by greenoaks on Sun Feb 24, 2008 4:34 am
if you play by the official rules according to Hoyles i will play.
The official rules according to Hoyle.
Long a popular game, Euchre is best suited to four-handed play, with two teams of partners. A 32-card pack, running from Aces down to Sevens is utilized in this game, which is played as follows.
The pack is shuffled and five cards are dealt to each player. One suit is declared to be trump; and its Jack becomes the Right Bower or highest card of the suit. Next is the Jack of the same color, or Left Bower; then the trumps run A,K,Q,10,9,8,7. Thus Hearts as trump would rank as follows.
J J A K Q 10 987
Play normally begins with the player on the dealer's left, who leads a card. The others follow suit in rotation, until all four have played, making a trick. If unable to follow suit, a player may play any card he wants. The highest card of the suit led wins the trick; but trumps take all others.
Whoever wins the first trick leads to the next; this continues until all tricks are taken. The object of each team is to take three tricks; and in some cases all five. This depends upon the manner in which the trump is made or chosen, according to the following rules.
Immediately after the deal, the dealer turns the next card face up on the pack. Whatever its suit, each player now has the privilege of making that suit trump, beginning with the player on the dealer's left. If he thinks his hand is strong enough for his partner and himself to win three tricks, he announces, "I order it up," which means that the dealer picks up the trump card from the pack and discards another from his hand, face down.
If the first player does not like his hand, he says, "I pass," and the choice goes to the second player. If he wants the turned up card to represent trump, he announces, "I assist," because the dealer is his partner. The result is the same. The turned up cards becomes trump; the dealer picks it up and discards another.
The second player can pass if he wants to; the third player then has the same options of ordering it up or passing. The latter choice leaves it up to the dealer, who can say, "I take it up" and so on, if he thinks his hand is good enough. Otherwise, he can say, "I turn it down." In that case, he slides the turned up card under the pack and its suit is no longer a possible choice of trump.
The first player then may make another suit trump, but if his hand is weak, he can say, "I pass the making." If he passes, it goes on to the second player, then the third, and finally the dealer. If nobody cares to make a new trump, the hands are thrown in and the cards are passed along to the next dealer.
Once the turned up trump has been accepted, the play begins, as described. If the team that decided on the trump takes 3 or 4 tricks, it scores one point. Taking all five is a march and scores two points. If they take less than three tricks they are euchred and the opposing team scores two points.
During the preliminary of accepting or making the trump, each player may also announce, "I play alone." This means he has a strong hand and does not need his partner's help. So his partner lays his hand face down and play proceeds. If the man on the dealer's left has laid down his hand, the dealer's partner makes the first lead.
When playing alone, a player scores four points if he takes all five tricks; if he takes 3 or 4, he scores one point; if he takes less than three, he is euchred and the opposing team scores the usual two points.
The first team making five points wins the game.
