500, OR BID EUCHRE.
In this variety of euchre, the joker is always used. When there is a trump suit, it is the best trump; but when there are no trumps, it is a suit by itself, but still a trump. The player holding it cannot trump with it as long as he can follow suit; but when he has none of the suit led, he can trump with the joker if he likes. When the joker is led in a no-trump hand, the leader must name the suit that he wishes played to it.
Five hundred is supposed to be a game for three players, but sometimes two play against two as partners.
The dealer gives ten cards to each player, three and then two at a time as in the ordinary game of euchre; but after dealing the first three cards to each he lays off three cards face down for a widow. This widow is taken in hand by the successful bidder, who discards three cards in its place.
The players bid for the privilege of naming the trump suit, or of playing without any trump but the joker. The number of tricks bid must not be less than six, and the suit must be named at the same time. The player having the most valuable game, regardless of the number of tricks or the suit, is the successful bidder, because a bid of seven in hearts, for instance, is worth more in points than a bid of eight in clubs, as will be seen from the following table.
| If trumps are: | 6 tricks. | 7 tricks. | 8 tricks. | 9 tricks. | 10 tricks. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spades | 40 | 80 | 120 | 160 | 200 |
| Clubs | 60 | 120 | 180 | 240 | 300 |
| Diamonds | 80 | 160 | 240 | 320 | 400 |
| Hearts | 100 | 200 | 300 | 400 | 500 |
| No-trumps | 120 | 240 | 360 | 480 | 600 |
The successful bidder always leads for the first trick, after he has taken the widow and discarded, and after the hand is played, he has the first count. If he has made as many as he bid, he scores it; but he cannot score more than he bid unless he succeeds in winning every trick. In that case he scores 250 if his bid was less than 250; but if his bid was more than 250, he gets nothing extra for winning every trick.
Any player but the bidder winning a trick scores ten points for it, so it is necessary for each player to keep separate the tricks he individually wins.
If the bidder fails, he loses, or is set back, as many points as he bid, and he scores nothing for the tricks he takes, but he may play the hand out to prevent the others from scoring, as his adversaries still get ten points for each trick they win.
Five hundred points is game, and as the bidder has the first count he may go out first, even if an adversary has won tricks enough to reach 500 also.