| Luck in Euchre
Euchre is a game of skill, to be sure. It features a lot of intuition and psychology, which reminds one of The World Series of Poker. And then, there is the luck factor. No matter how well you play Euchre, or how seasoned your partner may be, the cards do have a bearing on the outcome of many games. Aggressive players usually triumph, especially in a Progressive format, which is the standard for most "live" events with more than 10 tables. The idea is to call on some borderline hands, hoping to steal points here and there. Loners rule! Any hand with a decent trump suit and a side A 9 or K 9 "kicker" is a go. I have seen players complete successful Loners with K 10 9 or A 10 9 of trump and a side Q 9 kicker! Standard "Tens" games tend to be longer affairs, unless one Team gets two cold Loner hands, or plays strong defense and "Ukes" the opponents two or three times. I have always felt that the 33% formula applies to Euchre, assuming that the players have average or good skills and don't make foolish mistakes.
a. You will win one third of the time, no matter what you do (good / great cards, and good / great luck).
b. You will lose one third of the time, no matter what you do (bad / rotten cards, and bad / rotten luck).
c. The other third of the win pie goes to those players who possess the savvy and experience and intuition to make the difference.
And for those who claim to be 85% or 90% consistent winning players, let's talk about some sponsorship or backing at your next big-bucks tournament!
Here is a hand that falls into Category B. The East player makes a perfectly good call and still is blown away by unfortunate card placement. The Jack of Hearts is turned. South is the Dealer.
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The score was 8 - 8. The turned card was the Jack of Hearts. West and North passed. (In a Progressive game, a lot of Norths would have taken the chance and ordered the Right to partner.) You may bet the farm that West was hoping that the hand would have been passed by all. Then he could have sunk his teeth into the Spade suit (as trump)! East, with his three good trump, two voids, and side K Q of Spades, promptly ordered the Right into the South hand. South dropped the useless 9 of Diamonds, and West was on lead. He chose the logical "Next" lead of the Ace of Diamonds. After all, he had no trump, much to his partner's chagrin. North trumped with his lone Left, and East dropped the Queen of Spades. Now North made the shift to the Spade 10, and struck gold! South was in with the Ace, and the Right spelled a Euchre and defeat for E/W Team. A bit off the wall, you say? What if West tries the peculiar lead of the Jack of Spades? South wins the Ace, and rolls out the "Next" (Diamond) play himself. North ruffs with his Left, and the Right eventually brings home the bacon! Finally, let us suppose that West explores the lead of the Jack of Clubs.... East trumps, and continues with another trump. The Bowers crash together, with a thunderous roar. Sooner or later, East wins his last trump, and a Spade or a Diamond, depending on South's actual choice of plays after winning the Right. (A fascinating example of dual end-game matrix.)
Yes, East was unlucky to find West with no trump and the unfortunate lead of the Ace of Diamonds; that is the way it happened. Had West selected the Jack of Clubs lead, then his side would have won the game. Would have.... Should have.... Could have.... C'est la vie!, it just goes to show you never can tell... (an old Chuck Berry song).
Live Tournament Update
Euchre National Championship -- Chicago, Il -- Sept. 17-19, 2004
For more information on "live" Euchre, Spades, and Hearts events, go to:
Grand Prix -- World Series of Spades / Euchre / Hearts
Have a great summer!
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