Any euchre players here? Is it a regional game?

[Logic]

So I grew up in Rochester watching my parents and our next door neighbors play euchre every weekend. Once I got old enough, I learned the game and loved it.

Fast forward to today, I live on the west coast. My wife and I have found one other couple (also from the east coast) that knows the game. Our regular euchre partners. Most people, however, have no idea what the hell I'm talking about when I bring it up.

Is euchre regional? The only people I ever meet that seem to have even ever heard of it are from western New York or the midwest.

[BuffaloBill]

Used to play at lunchtime in high school - WNY. I have not played it in the century since.   

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

Started off years ago playing the upstate NY version (if dealer's partner orders up, dealer can play along).  When moving to the Canadian side for employment, discovered that ordering the partner up means you're going alone.  Euchre remains a very popular game in Canada.  I enjoy what I call 'Pennsylvania Dutch', which adds the sevens and eights and one joker.  Joker is highest, and the sevens and eights often stymie lone hands.  In this 33 card version, dealer cannot look at the hand dealt to themself until after the trump card is turned up.  If joker is turned up, dealer names trump before looking at their hand.

[Logic]

1 minute ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

Started off years ago playing the upstate NY version (if dealer's partner orders up, dealer can play along).  When moving to the Canadian side for employment, discovered that ordering the partner up means you're going alone.  Euchre remains a very popular game in Canada.  I enjoy what I call 'Pennsylvania Dutch', which adds the sevens and eights and one joker.  Joker is highest, and the sevens and eights often stymie lone hands.  In this 33 card version, dealer cannot look at the hand dealt to themself until after the trump card is turned up.  If joker is turned up, dealer names trump before looking at their hand.

Never heard of the version in the first bolded. Interesting.

As for the second bolded. This is just madness, man. MADNESS!!

Always love learning new "house rules" or rules variations. thanks for sharing.

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

Just now, Logic said:

Never heard of the version in the first bolded. Interesting.

As for the second bolded. This is just madness, man. MADNESS!!

Always love learning new "house rules" or rules variations. thanks for sharing.

Bicycle Cards years ago marketed a Euchre pack that included rules on all the many variations, and also included 'counter cards' that assist in keeping score.  Any die hard euchre player knows how to keep score with just a two and a three card.  An electrician I knew from up Peterborough way said there they favoured six hand (two teams of three).  He also said that his grandparents could generally infer what each player held after the first trick (in four handed).

[Simon]

1 hour ago, Logic said:

So I grew up in Rochester watching my parents and our next door neighbors play euchre every weekend. Once I got old enough, I learned the game and loved it.

Fast forward to today, I live on the west coast. My wife and I have found one other couple (also from the east coast) that knows the game. Our regular euchre partners. Most people, however, have no idea what the hell I'm talking about when I bring it up.

Is euchre regional? The only people I ever meet that seem to have even ever heard of it are from western New York or the midwest.

 

Played regularly in Western PA and Ohio as well.

It's pretty much the only card game I ever really play.

 

10 minutes ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

Any die hard euchre player knows how to keep score with just a two and a three card.

 

That's a new one for me; we have always used the 6 and the 4.

 

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

1 hour ago, Logic said:

So I grew up in Rochester watching my parents and our next door neighbors play euchre every weekend. Once I got old enough, I learned the game and loved it.

Fast forward to today, I live on the west coast. My wife and I have found one other couple (also from the east coast) that knows the game. Our regular euchre partners. Most people, however, have no idea what the hell I'm talking about when I bring it up.

Is euchre regional? The only people I ever meet that seem to have even ever heard of it are from western New York or the midwest.

Grew up in WNY and it was huge in high school. But never played it after moving out of the area.
 

my nephews are in college in the Midwest, and I guess they play all the time in the dorms. 

[LewPort71]

The most popular game in HS.  We played all the time, using a 2 and 3 for scoring.  Alas, euchre was unheard of  in Ohio where I went to college.

And amongst my working cohorts, spades and hearts were the games.

 

Now are there any cribbage enthusiasts out there ?

 

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

https://euchre.com/blog/euchre-variations/
 

25 minutes ago, LewPort71 said:

The most popular game in HS.  We played all the time, using a 2 and 3 for scoring.  Alas, euchre was unheard of  in Ohio where I went to college.

And amongst my working cohorts, spades and hearts were the games.

 

Now are there any cribbage enthusiasts out there ?

 

Most every Great Lakes sailor and UK emigres know how to calculate cribbage scores with incredible speed.  A Scotsman electrician I worked with would glance at his hand, and proclaim "41".  When challenged, he would say, "Oh, correct, I miscounted.  36."  This is why you use this board:

[BuffaloBill]

1 hour ago, LewPort71 said:

The most popular game in HS.  We played all the time, using a 2 and 3 for scoring.  Alas, euchre was unheard of  in Ohio where I went to college.

And amongst my working cohorts, spades and hearts were the games.

 

Now are there any cribbage enthusiasts out there ?

 

My grandmother - US citizen via Canada with deep Scottish roots, loved cribbage.  

[BringBackFergy]

Pitch

[Johnny Hammersticks]

2 hours ago, BringBackFergy said:

Pitch

Yeah, I play pitch which is a very similar game to my knowledge.  I was born in Rochester and lived there until I was 5 years old.  My father always played Euchre with his friends.  
 

I grew up in Auburn in CNY, and we all played pitch and spades all the time.  No one played euchre.

[BringBackFergy]

8 minutes ago, Johnny Hammersticks said:

Yeah, I play pitch which is a very similar game to my knowledge.  I was born in Rochester and lived there until I was 5 years old.  My father always played Euchre with his friends.  
 

I grew up in Auburn in CNY, and we all played pitch and spades all the time.  No one played euchre.

High, low, jack and game. Only question is if you bet 3, and lose, you lose 3, but do the non-betting hands get points they won? And do you allow “farmer hands” (if dealt only 2-9 cards, can you turn them in)?

[Johnny Hammersticks]

20 minutes ago, BringBackFergy said:

High, low, jack and game. Only question is if you bet 3, and lose, you lose 3, but do the non-betting hands get points they won? And do you allow “farmer hands” (if dealt only 2-9 cards, can you turn them in)?

If you bid 3 and don’t get it you get “set” and have 3 points deducted.  The opposing team can earn up to 4 points.

We call them “pitch hands,” but yes, 2-9 hands can be re-drawn.  You can’t bid if you get a pitch hand though.

 

In your games can a team choose to “shoot the moon” during the bidding process?

Edited April 10 by Johnny Hammersticks
Re-thought the rules.

[BringBackFergy]

1 minute ago, Johnny Hammersticks said:

If you bid 3 and don’t get it you get “set” and have 3 points deducted.  The opposing team doesn’t get a point.  

We call them “pitch hands,” but yes, 2-9 hands can be re-drawn.  You can’t bid if you get a pitch hand though.

 

In your games can a team choose to “shoot the moon” during the bidding process?

Is that double for spades? Splain please. 
 

[Johnny Hammersticks]

5 minutes ago, BringBackFergy said:

Is that double for spades? Splain please. 
 

If you choose to shoot the moon, you need to win every trick and get all 4 points.  You automatically win the game.  I’ve only done it successfully like 3-4 times.

 

Are you a bid to win guy?

[BringBackFergy]

19 minutes ago, Johnny Hammersticks said:

If you choose to shoot the moon, you need to win every trick and get all 4 points.  You automatically win the game.  I’ve only done it successfully like 3-4 times.

 

Are you a bid to win guy?

Yep. Definitely have to bid to win points. Pure. 
 

Shoot the moon if you bid 4 also can be played if you win every trick and every hand (no one scores any hands) you can double points if spades (eg. I have A, K, J, 10, 2etc of spades). Fun variation. 

[Doc]

I love euchre.  I play it almost daily on an app.  Almost always "standard" as I don't really care for "stick the dealer" or "Canadian loner" (described above).

[Johnny Hammersticks]

20 minutes ago, BringBackFergy said:

Yep. Definitely have to bid to win points. Pure. 
 

Shoot the moon if you bid 4 also can be played if you win every trick and every hand (no one scores any hands) you can double points if spades (eg. I have A, K, J, 10, 2etc of spades). Fun variation. 

I love pitch because it’s such a “cerebral” game.  It’s also amazing how you can have a teammate that you just mesh with.  If I had to play a game of pitch for my life and I get to pick my partner, it’s my boy Fitzy.  We are able to communicate telepathically.

[Mike in Horseheads]

If you have a good partner in Euchre you can win some money and cheat like hell, at least thats what I heard. 😁