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  Euchre Tips and Strategies

Euchre Column of the Month – March 2005

By Joe Andrews

The Trump Cube

When you play Euchre online, there is never a need to ask, "what is trump?" or "who's the dealer?" or "whose lead is it?" For that measure, it is impossible to renege or play out of turn when playing cards on the Internet. However, in the live arena, those three questions are frequently asked; worse yet, someone will invariably lead out of turn or lose track of trump... and will be penalized accordingly.

The answer is the Trump Cube. It is a simple, cube-shaped block of wood with sides approximately two inches square. On four of the sides, there are different suit symbols. On the fifth side, the word "Dealer" is inscribed. The sixth side is blank, or inscribed with the letters "NT" for "No Trump." Obviously, NT applies to other card games.

Trump Cubes are sold commercially, or you can make your own. During a game, you use the cube when it is your turn to deal. If a heart is up, and you accept this suit as trump after three passes (or if you are ordered), you turn the cube to the heart symbol and place it on top of the discard pile. When the hand is over, you pass the cube to the person on your left, who is the dealer for that hand. It serves as a reminder of trump for the duration of each hand. A very handy device to have in a live game!

The Ten Big Rules of Euchre, Part 1 of 2

The following rules, by Harvey Lapp, are from a humourous and informative chapter in my recently released book, "The Complete Win At Euchre." Harvey is a card player extraordinaire, and also maintains the "Euchre Links" website.

I. Thou shalt not pass a biddable hand.

II. Thou shalt counteth upon thy partner for one trick.

III. Thou shalt not trumpeth thy partner's Ace.

IV. Thou shalt trumpeth thy partner's King.

V. Thou shalt leadeth trump to thy partner's order.

Rule #1: Don't pass a biddable hand.

Players who frequently pass hands that could 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!

You can, however, pass a biddable hand in first seat, but only if you can call another suit once the up card is turned down.

Rule #2: Count on your partner for a trick.

This concept is a good one to keep in mind when bidding. After all, Euchre is a partnership game and you can'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. But remember: don't call on very weak hands and expect your partner to have more than one trick for you.

Rule #3: Don't trump your partner's Ace.

It just doesn't make sense to take a trick if your partner is likely to get it anyway. Of course, as with most Euchre strategies, this rule has some exceptions. You wouldn't be wrong to trump your partner's Ace if:

a.       All you have left is trump.

b.       You are defending against a loner.

c.        You have reason to believe that your left-hand opponent will trump it, and you may be able to force him to trump higher.

d.       You need the lead.

In any case, never trump your partner's Ace with a nine! Among Euchre players, the expression for trumping with a nine or ten is "never send a boy to do a man's work!"

Rule #4: Do trump your partner's 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 quite weak. There is a chance that the opponents will have to follow suit, and not have the Ace, but probability says 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.

Rule #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 both by drawing trump from the opponent's hands and, at the same time, allowing your partner to find the one he's looking for. Without a Bower in your hand, a low-trump lead is still a 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. (When holding a Bower AND a low trump opposite your partner who has named trump, lead the Bower first, when you are on lead.)

Rules #6-10 will appear in the April Column.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!