Hints on Euchre

In the first or 'ordering up' round each player should remember that dealer has a double advantage: one certain trump (the turn-up), and another probable by the 'law of averages', and the certain ability to void a side-suit by her discard in order to win a trick by ruffing. This knowledge will affect other players' considerations according to their positions relative to her.

Eldest hand, the first to speak, should not normally order it up unless she herself holds three probable tricks. Even with two bowers she would be well advised to pass, for if the dealer takes it up she will probably be euchred, and, if she does not, eldest will then have first choice of another trump suit and can 'make it next' - i.e., nominate the other suit of the same colour. (Nominating a suit of the opposite colour is called 'crossing it'.) An exception to this rule is when her own side is 'at the bridge', i.e., needs only one point to game, the opponents lying two or three points behind. In this circumstance there is the danger that dealer or her partner may play alone, win the march and so the game. By ordering it up she restricts her opponents to at most 2 for the march. Similarly, if both sides are level and need one for game, it may be worth chancing an order-up on cards that give an outside chance of winning.

Dealer's partner usually 'assists' on the strength of side suits, such as two non-trump Aces, bearing in mind that her partner can probably be relied upon for strength in trumps. If her side is in the lead and at the bridge, she may need to assist on weaker than average cards in order to prevent her left opponent from playing alone and possibly winning the march and the game.

Dealer's right opponent must have a good three tricks in hand if she is to order up, for her partner's pass will have shown weakness. An exception arises when she is at the bridge (needing one to game), for if her partner had no safe trick she would have ordered it up in order to prevent an opponent from stealing a march and winning the game: her failure to do so suggests that she can probably beat an attempt to win all five tricks, which in turn means she has one herself. In this case another two tricks will win.

Dealer is in the best position to take it up. With three or more trumps she should always do so, and with two she should do so if she has only one plain suit in hand, no matter how small the trumps are.

A lone hand may be undertaken by any player with three certain tricks (obviously), such as the three top trumps, or five cards which are Aces or strong trumps. Apart from that, only eldest hand and dealer are in a good position for this feat: dealer because she has the advantage of an extra trump against implicit weakness in opponents' hands (since they passed); eldest because she has the lead - though this applies only to the first round of trump-making.

If the first trump is rejected then, on the second round, eldest and partner should generally prefer to make it next (i.e. nominate the suit of the same colour as the turned down card), since dealer and her partner turned it down, they would presumably had no bower in the colour of the turn-up and may therefore be strong in suits of the opposite colour. Dealer's right opponent, however, should not normally make a trump unless she is strong enough to play alone, for two passes from the opposite side of the table show decided weakness.

With so few tricks to play there is no time to 'establish' suits and it is better to lead (say) a guarded King than hold it back in expectation of the Ace. It is generally best to lead high cards of plain suits, and especially so against a lone hand. Eldest, however, may lead trumps in many cases, though not when dealer has taken it up of her own accord. Only trump your partner's winning card if you really need the lead. The second player to a trick should normally play the best she can, trumping if necessary. Discard singletons (except Aces), especially of suits being trumped by opponents.