In Euchre – will it be hearts, spades, diamonds or clubs for trump? Euchre is the game of quick strategy and trick-taking

Your deal of cards – just five cards will determine your fate

The Basics: What’s Involved in a game of euchre

• Cards: (regular card deck but only uses the 9’s, 10’s, Jacks, Queens, Kings of each suit),

• Who: Four people (two sets of partners) and a table

• Have score cards that equal 10 (so pull out 2 fives or 6/4 to keep track of points, first to 10 wins)

• “Trump” is the winning or top taking suit of each hand played after it’s selected by player

• Each dealer gets a turn to have “trump” card in front of them after they deal and put the top card on top of the stack “the kitty” (four cards left and top card pulled face up and stays on top of other 3 remaining next to dealer)

• Person to the left of dealer decides yes or no. If yes, card goes in dealer’s hand, if no, pass.

• Make it that suit, then dealer puts card in their hand and places a different unwanted card back in deck. Game on.

Now to Play Euchre: What Happens

Player to the left of dealer starts with a lead card (don’t play a card that the suit was made as “trump” or you may be in for a quick loss!) Hint: We recommend starting off with high off-suit (like an Ace of another suit or a King)

Jacks are the high-rollers (Jacks of red/jacks of black) depending on what suit was called trump. Jack of Diamonds and Jack of Hearts (the powerful “right” and the second in command “left”)

What if…

Everyone has passed on the suit pulled up? You have a jack of diamonds, ace of diamonds and a 10 of diamonds, you can go for diamonds. Call it and go for it! Try to get three out of five tricks.

Why it’s Fun: The Challenge

Every hand is different every time.

Nail biting to see who is first to get three tricks because you may have called the suit, but your opponents may have a trick up their sleeve!

Relying on your “partner” across from you to help you take the tricks and make at least three to get a point. If you get all five, two points are yours!

Fast and challenging because you never know what may be lead, what suit may come up for each round and if you are going to land a hand of nines or get the jackpot of jacks and aces.

You can throw down two jacks at the same time to take two tricks at same time because you have the two highest cards in game in your hand.

There is a chance to even “go alone” where your partner sits out and your ego is boosted if you take all five tricks and land four points instead of the two. But it means you have to have all of the suit you call. Alone is spades you better have the jack of spades, jack of clubs, ace of spades and maybe a bit of probability calculated into that luck!

The Challenge/Strategy:

Upscale the challenge to double deck euchre:

Five cards not enough? Just as the name states- double deck euchre doubles your cards. Now you have two full sets of 9’s through kings. Remove the card pulled up as trump option because now you are bidding and get in a bidding war. Can you take 4 hearts? Can your opponent take 7 diamonds? Who will get the final bid and start running the table to gather the most tricks with their high cards?

Be ready to have your bluff called because if you make it, you better take it.  With the option to have up to four jacks of your suit in your hand, you now have double the opportunity for risk and reward. Longer game with more challenge, more risk, and much more reward. You take the points of the tricks you take. Did you bid 7 but take 10 tricks out of 12 cards? Then you get 10 points. First one to 100 points wins.

If you are the team not bidding, you still get points for the tricks you take. Did you take 7 when your opponents were supposed to take 7? Then you just euchre’d them and you get all their points!