his partner can
help. With 4 trump between my partner and myself, it's a very good
possibility we could take 3 tricks before trump was ever lead. If
you opt for this type of lead, lead a suit that will cause a void in your
hand, allowing you to use your trump to capture their offsuit. It is
very important to pay attention to your partners hand so that you can lead
into it.
When To Call Defense
By Slayerfest at Pogo. March, 2002 Euchre
Tips newsletter
Calling defense
depends on:
-
The Score
-
Your cards if you have first call after the
dealer.
-
Loners can win or lose a game. Every hand
can be considered a potential loner. This doesn't mean that every
hand is a loner but it could be.
-
If you have stop, that is usually left
guarded, in other words the other jack to what is turned up with
another trump card then you would pass. You know that they cannot
get 4 points.
-
If your cards are all black and a red jack
is turned up you may consider passing for this reason: if you have
all black then someone else probably has some red other then the
dealer. Your partner may have stop. Of course if the score is 6-6 or
your team is winning then you should order to stop the loner because
the odds are good that they may have it.
-
When the score is 0-0 it is very much
dependant on your cards and what is turned up to whether or not you
call defense. If you have all low cards then you might. Especially
if you are 4 suited with all 9's & 10's.
-
You also have to remember that too much
defense can hurt, you are giving the opponents 2 points most of the
time that you call defense and that means 5 hands and they win.
-
You also have to remember that too much
defense can hurt, you are giving the opponents 2 points most of the
time that you call defense and that means 5 hands and they win.
-
Obviously you would be silly to call
defense when your opponents are on 8 because that would give them
the game.
-
Calling defense when your opponents are on
7 can also be bad. If the score is 9-7 your teams way then I would
call defense because I have next deal.
-
When the score if 4-4 if you cannot stop
the loner then you should probably order to stop one. The reason
being that the score could go to either 4-8 or 4-6; 4-6 is a lot
easier to make up then 4-8.
-
SUMMARY--score 9-6 in your favor,
always order the up card to the opponents if you do not have a sure
stopper (protected left or 3 trump).
-
-score 9-7 in your favor, always order the
up card to the opponents if you do not have a sure stopper.
1. Thou shalt not pass a biddable hand.
Players that frequently pass hands that can score will lose in the long run.
Passing a potential single point hand in hopes of calling a loner on the
second round will often prove unsuccessful. If you think you can make a point,
do it! Exception: You can pass a biddable hand in first seat if you can call
another suit once the upcard is turned down.
2. Thou shalt counteth upon your partner for one trick.
This concept is a good one to keep in mind when bidding.
After all, euchre is a partnership game and you shouldn't expect to take all
of the tricks yourself. The odds are that your partner will either take a
trick or hold a trump that would have worked against you in the opponent's
hand.
3. Don't trump your partners ace.
It usually doesn't make any sense to take a trick if
your partner is likely to cash, but like most euchre strategies, there are
some exceptions. You wouldn't be wrong to trump your partner's Ace if;
1.) all you have left is trump.
2.) you are defending against a loner.
3.) you have reason to believe that your left hand opponent will trump it and
you may be able to force him to trump higher.
4.) you need the lead.
In any case, never trump your partner's Ace with a nine!
4. DO Trump your partners king. This
does not apply to a trump King (obviously you must follow on that) but does
apply to off-suit leads of King and lower. The philosophy here is that once
you distribute a euchre deck amongst four players, an off-suit King lead (or
less) becomes considerably weak. There is a chance that the opponents will
have to follow suit and not have the Ace but probability has it that your
partner's lead will not take the trick. It is often wise to play the highest
trump in your hand. This will make it more costly for your left hand opponent
if he is also able to trump it
5. Lead trump when your partner orders.
If your partner is the maker and you have the
lead, play a trump card. If you can lead a bower, you will be helping your
partner out both by drawing trump from the opponents hands and at the same
time, allowing your partner to find the one he is looking for. Without a bower
in your hand, a low trump lead is still the better bet than trying to walk an
off-suit lead, even if it is a singleton Ace. Without the trump drawn out,
your Ace has a good chance of being ruffed. Save the Ace for a later trick
when the trump has been played out.
6. Don't lead trump when defendng.
If your opponents are the makers, you should NOT lead trump. It is very common
to see players on the internet do it (thus the name "the Internet Lead") but
it is largely a mistake.
Quite often a team will order up a suit and the a defender has only one trump,
the right bower. This guy knows he has a sure stopper so he leads it right
away, very often pulling a valuble trump out of his partner's hand while only
collecting small trump from his opponents. They now no longer need to put up a
large one to find it with, in fact, their large one has now likely been
promoted to boss, making their job a lot easier.
Although there are possible scenarios that might make a trump lead on defense
wise, most situations make it absolutely a blunder that should not be
attempted.
7. "Go BIG or stay home".
In the majority of hands that you order up, you will
commonly find that leading the right-bower is the best way to make other cards
good in the end. This is especially true when you order up a hand with three
trump led by the right-bower, and a second suit led by the ace.
However, if you only have two trump cards and no aces, you would probably be
much better off leading an off-suit, hoping your partner takes a trick for
you.
8. Don't order up a bower into your partners hand unless you
go alone. This is conventional wisdom at work
here. You have to be able to count on your partner to always pick up the bower
unless he has a sure trick in all 3 other suits.. If your partner is not
guaranteed to do his part, the convention is not complete, therefore you could
order him up, but should still consider going alone instead.
What could happen when you order up a bower to your partner is that you might
deny him a chance to go alone (since the bower is such a big part of a lone
hand). Your team will score 2 points in this case when you could have had 4 if
you had passed. Many hands that might tempt you to order up the bower can
actually go alone with the bower buried in your partner's hand.
If your partner automatically picks up the bower (unless he has a sure stopper
in all 3 other suits, thus eliminating the opponents possibility of a loner),
the chances are that the two of you will be able to connect on a couple of
other tricks and make a point or two.
9. Go Alone. If you
have three sure tricks and a possible fourth, there is a good chance that your
hand can go alone. In fact, much weaker hands can go alone at times. Quite
often, hands that have a very weak off-suit can even make it.
The value of a loner is obvious. You score 4 points as opposed to 2 if you
play the same hand with your partner. There are many cases where the cards
that your partner holds will help you just the same by not being played.
Remember, the card or cards that might stop your loner have 8 chances of being
burried in the kitty or in your partners hand while only 10 chances of ending
up in your opponent's hand, and your opponent might still need to get lucky
and play it at the right time.
Don't go alone if you have 8 or 9 points. Your partner might help you make 2
points to win the game. You don't need 4 points anyway.
10. Don't Complain about the cards.
Sometimes it seems that every hand you get is useless. It's either weak as
hell and multi-suited or it is a loner in the wrong color. Unfortunately, you
can't just fold them and wait for the next deal. In the long run, we will all
end up with roughly the same amount of lousy hands as the next guy, making the
game mathematically even. The very best euchre players are doing well if they
can stay consistently over .500 in the long run.
To Bag Or Not To Bag
By MamaLovesEuchre aka Tweetie, Webmaster. October, 2003
Yes we get irritated when we get bagged by our opponents, but is it really
poor sportsmanship? That depends on the score and which cards the
opponent is bagging with. There are times when a bagging strategy should
be used, especially if it means winning the game!
Is it against the rules?
No, it is not.
When SHOULD you bag? Bagging in the beginning of a game is about
as silly as defending on the first hand. After all, you won't gain
points if you don't bid!
Early in the game, if you are holding 3 trump and are in the first seat (left
side of dealer), count on your partner for a trick, even if you have to depend
on his off-suit aces. The only time you should bag with 3 trump is when
you also have a good hand in 'next' (the other red or the other black suit).
If the dealer passes, you have yourself a sure point or possibly a loner!
Bagging near the end of a game should be done if:
1) You need 2 points for the win
2) Your team is behind and your trump cards are weak with no aces,
making for a good 'Euchre' hand. (You could really use those 2 points!)
3) You need 2 points to win the game when the opponent is within 1 point
of winning. (score is 9-8)
EXAMPLE
Score is 9-8, your team is losing. You are sitting in first seat (left
of the dealer). Dealer turns up the jack of spades. You hold the
left bower, king and 9 of spades and the jack and queen of hearts.
What do you do? Most players would order up the jack because they
have 3 trump and their Grandpa always taught them to order up with 3 trump.
But what Grandpa didn't teach them was that sometimes you need to bag in order
to win the final hand, and the game. Keep in mind your team needs 2
points to win the game and ordering the right bower up defeats that idea.
What you really need to do is 'pass' and observe how the dealers partner
acts...did he pass fast or did he think about it? Chances are that the
dealer will pick up that jack and play the hand to achieve 1 point, because he
only needs 1 point for the win. Bank on that philosophy! (Don't lead
trump, you don't have any off-suit aces and pulling your partners trump won't
help!!). Will you get called a bagger? Oh for sure!! Bottom
line is...the game was named 'Euchre', and you won! Wasn't that your
goal?
What if the dealer passes? It's a tough call...most of us that
know Hoyle strategies would be tempted to hoyle (call 'next', in this case
clubs) without any trump and pray our partner has the trump! But you
hold the queen and right bower of hearts and only the right bower of clubs, so
you should play the odds, call hearts! Do not pass or they will bid
because they only need one point!I
believe that you should always bid
if the dealer passes when the score is 8-9 (they are ahead)". Ok so
you bid hearts, now what do you lead? Chances are....you will not get 2
points for this hand so play the hand for 1 point. Remember that if you
can get one point for this hand, it will be your deal next and the Euchre Gods
always favor the dealer. So play it smart and go for one point!
Never lead what was turned down."
So with that
in mind, you can't lead the spades! Use common sense...he turned down
the right bower...if he would have had another spade he would have picked it
up for sure! If you lead a spade, most likely your partner will trump it
or throw the ace on it, and the dealer will overtrump it. You don't want
to lead the right bower because you only have 2 trump. Save your trump
for when your partner takes the lead in case he leads the left bower or
another trump for you! This leaves you with one last choice...lead the
jack of clubs and pray your partner can take it! Yes, hearts is a risky
bid, but you really have no choice. Whatever you do, don't pull your
partners trump! Go for 1 point and worry about the next hand when and if
you get to it!
Leading Trump
By ILoveMamaEuchre, Freaks league member. December, 2003
This hand comes from a game I played
recently, playing South. It features these common aspects:
1: TRUST in your Partner!
2: The Importance of
Leading Trump!
West orders up the
 K to partner,
who discards the
 10. South
leads out the
K, West plays the Jack and
North plays the Left (the
 J), preventing East from being able to overtrump with the Ace! East, unable to overtrump, puts down the
 10.
North leads back the
K,
East lays down the Ace, South the 9, and West throws off his
Q. East
then makes the HUGE mistake of NOT leading trump back! Instead, he leads back
the Q
!!!!! South (me) trusts his partner Not to be voided in trump and sluffs off
with the
9! West plays the A and North ruffs with the Q! North leads back the
Q, East
J, South
10
and West is Forced to Play his Right!
He leads out the
9
and the final trick is
taken by South with the
A
for the Euchre!
Now, what
Happens if....
... at trick three, East leads back the
K?
Now, with East leading out the
K.
South plays the
A, West plays the
Right
and North follows suit with the Q. West leads back
A forcing South to take the trick with his last trump.
West has the last trump and takes the last trick.
Protecting a
Large Lead
By MamaLovesEuchre aka Tweetie, Webmaster March,
2004
Have you ever lost a game that you thought you
should have won due to a large lead? Don’t feel all alone! It
happens all the time! It has to be the most frustrating outcome in a
game of Euchre!
Can it be avoided? Sometimes YES, and sometimes
NO (Luck plays a big roll too!) Sometimes we find ourselves
tempted to be the leader of our team and we try to take 'control' of
the game. Your partner won't mind if 'your team' wins....but you
better make sure you know what you are doing before attempting it!
In online Euchre you see 3rd seat 'defense' happen quite a bit.
Because of this 'controlling' temptation and the unlikelihood
that it will lessen, I felt that it would be a good idea to address
the strategy involved. If you are the team member with the short
end of the stick, you may learn some new strategies by paying
attention to your partner while he executes his plan and by reading
this strategy. Remember, not all good strategies work every
time! As you read on, you will also learn one responsibility of
being in the 'first seat' (left of dealer). Once your partner
sees that you know what you are doing, he will trust you! The
following strategy assumes the player in 3rd seat (right side of
dealer), is playing 'defense'. Enjoy!
There are
several factors to keep in mind when you are faced with protecting a
big lead.
-
Your partner
-
Your opponents
-
Who gets the next deal?
Let’s assume you are playing in a tournament, you
don’t know your partner, and the score is 9-5 in your favor and the
opponent on your left is the dealer.
Things to
consider……
-
Your partner (left side of dealer) may not know how to defend
the big lead.
-
The dealer or his opponent may be sitting on a loner.
Strategies to
consider…..
It is my firm belief if you have a score of 9 and
do not hold a loner stopper in your hand (left plus 1 trump or the
right or 3 trump) you cannot pass! Your partner may not think the
same way, however.
Let’s assume that your partner passes and the
opponent to your right also passes. You do not hold a
loner stopper in your hand. Now you are faced with the decision of:
-
Ordering up the card to avoid a possible loner and
getting euchred because of the defensive move, and living with a score
of 9-7.
-
Passing and allowing a possible loner (4 pts) which
would make the score 9-9.
Considering the above choices, now you need to
weigh the odds of each scenario.
What is better…a
score of 9-9 or a score of 9-7 when your team is the dealer?
-
You passed and they made the loner, score is now 9-9,
it’s your partners’ deal…but the opponents get first option of naming
trump even if the dealer passes… Since they only need one point they
should name trump even on a weak hand and play it for 1 point instead
of 2. Game Over you lose.
-
You ordered up the dealer and got euchred to stop their
possible loner. Score is now 9-7 and your partner gets next deal.
The opponents have first option to name trump and if they have a hand
which will make one point they should name trump (never pass if the
opponent is on 9 unless you can euchre them). What if they are dealt
a loner? If they are dealt a loner, they will need to order up the
card to the dealer. Usually the dealer holds 2 trump after
discarding, increasing the odds that the loner will be stopped dead in
its tracks.
Bases on those facts….it is better to STOP
the loner by ordering up the card to the dealer and suffering a
possible euchre. The chances of winning a game where the score is 9-7
rather than 9-9 are much better if your team deals next. Protect
your big lead always!
In my opinion, defense should always be the responsibility of
the player to the left of the dealer. However, defense is not a
strategy that has been mastered by most Euchre players. This is why
you will find defensive calls from 3rd seat (right of
dealer). Learning defensive strategies will indeed help you win more
games.
Please forward this website to
your fellow Euchre friends!
© 2004 The Euchre Club
www.euchreclub.com
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