If the successful bidder has had no previous bids to guide him in his choice of partners, he should take those who have the lowest scores, if the scores are known; because it is to his advantage to avoid advancing those who are perhaps already ahead. When the scores are not known, there is nothing but luck to guide one, unless a person has a very good memory, and knows which players are probably behind.
Leading. If the successful bidder wants 6 or 7 tricks, and holds the Joker, he should lead it at once. If he has not the Joker, he should begin with a low trump, and give his partners a chance to play the Joker on the first round. If the leader cannot exhaust the trumps with one or two rounds, it will sometimes be to his advantage to lead any losing card he may have in the plain suits, in order to let his partners win the trick if they can. In playing alone, it is absolutely necessary to exhaust the trumps before opening a plain suit.
Partners should avail themselves of the methods common to four-handed Euchre to support one another in trumps and plain suits. The discard should invariably be from weakness if the player is the bidder’s partner; and from strength, if opposed to him.
EUCHRE FOR FIVE PLAYERS. This is practically the same as the seven-handed game, but the pack is reduced to 28 cards, all below the Eight in each suit being deleted. The Joker is not used. Five cards are dealt to each player, by two and three at a time, and the three remaining form the widow. The player bidding three tricks takes one partner only. The player bidding four or five tricks, takes two partners. A player who intends to take the widow, but no partners, can bid eight and one who intends to take neither widow nor partners can bid fifteen. In this form of Euchre the scores are generally known, and 100 points is game.
In some clubs it is the practice for the successful bidder to select one of his partners by asking for the holder of a certain card. For instance: B has the lead, and has bid five in hearts, holding the three best trumps, the club ace, and a losing spade. Instead of selecting his partners at random, he asks for the spade ace, and the player holding that card must say, “Here”; upon which the bidder will pass him a counter, marking him as one of his partners.
CALL-ACE EUCHRE.
In this variety of euchre, each player is for himself so far as the final score goes. The one who takes up the trump or orders it up, or who makes it after it is turned down, may call upon the best card of any suit but the trump. The player holding the best card of that suit must be his partner, but he does not declare himself. When the highest card of the suit asked for falls in play, the partner is disclosed.
As the whole pack is not dealt out, it often happens that the ace, or even both ace and king, of the suit called for are in the talon. Should it turn out that the caller has the highest card of the suit himself, he has no partner.
When six play, 32 cards are used, and only one remains unknown. When five play, the sevens are thrown out. When four play, the eights are also discarded.