Welcome to Cincinnati Euchre!

What is Cincinnati Euchre?

Cincinnati Euchre is a card game that originated in Cincinnati, Ohio. The rules for this game can be found in the now out-of-print book Official Rules of Card Games from Bicycle. Although similar to Bid Euchre, there are some key differences that set Cincinnati Euchre apart.

How to Play Cincinnati Euchre

In Cincinnati Euchre, players take turns bidding on how many tricks they believe they can win in a round. The player who wins the bid gets to choose the trump suit for that round. Alternatively, they can choose to play with no trump. It’s important to be cautious when bidding, though. If a player overestimates their abilities and fails to win enough tricks, their team will lose points equal to their bid.

The first team to score 32 points or more wins the game!

Getting Started: The Cards and the Deal

Hey there! Want to learn about Cincinnati Euchre? Let’s dive in!

First things first, to play Cincinnati Euchre, you’ll need a special 24-card deck. The deck is made up of cards ranked from 9 (low) to Ace (high). But here’s the twist – the ranking of the trump suit changes depending on what’s chosen. The order becomes 9, 10, Queen, King, Ace, Same Color Jack, and Jack. For example, if Diamonds is the trump suit, the ranking of Diamonds will be 9, 10, Queen, King, Ace, Jack of Hearts (the Left Bower), and Jack of Diamonds (the Right Bower).

Speaking of Jacks, those two special Jacks are called the Left Bower and Right Bower. Remember their names!

Now, let’s talk about how the Left Bower works. When it’s named the trump suit, it actually becomes a part of the trump suit for that round. So, if Diamonds are trump, the Jack of Hearts will act as a Diamond for that round. It follows the rules of the trump suit and has to be played when Diamonds are led.

Ready for the Deal?

Euchre is a game where you play with a partner. You and your partner sit across from each other at the table. To start, you need to decide who will be the dealer. The dealer shuffles the deck and gives each player six cards. The cards are dealt three at a time.

HOW TO PLAY

The round begins with a bidding phase. This is when each player gets a chance to guess how many tricks they think their team can win if they win the bid. The player who makes the highest bid gets to choose the trump suit or call no-trump.

MAKING A BID

Let’s say I start as the dealer. The player sitting to my left is called the eldest hand. The eldest hand has the first opportunity to make a bid or pass. The lowest bid that can be made is three tricks. After the eldest hand makes their bid or passes, the next player has the chance to make a higher bid. They can bid 4, 5, or even go for the Moon, which means six tricks. But if a player goes for the Moon, they have to play the round without their partner’s help.

If you’re ready for a challenge, let’s dive into the world of Moon bidding! In this game, players take turns bidding on how many tricks they can capture as a team. But here’s the twist – the bids can go beyond just numbers.

For instance, the next player can bid Double Moon, which means they are doubling the stakes for the round. So, if they win, their points will be doubled. But beware, because once the Moon is doubled, the next player would have to bid Triple Moon to have a chance at winning. And guess what? The bidding can go even higher! The highest bid possible is Quadruple Moon.

Now, let’s talk about the different bids and what they mean:

Bid	Meaning
3	Capture 3 or more tricks as a team
4	Capture 4 or more tricks as a team
5	Capture 5 or more tricks as a team
Moon	Capture 6 tricks alone (12 points)
Double Moon	Capture 6 tricks alone (24 points)
Triple Moon	Capture 6 tricks alone (32 points)
Quadruple Moon	Capture 6 tricks alone (48 points)

So, as you can see, going Moon is a big deal. It means capturing all six tricks alone and earning a whopping 12 points! But if you’re feeling really confident, you can bid Double Moon, Triple Moon, or even Quadruple Moon for even higher scores.

Now that you understand the bidding system, it’s time to put your strategy to the test. Good luck and may the Moons be in your favor!

When we play this game, there’s just one round of bidding. And if every player says “no thanks” and passes, the dealer is put in a tough spot and must play with a bid of 3 or more.

The player who wins the bid gets to choose the trump suit for the round. But they also have the option to pick no-trump, where all Aces are considered the highest cards in every suit.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. The team that wins the bid is responsible for capturing at least as many tricks as they bid. For example, if Team A wins the bid with a bid of 4, they have to grab four or more tricks. If they don’t, well, tougher luck. They’ll lose some points from their score.

LAYING DOWN THE FIRST TRICK

It’s the oldest player’s job to lead the first trick. But now, if someone decides to go for a “Moon bid” and the player sitting on the left of the dealer chooses to skip the round, then the next player on the left takes the lead.

When it comes to playing the card game, there are a few important rules you need to understand. First, it’s crucial to follow the suit that is led. For example, if someone plays a Spade card, you should also play a Spade card if you have one. But don’t worry if you don’t have a card of the same suit – you can play any card instead.

Now, here’s something interesting. The trump suit is a bit special. If the trump suit is led, and the only remaining trump card in your hand is the Left Bower, you must play it. It’s an important rule, so remember to keep that in mind.

The goal of each round is to win tricks. To do this, you need to play the highest card in the lead suit or the highest trump card if trump is played. The player with the highest card collects the trick and leads the next one.

CONTINUE PLAY

Keep playing until all six tricks have been completed. Once that happens, it’s time to tally up the score for the round.

SCORING

Now, let’s talk about scoring. The team that did not win the bid, also known as the defending team, always gets one point for every trick they capture.

When it comes to earning points in a bid-winning team, there are certain requirements that need to be met. These requirements determine the number of points that can be earned. Let me break it down for you:

Bid	Requirement	Points
3, 4, or 5	Must capture at least 3, 4, or 5 tricks depending on the bid.	1 point per trick
Moon	Must capture 6 tricks without a partner.	12 points
Double Moon	Must capture 6 tricks without a partner.	24 points
Triple Moon	Must capture 6 tricks without a partner.	32 points
Quadruple Moon	Must capture 6 tricks without a partner.	48 points

If my team doesn’t meet our bid, we lose that many points. For example, failing a bid of 4 means that we lose four points from our score. If we fail a bid of Moon, we lose 12 points. And yes, it’s possible for us to end up with a negative score.

Time to Win!

Once the scores have been tallied, let’s gather the cards. We’ll pass the dealing to the left after each round. We’ll keep playing until one team reaches 32 points or more. That’s when we know we’ve won!

Once the scores have been tallied, let’s gather the cards. We’ll pass the dealing to the left after each round. We’ll keep playing until one team reaches 32 points or more. That’s when we know we’ve won!