THE LAWS OF EUCHRE AS ADOPTED BY THE SOMERSET CLUBOF BOSTON, MARCH 1, 1888 With Some Suggestions about the Play BYH. C. LEEDS AND JAMES DWIGHT [Illustration] BOSTONTICKNOR AND COMPANY211 Tremont Street1888 _Copyright, 1888, _BY TICKNOR AND COMPANY. _All rights reserved. _ University Press:JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A. [Illustration] PREFACE. Euchre is played in so many different ways and under so many differentrules that there seems to be a necessity for more rigid and exact Lawsthan exist at present. The Laws of Euchre, as here appended, have stood the test of time andreceived the attention of many scientific Euchre-players. If any game of cards is worth playing at all, it should be playedaccording to rule in the strictest interpretation, and no favors shouldbe given or expected. An attempt has been made in these Rules to make the penaltiescommensurate with the advantage which _might_ be gained by the error. Acommon instance of this is in the case of a lead out of turn. It oftenhappens that the exposed card is an advantage to the side so offending, and the adversaries have no redress. Here the Whist Law has beenapplied, allowing the non-offending side the option of two penalties. See Rule 52. Another instance occurs in a lone hand. An exposed card can only benefitthe adversaries, consequently no penalty is attached; but should thelone hand lead out of turn, he is supposed to be attempting to gain anadvantage, therefore Rule 104 has been adopted. [Illustration] CONTENTS. PAGE THE LAWS OF EUCHRE 7 The Rubber 7 Scoring 7 Cutting 9 Formation of the Table 9 Cutting Cards of Equal Value 10 Cutting out 11 Entry and Re-entry 11 Shuffling 13 The Deal 14 A New Deal 15 A Misdeal 17 Cards liable to be called 18 Cards played in Error 22 The Revoke 24 Calling for New Cards 26 Making the Trump and Playing 27 The Discard 30 The Trump Card 32 Playing alone 32 Etiquette of Euchre 35 Technical Terms used in Euchre 38GENERAL REMARKS 41 Eldest, or First Hand 43 Second Hand 46 Third Hand 50 The Dealer 52 The Bridge 56 Lone Hands 57 Coups 61 Case I. 63 Case II. 65 Case III. 66 Case IV. 67 Case V. 68 Case VI. 70 Case VII. 72 Case VIII. 73 Case IX. 75 [Illustration] THE LAWS OF EUCHRE. THE RUBBER. 1. The rubber is the best of three games. If the first two games are wonby the same players, the third game is played; should the score of thethird game lap, a fourth game is played. SCORING. 2. A game consists of five points. Should a player order up, assist, adopt, or make the trump, and he and his partner take five tricks, theyscore two; three or four tricks, they score one. If they fail to takethree tricks they are euchred, and the adversaries score two. 3. When a player plays alone and takes five tricks, he scores four;three or four tricks, he scores one. If he fails to take three tricks heis euchred, and the adversaries score four. 4. The penalty of a revoke takes precedence of all other scores. 5. An error in the score can be rectified at any time before the trumpcard is turned in the next deal. 6. Points should be announced before scoring. 7. Each game won counts one unless the losing side has failed to score, in which case the game counts two. Two additional points are taken bythe side winning the rubber. Thus it is possible to win ten points in arubber; that is, four double games, and two points for the rubber. CUTTING. 8. The knave is the highest card, then the ace, king, etc. 9. In all cases every one must cut from the same pack. 10. Should a player expose more than one card, he must cut again. FORMATION OF THE TABLE. 11. If there are more than four candidates, the players are selected bycutting; those first in the room having the preference. The four who cutthe highest cards play first, and again cut to decide on partners. Thetwo highest play against the two lowest. The highest is the dealer, whohas choice of cards, seats, and counters; and having once made hisselection, he must abide by it. 12. When there are more than six candidates, those who cut the fifth andsixth highest cards belong to the table. CUTTING CARDS OF EQUAL VALUE. 13. Two players cutting cards of equal value, unless such cards are thetwo lowest, or the two highest, cut again. 14. Three players cutting cards of equal value, cut again; should thefourth (or remaining) card be the highest, the two lowest of the new cutare partners, and their opponents have the deal. Should the fourth cardbe the lowest, the two highest of the new cut are partners, and have thedeal and choice of seats, etc. CUTTING OUT. 15. At the end of a rubber, should admission be claimed by any one, orby two candidates, he who has, or they who have, played a greater numberof consecutive rubbers than the others, is or are out. When all haveplayed the same number, they must cut to decide on the out-goers, thelowest going out. ENTRY AND RE-ENTRY. 16. A candidate wishing to enter a table must declare such intentionbefore any of the players have cut a card, either for the purpose ofcommencing a new rubber, or of cutting out. 17. In the formation of fresh tables, those candidates who have neitherbelonged to nor played at any other table, have the prior right ofentry; the others decide their right of admission by cutting. 18. Any one quitting a table prior to the conclusion of a rubber may, with the consent of the other three players, appoint a substitute in hisabsence during that rubber. 19. Should a player leave a full table after he has played but one ofthe two consecutive rubbers to which he is entitled, the candidate nextin order for entrance to the table takes his place, but must go out atthe end of one rubber, as his predecessor would have done. 20. A player cutting into one table while belonging to another, loseshis right of re-entry into the latter, and takes his chance of cuttingin as if he were a fresh candidate. 21. If any one break up a table, the remaining players have the priorright to him of entry into any other; and should there not be vacanciesat such other table for all those candidates, they settle theirprecedence by cutting. SHUFFLING. 22. The pack must neither be shuffled below the table, nor so that theface of any card can be seen. 23. The pack must not be shuffled during the play of a hand. 24. Each player has a right to shuffle once only, except as provided byLaw 27, prior to a deal, after a false cut, or when a new deal hasoccurred. 25. The dealer's partner must collect the cards for the ensuing deal, and he has the first right to shuffle that pack. 26. Each player, after shuffling, must place the cards, properlycollected and face downwards, to the left of the player about to deal. 27. The dealer has always the right to shuffle last; but should a cardor cards be seen during his shuffling or while giving the pack to becut, he may be compelled to re-shuffle. THE DEAL. 28. Each player deals in turn; the right of dealing goes to the left. 29. The player on the dealer's right cuts the pack, and in dividing ithe must not leave fewer than four cards in either packet. If in cuttingor in placing one of the packets on the other, a card be exposed, or ifthere be any confusion of the cards, or a doubt as to the exact placewhere the pack was divided, there must be a fresh cut. 30. When a player has once separated a pack he cannot alter hisintention; he can neither re-shuffle nor re-cut the cards. 31. When the pack is cut, should the dealer re-shuffle he loses thedeal. 32. After dealing, the dealer should put the pack at his right hand. A NEW DEAL. 33. There must be a new deal by the same dealer if during the deal orduring the play of the hand the pack be found to be incorrect orimperfect; but all points scored on previous hands stand. 34. If any card be found faced in the pack before a lead is made, theremust be a new deal. 35. If, while dealing, a card be exposed by the dealer or his partner, the adversaries can call for a new deal, provided that neither of themhas touched the cards. A card exposed by either adversary gives thatclaim to the dealer, provided that his partner has not touched thecards. If a new deal does not take place, the exposed card cannot becalled. 36. If, during the deal, a player touch any of his cards, theadversaries may do the same without losing their privilege of claiming anew deal, should chance give them such option. 37. If, in dealing, one of the last cards be exposed, and the dealerturn up the trump before there is reasonable time for his adversaries todecide as to a fresh deal, they do not thereby lose their privilege. 38. A deal made with the adversaries' cards is good, provided that thetrump card has been turned. If not, a new deal may be claimed. Theplayers thus losing their cards may reclaim them at the end of thedeal. 39. Should the dealer, in turning the trump card, expose any other cardof the pack, there must be a new deal. 40. A deal out of turn can be stopped, if the error be discovered beforethe trump card is turned; otherwise the deal stands. A MISDEAL. 41. A misdeal loses the deal. 42. It is a misdeal, -- I. Unless five cards are dealt to each player. II. Unless the dealer begin by giving two cards to each player in turnin the first round of the deal, and three in the second, or _viceversa_. 43. A misdeal does not lose the deal if during the dealing either of theadversaries touch the cards prior to the dealer's partner having doneso. Should the latter have first interfered with the cards, notwithstanding either or both of the adversaries have subsequently donethe same, the deal is lost. 44. If the adversaries interrupt a dealer while dealing, either byquestioning the score or asserting that it is not his deal, and fail toestablish such claim, should a misdeal occur he may deal again. 45. Should a player take his partner's deal and misdeal, the latter isliable to the usual penalties, and the adversary next in rotation to theplayer who ought to have dealt, then deals. CARDS LIABLE TO BE CALLED. 46. All exposed cards are liable to be called, and must be left on thetable; but a card is not an exposed card when dropped on the floor orelsewhere below the table. The following are exposed cards:-- I. Two or more cards played at once. II. Any card dropped face upwards, or in any way exposed on or above thetable, even though snatched up so quickly that no one can name it. III. The trump card if lifted from the pack. 47. If any one play to an imperfect trick the highest card on the table, or lead one which is a winning card against his adversaries, and thenlead again, or play several such winning cards one after the other, without waiting for his partner to play, the latter may be called on towin, if he can, the first or any other of those tricks, and the othercards thus improperly played are exposed cards. 48. If a player or players, under the impression that the game is lostor won, or for other reasons, throw his or their cards on the table faceupwards, such cards are exposed, and can be called, each player's by theadversary; but should one player retain his hand, he cannot be forced toabandon it. 49. If all four players throw their cards on the table face upwards, thehands are abandoned, and no one can again take up his cards. Should itthen be proved that the game could have been saved or won, no such claimcan be entertained unless a revoke be established. 50. In a lone hand, should either adversary abandon his hand by layingit face upwards on the table, or by failing to play to every trick, theparty playing alone scores five points. 51. A card detached from the rest of the hand is liable to be called ifeither of the adversaries can name it; but should an adversary name awrong card, he is liable to have a suit called when he or his partnernext lead. 52. If any player lead out of turn, the adversaries may either call thecard erroneously led, or may call a suit from him or his partner when itis next the turn of either to lead. 53. If any player lead out of turn, and the other three have followedhim, the trick is complete, and the error cannot be rectified; but ifonly the second, or the second and third, have played to the false lead, their cards, on discovery of the mistake, are taken back, and there isno penalty against any one except the original offender. 54. If a player who has rendered himself liable to have his highest orlowest called, fail to play as desired, or if when called on to lead onesuit, lead another, having in his hand one or more cards of the suitdemanded, he incurs the penalty of a revoke. 55. In no case can a player be compelled to play a card which wouldoblige him to revoke. 56. The call for an exposed card can be repeated until such card hasbeen played. 57. If a player called on to lead a suit have none of it, the penalty ispaid. CARDS PLAYED IN ERROR. 58. Should the third hand play before the second, the fourth may playbefore his partner. 59. Should the third hand not have played, and the fourth hand playbefore his partner, the latter may be called on to win or lose thetrick. 60. Should any one have omitted playing to a former trick, and sucherror be not discovered till he has played to the next, the adversariesmay claim a new deal. Should they decide that the deal stand good, thesurplus card at the end of the hand is considered to have been played tothe imperfect trick, but does not constitute a revoke therein. 61. If any one play two cards to the same trick, or mix his trump orother card with a trick to which it does not properly belong, and themistake is not discovered till the hand is played out, he is answerablefor all the consequent revokes he may have made. If during the play of the hand the error be detected, the tricks may becounted face downwards, to ascertain if there be among them a card toomany; should this be the case, the trick may be searched, and the cardrestored. The player is, however, liable for all the revokes he may havemeanwhile made. THE REVOKE. 62. Is when a player, holding one or more cards of the suit led, plays acard of a different suit. 63. The penalty of a revoke is three points, except in the case of alone hand, when it is five; and the penalty may be claimed as often asthe revoke is repeated in the hand. 64. A revoke is established if the trick in which it occurs be turnedand quitted; or if the revoking player or his partner, whether in hisright turn or otherwise, lead or play to the following trick. 65. A player may ask his partner whether he has not a card of the suitrenounced. Should the question be asked before the trick be turned andquitted, subsequent turning and quitting does not establish the revoke, and the error may be corrected, unless the question be answered in thenegative, or unless the revoking player or his partner have led orplayed to the following trick. 66. At the end of the hand the claimants of a revoke may search all thetricks. 67. Should a revoke be claimed, and the accused player or his partnermix the cards before they have been sufficiently examined by theadversaries, the revoke is established. 68. A revoke cannot be claimed after the cards are cut for the nextdeal. 69. If a player discover his mistake in time to save a revoke, theadversaries may call the card played in error. Any player or players whohave played after him, except his partner, may withdraw their cards andsubstitute others; the cards so withdrawn are not liable to be called. 70. A revoking player and his partner may require the hand on which therevoke occurred to be played out. 71. An equal number of revokes on different sides cancel each other. CALLING FOR NEW CARDS. 72. Any player (on paying for them) before, but not after, the pack iscut for the deal, may call for fresh cards. He must call for two newpacks, of which the dealer has the choice. 73. A card or cards torn or marked must be replaced by agreement, or newcards called for at the expense of the table. MAKING THE TRUMP AND PLAYING. 74. The trump card having been turned, the eldest hand may pass, orderup, or play alone; in either of the last two cases the third hand maytake it from him and play alone. 75. Should the eldest hand pass, the second hand may pass, assist, orplay alone; in either of the last two cases the dealer may take it fromhim and play alone. 76. Should the second hand pass, the third hand can pass, order up, orplay alone; and after him the dealer must pass, take up the trump, orplay alone. 77. Should all four players pass, the trump is turned down, and thefirst hand can name a suit, or pass; and so on in turn around the table. Should all pass again, the deal is at an end, and the next player deals. 78. Should the player entitled to make a trump name a suit, he cannotchange; and should he name the suit turned down, he is considered tohave passed. 79. Should the player, after naming the suit turned down, or passing, mention the suit he intended to make trumps, his partner also must pass. 80. Should a player pass, and then attempt to assist, or order up thetrump, his partner also must pass. The adversaries, however, may electthat it shall be played. 81. Should a player make a declaration, and his partner not hear it andpass, the declaration is not invalidated. 82. No player can take away another's right by passing, ordering up, orassisting, out of turn; but should the dealer turn down the trump card, or on the second round throw his cards on the table, such action isbinding on his partner. 83. If any one, prior to his partner's playing, should call attention tothe trick either by saying that it is or is not his, or by naming hiscard or by drawing it without being asked to do so, or call on hispartner to take or not to take the trick, the adversaries may requirethat opponent's partner to play his highest or lowest of the suit led, or to win or lose the trick. 84. A player has no right to ask who played a particular card, but atany time during the play of a trick, or after the four cards are played, but before they are touched for the purpose of gathering them together, may demand that the cards be placed before their respective players. 85. When a player and his partner have an option of exacting from theiradversaries one of two penalties, they should agree who is to make theelection, but must not consult with one another which of the twopenalties it is advisable to exact. If they do so consult, they losetheir right; and if either of them, with or without the consent of hispartner, demand a penalty to which he is entitled, such decision isfinal. THE DISCARD. 86. Should the card turned up be made the trump, the dealer must at oncediscard one card from his hand. The discard is not complete until thedealer has placed the card under the pack and quitted it; after which hecannot change. 87. Should the eldest hand lead before the discard is completed, thelead stands, and the dealer can change his discard if he wishes. 88. The trump card cannot be discarded. 89. Should the third hand play alone, and the second player lead beforethe dealer has discarded, the latter can be called on to play hishighest or lowest of the suit led, or to win or lose the trick. 90. Should any player have more or less than five cards, or the dealerneglect to discard before playing, the deal holds good, and the party sooffending forfeits two if all four are playing, and four if a lone handis played. They also are not entitled to score any point or points theymay have made on that hand. THE TRUMP CARD. 91. The trump card must be left in view till played, and if removed orlifted from the pack, becomes an exposed card. 92. After the trump card has been played, no player has a right to askwhat card was turned up, but can at any time ask what is the trump suit. PLAYING ALONE. 93. A player may play alone when he orders up, assists, adopts, or makesthe trump, or when his partner does so, provided that he himself has notalready passed. 94. If a player declares to play alone, his partner may take it fromhim, subject to the previous rule; in which case the form of declarationmust be, "I take it from you. " 95. A player cannot play alone when he or his partner is ordered up, orwhen his adversaries adopt or make the trump, or if before making hisdeclaration he exposes a card. 96. The dealer must announce his intention to play alone before quittinghis discard. 97. A player must announce his intention to play alone before naming thetrump, otherwise he can be required to play the hand with his partner. 98. In all cases a single declaration must be made. It is not permittedto say, "I order it up and play it alone, " or "I make it hearts and playit alone. " The declaration must be, "I play alone at hearts, " or, "Aloneat hearts. " Any other declaration precludes a lone hand. 99. Should the partner of the player playing alone offer to take itfrom him after a lead has been made, or after he has himself passed, neither can play alone. 100. Should a player announce that he will play alone, and his partnerplay upon the first lead, the player loses his right to play the handalone, and must play it with his partner, unless his adversaries electthat he play it alone. 101. Should a player announce that he will play alone, his partner mustplace his own cards on the table face downwards, and not again take themup. He shall have the right to gather and quit his partner's tricks, andhis action is binding on his partner. 102. Should a player expose the face of any of his cards, his partnercan score only two points, should he take every trick; but in case of aeuchre the adversaries score four. 103. After the partner of the lone player has placed his hand on thetable, either adversary may count the hand, to see if it contains moreor less than five cards. 104. A player playing alone is liable to no penalty for simply exposinga card; but should he lead out of turn, the card is an exposed card, andcan be called. 105. Should an adversary play out of turn to the lead of a lone hand, both opposing hands must be laid on the table, and can be called by theplayer playing alone. ETIQUETTE OF EUCHRE. 106. The following rules belong to the established Etiquette of Euchre. They are not called "Laws, " as it is difficult, and in some casesimpossible, to apply any penalty to their infraction, and the onlyremedy is to cease to play with the players who habitually disregardthem. 107. Two packs of cards of different colors are invariably used atClubs, and this should be adhered to if possible. 108. A player having the lead and another winning card to play, shouldnot draw the second card out of his hand till his partner has played tothe first trick, such act being a distinct intimation that the formerhas played a winning card. 109. No intimation whatever by word or gesture should be given by aplayer as to the state of the hand or the game after the trump card isturned. 110. A player who desires the cards to be placed, or demands to see thelast trick, should do so for his own information only, and not toattract the attention of his partner. 111. No player should object to refer to a bystander who professeshimself uninterested in the game and able to decide any disputedquestion of fact. 112. It is unfair to revoke purposely; and having made a revoke, aplayer is not justified in making a second to conceal the first. 113. Until the players have made such bets as they wish, bets should notbe made with the bystanders. 114. Bystanders should make no remark, nor should they, by word orgesture, give any intimation of the state of the game until concludedand scored, nor should they walk around the table to look at thedifferent hands. 115. No one should look over the hand of a player against whom he isbetting. 116. Players should pass, assist, order up, etc. , with as nearly aspossible the same manner at all times, and should be careful not to giveinformation by unusual quickness or delay. TECHNICAL TERMS USED IN EUCHRE. "Right Bower, " or "Right, "--knave of the trump suit, which is thehighest card. "Left Bower, " or "Left, "--knave of the same color as the trump suit, which is the second best card. "Alone, "--playing without your partner. "Assist, " or "Help, "--ordering up the trump when your partner deals. "Announce, "--to declare the suit which shall be trumps. "Bridge, "--when the score of the eldest hand is four to one or four totwo in his favor. "Crossing the suit, "--making the trump of a different color from thesuit turned down. "Next, "--to make a trump of the color turned down. "Euchre, "--when the party making the trump fails to take three tricks. "Hand, "--the five cards dealt to each player. "Ordering up, "--requiring the dealer and his partner to play the trumpturned up. "Pass, "--declining to order up, assist, adopt, or make the trump. "March, "--taking five tricks. "Love Game, " "Slam, " or "Double, "--where the score is five to nothing. "Lap, "--is where more points are made than are necessary to win a game, and are carried to the next game. "Rubber, "--consists of three games. When, however, a lap is made in the third game, a fourth must be played. A "Lay Card, " or an "Outsider, "--is a card of a different suit from thetrump. [Illustration] GENERAL REMARKS. The following points are written simply for the information of those notthoroughly conversant with the game of Euchre. It is not the intention of the authors to write a treatise on the game, but merely to illustrate a few conventional plays, most of which are inuse among the best exponents of the game. There can be no absolute rules about the play in Euchre, as in Whist, asthe number of cards is so few that the importance of each play isintensified, and the score has so great an influence on the hand. The exceptions also are perhaps almost as numerous as the rules; but ifthe beginner will accept as a guide the appended hints, it is thoughtthey will not lead him far astray. The play of the cards is governed by the card sense of the individual. The refinement of the game consists in playing to the score, which isquite peculiar to Euchre, since it is so constantly changing. The samehand should suggest different ideas at different scores. A player should school himself to notice the score before he picks uphis hand. No attempt has been made to go beyond the adoption of thetrump, passing, assisting, and the original lead or play, at the risk ofbeing confusing. A beginner should follow these hints pretty closely. A good Euchreplayer can make his own exceptions; but they should be made with carefulconsideration, and not abused. ELDEST, OR FIRST HAND. When the right is not turned, order with three medium trumps or better, and some strength in suit, _provided you have nothing to go to_; forexample, ace, queen, ten of the turn-up, and two cards of another suit. Do not order (unless with great strength) if you can make it next; forexample, queen of clubs turned up, you hold right, ten, and nine ofclubs, and king and ten of spades; or left, ace and seven of clubs, seven of spades, and seven of diamonds. In both of these cases pass, andmake it next. Make it next when you can, and do not cross the suit, unless verystrong, especially when a bower is turned down; for example, the dealerhas turned down the king of spades, with ace, king, and seven of hearts, knave of spades, and ten of clubs: make it next, and lead the left. When making the trump with ace and two others (without the king), leadace in next, and small one when crossing the suit. If the right is not turned, lead trumps through the assisting hand. Theexceptions to this are, --With left and small one; ace and small one;with score four to three in your favor, and you play with certainreasons to stop a march; and occasionally when short of a suit. With a large tenace in trumps as right, ace, or right, king, and nooutside cards of any special value, play an off-suit, whether dealertakes up with or without assistance. With one or two trumps and two aces, lead trumps, whether throughassistance or not. If the dealer adopts the trump, avoid, if you can, leading from suits ofking, seven; queen, seven, etc. If possible, lead an ace, or from ashort suit of king or queen, or from a suit of equals, as king, queen, or queen, knave, or knave, ten. In general do not lead trumps up to the dealer's adoption; but withthree trumps, and the score two points in your favor, lead a trump, ifthe turn-up is not above the king. If you hold the two bowers and anoutside ace, always lead them in the order named. Always lead a trump when your partner has ordered up, or made thetrump. If you have no trump, play your best card. Avoid leading theturn-down until at least one round of trumps has been played. If youhave left and small one, lead the left and continue with small one ifboth opponents follow. With any two others, lead smallest, unlessequals. Score four to three in your favor is a position of caution, andconsequently your play should be very conservative. SECOND HAND. Do not assist too light. This is the most common error in Euchre. Assist with three trumps. Right and another. [1] left and another, and outside ace. [Footnote 1: "Another" means "a small one. "] Assist with left and another; dependent upon the score, two trumps and two aces. Ace and another, and outside ace; dependent upon score; always, however, if right is turned. Two medium trumps, and one suit of three, headed by the ace, dependent upon the score. Ace and another, and king and another, even when short of a suit, arepermissible only when justified by scores of four-all or four-love inyour favor. Anything less than this is not good Euchre, except, of course, at thetwo above-named scores. Do not assist the right with two small ones. Your partner usually willknow what to do with the bower. By too light an assistance you maytempt him into a lone hand, under the impression that one or two bigtrumps are out of his way. Remember that to be short of one or two suits is a great advantage to anassisting hand. When led through with right and another, play the right, except when theace is turned, --when it is permissible to finesse. When led through, when assisting with left and another, play left, unless right or ace is turned. When assisting with three trumps, if you take the first trick in suit, lead trumps at once. If you take the first trick by trumping a suit, your play is then dependent upon the value of your remaining trumps andthe turn-up. With two trumps and two aces, lead trumps as early as possible, if youropponents have not done so for you. If your partner adopts the turn-up without your assistance, and you holdqueen, seven; ten, eight, etc. , in trumps, ruff as early as possiblewith the big one, and lead the small one. If you take the first trick in suit, and your partner throws away, donot lead the suit he has shown, even if you have the ace of it. If your partner turn down black, make it red if you can, especially ifhe has turned down the bower. When playing second to a small card, do not ruff with right alone if itis the first trick. Ruff with left alone, especially with your partner'smake or adoption. If your partner refuses to adopt the turn-up, and the third handdeclares to play alone, lead a card of the same suit as the turn-down. With one small trump, ruff as soon as you can. Do not finesse in lay cards. THIRD HAND. It requires a stronger hand to order or make the trump in this positionthan in the eldest hand, since you cannot depend upon your partner'slead, and he has displayed weakness by passing. However, if you have a good hand at the turn-up, and are very strong atnext, it is better to order, since the stronger you are at next, thegreater the improbability that your partner will be able to make itnext. It is wise to see your way absolutely clear to three tricks beforeordering the right. There are certain hands, however, which by their strength compel you toorder, --the right not being turned; and here are most of them. Order with four trumps. Two bowers and another. Two bowers and outside ace. Three trumps and two aces. Three trumps and one suit, headed by ace. Right, ace, and another. Left, ace, king, and outside ace. Left, ace, king, and one suit. Left, ace, king, dependent upon the score. Left, king and another, and outside ace. Left, queen and another, and outside ace. Order with ace, king and another, and outside ace. If you ruff, it is usually well to beat the turn-up. THE DEALER. Take up three trumps. Right and ace. Right and king right and queen. Right and another, and one suit. Right, another, and outside ace. Left, ace, and outside ace. Left, another, outside ace; and king, queen of the third suit. Ace, king, and one suit headed by ace; dependent upon score. Two trumps and two aces. With the score at four-all or four-love in his favor, the dealer mayplay a lighter hand than any mentioned above, especially if it is hisbest. Scores of three-all and four to two in dealer's favor require more thanordinary caution. With score four to three in dealer's favor he may play a shade lighterthan ordinary. If it comes round to the dealer to make a trump, it is permissible tomake it with somewhat less strength than would be required in the otherthree hands. It is usually better with a fair hand to try for a point rather than toturn down for a euchre. If, however, the dealer is better at next, andholds both bowers of the cross-suit, it is good euchre to pass. If the dealer adopts the turn-up without assistance and has right andanother, and takes the first trick with his small trump, he should notlead the right unless he can follow with an ace. Always be careful how you play your small cards, and never play falsecards. If the dealer adopts the turn-up, he should discard the lowest card of ashort suit; for example, with three trumps, ace, seven of one suit, andoutside king, discard the king. Some prefer to keep the king with scorefour-all with only two trumps in the hand. With two trumps (clubs), ace, seven of hearts, and king, seven of diamonds, discard the seven ofdiamonds. With three trumps (clubs), ace, king of hearts, and ace of diamonds, discard the king of hearts, except when playing a lone hand, in whichcase discard the ace of diamonds. When your partner assists, and you take the first or second trick, always give him a trump if he has not played one. Give all the information possible to your partner by your play; forexample, queen of clubs is turned up, and you are assisted and hold theking of clubs in your hand. If you or your partner take the first trickwith a trump, play the king. If you hold both ace and king of clubs inyour hand, play the ace. If you hold ace and king of an outside suit, throw away the ace as soonas possible on your partner's trick, thereby showing him you havecommand of that suit. If, however, you see by the fall of the cards thatyour partner has no strength in his hand, you may conceal thisinformation, since it will do him no good, and can only benefit youropponents. This, of course, applies to all four hands. THE BRIDGE. There is such a variety of opinion about the bridge that the writers donot feel confident enough to express any decided view about the matter. It is a complicated question from a mathematical point of view, and theyhave never kept any record for a long enough period of time to be of anypractical value. They doubt, however, the expediency of keeping the bridge strictly. If, however, the bridge is to be kept at all, it should be kept always, and in the same manner; otherwise you deceive your partner. There is a growing tendency to abolish the bridge. The writers rememberdistinctly not long ago when every one kept the bridge; now the sameplayers take their chances with two lay aces, or the ace and another intrumps. This, however, is purely a matter of taste, and is not offeredhere as an arbitrary rule. Naturally, some hands will make four beyond a doubt; but it is muchharder to get an imperfect lone hand through against two good playersthan against two inferior ones; hence the better the players, the lessis the value of the bridge against the ordinary lone hand. LONE HANDS. It is impossible to absolutely define a "lone hand. " With the scorethree-all, four-all, or any score in your favor, do not risk a lightlone hand. It is our opinion that a great many points are lost by nottaking your partner with you for a march. With the score four-one or four-two against you, you may take adesperate chance. If your opponents keep bridges tolerably strictly, you must, of course, be more careful if they have passed. The eldest hand has the best position to play a lone hand, and thedealer the next best. The second and third hands have the weakest positions for lone hands, especially the third hand, if the turn-up is the trump, since if thethird hand declares to play alone it has become an established customfor the dealer to discard next in suit, and for his partner to lead itto him. The third hand should take this into consideration beforeplaying alone. This is the only case when the original lead of next insuit has any significance. In playing against a lone hand, you should lead from a short suit orsuit of equals, if possible, and the fourth card you play (supposingalways the lone hand to take the first four tricks with trumps) shouldinform your partner what suit you mean to keep. For example: Clubs aretrumps. Eldest hand has two small trumps, queen of hearts, and queen andseven of spades. Lead the queen of hearts. The dealer, who is playingalone, ruffs the heart and leads both bowers and the ace of trumps. Onthe fourth trick you play the seven of spades; your partner, holding theace of spades and the ten of diamonds, should throw away the ace ofspades and keep the ten, thereby attacking the lone hand in all threesuits. Example: Clubs are trumps. The eldest hand has the king of clubs, theking of hearts, the ace and seven of diamonds, and the ten of spades. Lead the king of hearts, throw away the ten of spades as early aspossible, and play the seven of diamonds on the fourth trick, therebyinforming your partner that you are keeping a diamond. If you lead from equals, --as king, queen, or queen, knave, --and youropponent takes the trick with a card of that suit, throw away all yourother cards, however high, and keep your second one of that suit. Thisapplies always against the dealer, and usually against any other player. If the eldest hand holds the ace of hearts and the ace and king ofspades (the trump being a club), lead the ace of hearts and advertisethe command of the spade suit by throwing away the ace as soon aspossible. An exception: For third hand, supposing the dealer to have taken thefirst three tricks without showing a lay card and to have led a winningtrump for the fourth trick. If your partner's fourth card is a lay king, and you hold one card of that suit and one of another, neither of whichsuits has been ruffed, keep the card of the same suit as your partner'sking on the fourth trick. With an assistance you may play a lone hand with less strength thanotherwise. Should your partner declare to play alone, and you have a fair trumphand with no weakness in lay suits, it is good play to take it from him. COUPS. The following cases are offered to illustrate some of the fine points inthe game. Opportunities for making some of these plays occurfrequently, and every ambitious euchre-player should be familiar withthem. The easiest way to follow them is to place the cards on the tableas shown below. A coup is when you depart from the ordinary established rules of play, with certain reasons for each special case. Do not hesitate whenattempting a coup. Consider what the play of your adversaries means, aswell as that of your partner. Bear in mind that coups are justified only in exceptional cases. In all these cases A and C are partners. A is the dealer, and thediscard is supposed to have been properly made. CASE I. Refusing to over trump. A 9 of clubs (turn-up), Knave of clubs, Ace, king of hearts, 8 of spades. D B King and 10 of clubs, Ace of clubs, Ace, 9 of spades, Queen, 8 of hearts, 9 of hearts. Knave of diamonds, 10 of spades. C 7, 8, and 10 of diamonds, Queen of spades, 10 of hearts. Score, love-all. A adopts the trump. _First Trick. _--B leads knave of diamonds, C plays the seven, D ruffswith the ten of clubs, and A throws away the eight of spades. _Second Trick. _--D leads the ace of spades, A ruffs with the nine ofclubs, and both B and C follow suit. _Third Trick. _--A leads the right bower and catches the ace and kingfrom B and D, while his partner throws his small diamond. _Fourth Trick. _--in this case A will win whether he leads the ace orking of hearts; but his play should be the king, since his partnercannot help him in any way, and B might hold the left bower and pass theking of hearts, when he would ruff the ace. REMARKS. --If A goes over the ten of trumps with his right in the firsttrick, he will be euchred. This is the simplest coup, and is in constantuse. It is not good euchre to do this when your partner has assisted. CASE II. Leading through assistance. When to continue with trumps. A King of hearts (turn-up), Queen of hearts, Queen, knave of spades, Queen of clubs. D B 8, 9, 10 of diamonds, Knave, 8 of hearts, 10 of clubs, Ace of clubs, 7 of hearts. King, 9 of spades. C Knave of diamonds, Ace of hearts, Ace, 8 of spades, 7 of diamonds. Score, love-all. C assists. REMARKS. --B leads the right through the assisting hand, C plays the ace, D the seven, and A should play the king. If A plays the queen to giveinformation to his partner, B should at once continue with the eight ofhearts, and thus effect a euchre. If A plays the king, B's natural playwould be to lead the ace of clubs, whereby A and C make their point. Few cases arise when you should conceal information from your partner, but this is one of them. CASE III. Ruffing a winning card in order to draw trumps and score two. A 9 of hearts (turn-up), Knave of diamonds, 7 of hearts, Queen, 8 of clubs. D B Ace, king of hearts, Queen, 10 of hearts, King of spades, Ace of diamonds, King of diamonds, King of clubs, 10 of clubs. 9 of spades. C Right, 8 of hearts, Ace of clubs, Ace, 10 of spades. Score, four to three in favor of A and C. C assists. _First Trick. _--B leads the ten of hearts, C plays the right, D theking, and A the seven. _Second Trick. _--C leads the ace of clubs, D plays the ten, A the eightof clubs, and B the king. _Third Trick. _--C leads the ace of spades, D plays the king, A ruffswith the nine of hearts, and B plays the nine of spades. _Fourth and Fifth Tricks. _--A leads the left, thereby drawing all thetrumps, and continues with the winning club. CASE IV. Leading a trump up to the right. A Knave of hearts (turn-up), King of hearts, Ace of clubs, Ace, king of spades. D B 9 of hearts, Knave of diamonds, 7, 8 of spades, Ace, queen of hearts, King, 8 of clubs. 9 of spades, Ace of diamonds. C 10, 7, hearts, Knave, 10 of spades, King of diamonds. A adopts the trump. Score, four to one in favor of A and C. _First Trick. _--B leads the left, C plays the seven of hearts, D thenine, and A wins with the right. _Second Trick. _--A leads the ace of spades, B follows with the nine, Cwith the ten, and D with the seven. _Third, Fourth, and Fifth Tricks. _--No matter what A plays, he iseuchred, since B wins the last three tricks. CASE V. Under-play in fourth hand with a large tenace. A Ace of diamonds (turn-up), Queen, 7 of diamonds, 9, 7 of hearts. D B King, knave of clubs, Knave, king, 10 ofQueen, 10 of spades, diamonds, 8 of hearts. Ace, queen of hearts. C Knave of hearts, King, 10 of hearts, King, 10 of spades. Score, three-all. A adopts the trump. _First Trick. _--B leads ace of hearts, C plays the ten, D the eight, andA the seven. _Second Trick. _--B continues with the queen of hearts, C covers, andwins with the king, D throws the ten of spades, and A the nine ofhearts. _Third Trick. _--C leads the left bower, D throws the queen of spades, Athe seven of diamonds, and B refuses to win by playing under with theten of diamonds, thereby making a certainty of establishing the euchrewith the tenace of right and king in the fourth and fifth tricks. CASE VI. Trumping your partner's trick to put the lead through the strong hand. A Ace of diamonds (turn-up), Knave of diamonds, 10 of diamonds, King of spades, 10 of clubs. D B King, 8 of hearts, Ace of spades, 9, 8 of clubs, 7 of spades, Queen of diamonds. Knave of hearts, King, queen of clubs. C Ace, 10 of hearts, Knave, 7 of clubs, Queen of spades. Score three-all. A adopts the trump. _First Trick. _--B leads the king of clubs, C follows with the seven ofclubs, D with the eight of clubs, and A with the ten of clubs. _Second Trick. _--B continues with the queen of clubs, C plays the knave, D the nine, and A wins with the ten of diamonds. _Third Trick. _--A leads the king of spades, B covers with the ace, Cplays the queen, and D trumps, and wins with the queen of diamonds. _Fourth Trick. _--D leads the king of hearts, A ruffs with the ace, andis euchred by B's left bower. REMARKS. --C in the third trick perceived that his queen was useless, unless used to trump his partner's trick and put the lead through A, with the hope that his partner had the left and might be able to get itin. The ace was turned up, and A could have no card _lower_ than thequeen, since he had ruffed fourth hand with the ten. CASE VII. Refusing to ruff when you hold the high trump. A Queen of clubs (turn-up), Right, ace of clubs, King, queen of spades. D B Ace, 9 of spades, Knave of spades, King, queen of diamonds, 8 of clubs, Knave of hearts. Ace, 9, 8 of hearts. C King, 10, 9 of clubs, 7, 9 of diamonds. Score, three to one in favor of B and D. C assists, and A plays alone. _First Trick. _--B leads ace of hearts, D follows with knave, and A ruffswith queen of clubs. _Second Trick. _--A leads the right, B plays the eight, and D the nine, of spades. _Third Trick. _--A leads the king of spades, B refuses to ruff, havingthe highest trump, thereby euchring A. The opportunity for this coup of refusing to ruff occurs veryfrequently. The following coups, which occurred recently in play, serve to show thepossibilities of the game. They are offered here for the inspection ofexperienced players only, and not for the emulation of beginners. CASE VIII. A 9 of diamonds (turn-up), Knave of hearts, Queen of spades, Queen, 9 of hearts. D B Ace, queen, 10 of clubs, Ace, king, 10 of diamonds, King of hearts, Ace, 10 of spades. 9 of spades. C Queen, 7, 8 of diamonds, Ace, 8 of hearts. Score, game-all and four-all. _First Trick. _--B very properly orders up, and leads the ace ofdiamonds; C follows with the seven, D throws the ten of clubs, and Atakes with left bower. _Second Trick. _--A leads queen of spades, B covers with the ace, and Cwins the trick with the eight of diamonds, D playing the nine of spades. _Third Trick. _--C leads the eight of hearts, D plays king of hearts, Aplays nine of hearts, and B throws ten of spades (not a sure winner) onhis partner's trick. _Fourth Trick. _--D leads ace of clubs, A ruffs with the nine ofdiamonds, B covers with the ten, and C wins the trick and scores aeuchre with the queen of trumps. REMARKS. --C makes the coup by leading the eight instead of the ace ofhearts. C recognized the fact, after the fall of the cards in the secondround, that B must have had three trumps to order with, and they musthave been the ace, king, ten; and after he had taken the second trickhe must throw the lead into D's hand, thereby making his queen againstthe king, ten. CASE IX. A Queen of clubs (turn-up), Right and left bowers, Queen, knave of diamonds. D B 9 of clubs, Ace, king of clubs, 10 of diamonds, Ace, king, 7 of diamonds. King, 7 of spades, 7 of hearts. C Score, A C one; B D three; and one game. A plays alone. _First Trick. _--B leads the ace of diamonds, D plays the ten, and A theknave. _Second Trick. _--B leads the seven of diamonds, D trumps with the nineof clubs, and A plays the queen of diamonds. _Third Trick. _--No matter what D leads, A is euchred. B here makes the coup by recognizing what A must have for a trump-hand, and leads his small and losing diamond, making it imperative for hispartner to ruff, thereby putting the lead through A, and establishingthe euchre. [Transcriber's Note: "turn-up" was misprinted "turn up" in Case VI;this typo has been corrected for this electronic edition. ]