(WWJ) -- It’s no secret that the card game Euchre is hugely popular in Michigan and throughout the Midwest.
But when it comes to Michiganders who are beginners at the game, one may frequently hear the same refrain — “I’ve been taught how to play before, but I always forget the rules.”
It’s true that Euchre boasts its own unique set of fundamentals and terminology that can make it a bit confusing to follow if you don’t play often enough.
On this week’s episode of The Daily J podcast, WWJ’s Brian Fisher looked into the history of how Euchre became so popular in our region.
Now, Brian has helped us break down the game’s essentials, so you can become a seasoned Euchre player in no time:
The Objective
Euchre is played with four players, who are divided into teams of two. The main goal is to be the first team to reach a predetermined score, usually 10. Players can earn their team points by winning tricks in each hand.
The Deck
The Euchre deck is a specialized deck which uses 24 cards. It is made up of 9s to Aces of all four suits: hearts, clubs, diamonds and spades. The ranking of the cards may change depending on the trump suit. Aces are typically considered the highest, except for when a suit is declared 'trump.’
Trump Suit
Prior to the start of each hand, players will determine the trump suit — or the highest-ranking suit for the current round. Everyone is dealt five cards. The dealer then offers the top card from the remaining deck to each player, going clockwise. The suit of the card that is flipped becomes the trump suit, and the player to the dealer's left then has the option to "call" it by saying: "I order it up" or "I pick it up."
The dealer is always the one to pick up the trump card, even if the opponent orders it up. The dealer also has to discard a card from hand when ordered up to maintain five cards
If everyone declines to "order it up," the card is flipped down, and everyone is then given the option to declare whatever they want as trump (in the same clockwise rotation), but it cannot be the suit that was flipped down. If a suit is not chosen after that second rotation, then the dealer is forced to choose.
NOTE: When a suit is declared 'trump,' the jack of that suit becomes the highest (right bower) and the jack of the same color is the second highest (it is considered 'trump' too, and called the left bower).
Playing a Hand
Once the trump suit is established, the player to the left of the dealer leads the first trick. The other players must then follow suit if possible, but if they cannot, then they can play any card in their hand. The highest card of the leading suit — or the highest trump card — wins the trick. The player who wins the trick then leads the next one.
Scoring
If your team declares trump and takes three tricks, you then get 1 point. If you take all five tricks, you get 2 points. If your team declares trump and you or your partner 'goes alone' (meaning the other partner puts their hand down and the one who declared ‘going alone’ faces the other team on their own) and they take three tricks, they get 1 point. But if they go alone and get all five against the opponent, they get 4 points.
If your opponent declares trump but your team takes three or more tricks in a hand, you have EUCHRED them and receive 2 points. The first team to reach the 10 points is declared the winner.
Now that you’ve got the rules, let’s talk terminology:
- Trump: The suit that’s been declared to be the highest-ranking for a specific hand
- Bower: The Jack of the trump suit, which is considered the most powerful card in the game
- Off-suit: A card of a non-trump suit
- Follow suit: To play a card of the same suit as the leading card
- Reneging: Failing to follow suit when you have cards of that suit -- this results in 2 points for the opposing team
- Trick: A set of four cards played, one from each player, during a single round
- Loner: When a player declares that they will win all five tricks on their own
- Going alone: Another term for playing as a loner
- Farmers Hand: Having 3 or more 9s/10s in a hand
Hopefully this comprehensive guide helps beginners get a better handle on this popular card game, but at the end of the day, the best (and most fun) way to learn Euchre is to play!
So grab yourself a partner -- because in Euchre, teamwork makes the dream work -- and get ready for a good time.
Want more of The Daily J? Just text WWJ to 20357 to get the podcast delivered to your phone or tablet for free, every Monday-Friday. And be sure to subscribe. Msg and data rates apply. Or, just search for The Daily J and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
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