|
Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis!?!
The game of Euchre has evolved into a culture of it's own. Devotees of the game have a unique language that outsiders just don't seem to understand, and during the course of play, these terms and phrases are tossed about like rice at a traditional wedding... Euchre just wouldn't be the same without it.
Here are a few of the colourful phrases you're likely to encounter:
- Bauer, Right
- the Jack of whichever suit is currently Trump, becomes the highest ranked card
- Bauer, Left
- the Jack of the alternate suit of the same colour as Trump
- ie. When Diamonds is called Trump, the Jack of Hearts (the other red suit) is the left bauer, and earns the second highest rank during the current hand
- Both Hooks
- having both the right and left bauers (Jacks of Trump) in your hand
- Call Trump
- choose the suit to be considered "wild" or of highest rank for a given hand
- Calling Up
- the dealer chooses to accept the original offer of Trump (see Turn Up Trump)
- Defender
- the player/team who calls trump, and is thus "defending" the hand
- Dirty Pass
- pass on calling trump, hoping opponent will call it, so you can euchre him/her
- Dutchman, the
- having both bauers (Jacks of Trump) as well as the Ace of Trump in your hand
- "the Dutchman" guarantees 3 tricks, thus is a good candidate for going alone
- Euchre
- the defending team fails to earn 3 tricks, the opposition "euchres" them
- Go Big, or Go Home
- force the opponent to play a high-valued card or forfeit the trick
- Going Alone
- a player who feels confident of earning 3 or more tricks without help from his/her partner can "go alone"
- "Going alone" is an opportunity to earn extra points (see Lone Hand
- Hooks
- Jacks, ie. J is like a hook
- In the Barn
- a team which has scored 9 points, needing 1 more to win
- Jump the River
- call Trump in the opposite colour to the suit offered by the dealer
- Lone Hand
- a hand with enough high cards to take 3 or more tricks without help from a partner
- a "lone hand" which takes all 5 tricks earns 4 points rather than the usual 2
- Misdeal
- any hand which is not dealt correctly, either by number or order of cards or through "no ace, no face, no Trump"
- No Ace, No Face, No Trump
- a hand consisting of low cards (9s and 10s), none of which are the Trump suit
- such a poor hand can be used to call a misdeal and the entire had is redealt
- No Face
- a hand consisting of only 9s, 10s, and Aces (ie. no face cards)
- Ordering Up
- a player who accepts the Trump offered by the dealer, orders the dealer to add the card turned up to his/her hand, and is thus "ordered up".
- Pass
- declining the offer to call Trump
- Renege (pr. re-neg')
- fail to play a card of the correct suit (...and get caught!)
- Revoke
- same as Renege
- Sell the Farm
- make an error during play to give up points or the entire game
- Send a Boy
- play a low trump card at the risk of losing it to a higher trump
- ie. "Don't send a boy to do a man's job."
- Shake the Bush
- lead a trump card early in the hand, forcing others to do the same
- ie. "Shake the bush, and see what falls out."
- Shoot It
- order up Trump
- Skunk
- a team which loses, while failing to score a single point is "skunked"
- Staying Home
- removed from play while your partner attempts a lone hand
- Table-Talk
- idle banter during the course of play
- often seen as cheating, while players try to give clues to their partners
- it's discouraged during most tournaments, however, trivial table-talk is part of the Snowman Series culture, and is allowed, if not blantantly dishonest
- Take the Trick
- the individual who plays the highest valued card keeps the set
- a minimum of 3 tricks must be taken to earn the points for a hand
- Tricks
- a set of four cards played by the four players during the course of a hand
- Trump
- the suit identified as having the highest rank for a given hand
- Turn Up Trump
- after dealing, the top card of the remaining deck is turned up and offered as a suggestion for Trump. The offer may be called up (or ordered up) or passed.
- Two Suited
- a hand which contains cards from only 2 of the 4 suits, usually one is Trump
|
 |
