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Euchre
By Pimpernel
Description
Euchre is a plain-trick game for four players in fixed partnerships, partners sitting opposite. Five cards are dealt to each player and the object is to win at least three of the five tricks, with an extra bonus for winning all five.
How to Play
A pack of 24 cards is used consisting of A K Q J 10 9 in each of the four suits: hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades.

The trump suit has 7 cards ranking from highest to lowest as follows:

Right Bower (the jack of the trump suit)
Left Bower (the jack of the same color as the trump suit)
Ace
King
Queen
Ten
Nine

The other suits have 6 or 5 cards ranking as normal: A K Q (J) 10 9.

Note that the left bower counts as belonging to the trump suit. For example if hearts are trumps, then the jack of diamonds is a heart, not a diamond. It can be played to a heart lead and if it is led, hearts must be followed.

The Deal
The first dealer is selected at random. The turn to deal then rotates clockwise throughout the game.

Five cards are dealt to each player, the next card in the pack is turned face up in the middle of the table. This up-card is used as a basis for selecting the trump suit. The remaining three cards are left face-down and are not used.

Making trump
This process determines the trump suit and which team are the makers - that is the team which undertakes to win three tricks. Beginning with the player to the dealer's left, each player has the option of accepting the up-card's suit as the trump suit or passing. If someone calls it up, the up-card is given to the dealer, who then discards one card.

If all four players pass, the up-card is turned face-down, and there is a second round in which players have the option to make any suit trump, other than the suit of the up-card. Again the player to dealer's left speaks first and may either pass again or name a suit. If the first player passes the second may name a suit or pass, and so on. If all four players pass a second time the cards are thrown in and the next player deals.

Note that the trump making process ends as soon as someone accepts or makes trump (rather than passing). That player's side are the makers and the other side are the defenders.

Going Alone
After trump has been made, but before the first lead, any player may announce that they are playing alone. The partner of a lone player puts her cards face-down and takes no part in the play.

Either a member of the makers side or a defender may play alone. It is even possible that both a maker and a defender will choose to play alone, in which case there will be only two active players.

The Play
Any card may be led, and each player in clockwise order must follow suit if possible. A player who cannot follow suit may play any card.

Important: Remember, that for the purposes of following suit, the Left Bower is considered to belong to the trump suit and not to any other suit.

The trick is won by whoever played the highest card of the suit led, unless a trump was played in which case the highest trump wins. The winner of each trick leads to the next one.

Scoring
If all four players are playing then the scores are as follows:

- If the makers win all 5 tricks they score two points.
- If the makers win 3 or 4 tricks they score one point.
- If the makers take fewer than three tricks they are said to be euchred, and the defenders score two points.

If a member of the makers' team is playing alone and wins all 5 tricks, the team scores 4 points instead of 2 - otherwise the scores are as above. If a member of the defenders' team is playing alone and succeeds in winning at least 3 tricks, thereby euchreing the makers, the defenders score 4 points instead of 2 - otherwise the scores are as above. The game is normally played to 10 points - that is, the team who first reach 10 or more points over several deals win the game.

The final score as appears in the ranking list is made up as follows:

- the wins are multiplied by 4
- the losses are multiplied by 2
- disconnects are multiplied by 2

The final score is the sum of the wins plus the losses minus the disconnects plus 500.

Example: a player has 5 wins, 3 losses and has disconnected 1 time. The final score which appears as the personal high-score would be: (5x4) + (3x2) - (1x2) + 500 = 524.