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98-780: Its history began in Spain around the end of the 16th century as a four-person game. It is one of the earliest card games known in Europe and by far the most classic game of its type, directly ancestral to Euchre , Boston and Solo Whist . Despite its difficult rules, complicated point score and strange foreign terms, it swept Europe in the last quarter of the 17th century, becoming Lomber and L'Hombre in Germany, Lumbur in Austria and Ombre (originally pronounced 'umber') in England, occupying

196-600: A German origin are: "maker" from Macher , short for Spielmacher i.e. "game maker", the person who determines the type of game to be played; "euchred" from gejuckert ; "having a dog from every county" from aus jedem Dorf ein Köter i.e. "a mongrel from every village", a common expression in German card games; "cards away" from Karten weg or Kart' ab , an expression in games from the Palatinate/Saarland region for

294-398: A bet, it must be withdrawn. In Rome, the full 52-card deck was used. In Florence, it is custom to leave out the 7s, 8s and 9s, keeping and vying only with the smaller cards; the "rest" ( to set up a rest means 'to win [something]', and is a phrase which occurs in almost every poem in the times of James and Charles. It is taken from terms used at primero, and perhaps other games then played)

392-520: A card face down. Note that the dealer's partner cannot make trumps and play with the dealer, but can only pass or play alone by turning it down. This does not apply to the second choice in which the player may choose any suit. If the upcard is the Benny, the dealer must announce trumps before picking up their own hand cards and the dealer's team are the makers (a "blind shout"). Before the first trick any player may announce they are going "alone", whereupon

490-459: A four-hand version of Euchre is described right at the end. The following is a summary: Euchre is played by two to five persons, but most often by two or four. A 32-card French-suited Piquet pack is used and cards rank in the trump suit as follows: Right Bower (trump knave ), Left Bower (knave of same color), A > K > Q > 10 > 9 > 8 > 7. The side suits rank in their natural order . Deal and play are clockwise. The pack

588-415: A higher matador is led, and his only trump is a lower one, he is obliged to play it. If Ombre takes the first five tricks straight off, he can claim the game won without need for further play. If instead he leads to the sixth, he thereby obligates himself to win all nine ("Vole"), thus increasing his potential winnings or penalties. If Ombre thinks he cannot win, he may surrender at any time before playing to

686-425: A partner. If the first four players pass, the fifth may play Solo. Ombre is obliged to win five tricks, otherwise he loses. He names trump and if between them five tricks can be won, Ombre wins, sharing between them two-thirds of the pool for Ombre and one-third for his partner. If they both make only three tricks the game is Remise, and Ombre is to lay down two-thirds of the pool and his partner one. The game of Ombre

784-586: A party of the game "II gioco di primiera" was published in 1569. This old game of cards was called prime in France, primera in Spain, and primiera in Italy. All names derived from the Latin primarius , 'first'. In English literature, besides the occasional use of the foreign names, the game is designated primero (and also prima-vista, a probable variant), with the usual corruptions in spelling of

882-407: A player is satisfied with his cards, he may knock on the table, calling out: Vada (go!), which brings an immediate showdown won by the best hand. If no one bets, the stakes are carried forward to the next deal; but if one stays in, at least one other must contest the pot, this obligation ultimately falling upon the player immediately ahead of the last bettor if everyone else has folded. In a showdown,

980-417: A position of prestige similar to contract bridge today. Ombre eventually developed into a whole family of related games such as the four-hand Quadrille , three-hand Tritrille, five-hand Quintille and six-hand Sextille, as well as German Solo , Austrian Préférence and Swedish Vira, itself "one of the most complex card games ever devised." Other games borrowed features from Ombre such as bidding; for example,

1078-476: A possible German origin are the names of the trump Jacks. Bower is phonetically identical with the German word Bauer which normally means farmer, but also refers to the Jack in playing cards. Another word probably derived from German is "march", which is the literal translation of Marsch , itself an abbreviation of Durchmarsch and the German for a slam in many card games. Other words or phrases that reflect

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1176-406: A spade during the playing of this hand. This expands the suit of spades to the seven cards above and reduces the suit of clubs by one card, its jack being seconded to the trump suit. Once the hand is over, the J ♣ ceases to be a spade and becomes a club again unless spades are again named as trump during a subsequent hand. A player who fixes the trump suit may announce "alone" and play without

1274-613: A steamboat in the American Midwest. The earliest written rules appeared in 1844. The mode of play and terminology of Euchre have resulted in several theories which suggest that it has an origin in Spanish Trionfo, French Ecarté or Triomphe , or Alsatian Jucker. An early American theory was that Euchre was brought into the United States by the German settlers of Pennsylvania , and from that region it

1372-784: A strong following in regions such as the Midwestern United States. Euchre has also been described as Canada's national card game. With the rise of 20th century games such as Contract Bridge and Spades , Euchre has declined in popularity, though it is still played as a social game in the US Midwest, the Canadian province of Ontario, Australia, New Zealand, and Great Britain, especially Cornwall. The earliest surviving rules were published in America by Thomas Mathews in his 1844 work, The Whist Player's Hand-book , in which

1470-409: A summary of the typical rules for the four-hand game. Four players play in two teams, the partners sitting opposite one another. A 24-card pack is used with cards ranking as before with a right bower and left bower as the top two cards of the trump suit. A pack of 32 cards (AKQJ10987) or 28 cards (no 7s) may also be used, but 24 cards is the standard. Deal and play are clockwise. The face-down pack

1568-403: A time. The player opposite the dealer sits out, but takes part in the payment after the play as though he were a defender. If three players pass, the fourth player picks up all 13 cards from the stock and discards four. He chooses trump then and plays as declarer against the other three, who cannot exchange any cards, since the stock is already used up. The contract counts as "Entrada". This version

1666-404: A turn, but not both. Once a player knocks, he may no longer draw. When two players have knocked, the play stops, and cards are shown. Betting starts after the two cards are dealt, and may continue after these two cards have been dealt, and then at every round, just before the dealer's turn. The dealer always bets first. Players may match, raise, or fold any time during wagering. If all players refuse

1764-610: A unique form of furniture: a three-sided card table. According to Jean-Baptiste Bullet , writer and professor of divinity at the University of Besançon , the Spaniards, occasionally also called the game "Manilla" after the name of the second matador, a word signifying a slayer in Spanish. Ombre is a three-handed game in which a single player, originally known as Ombre or l'Hombre (the man), plays against his two opponents. The game

1862-412: Is shuffled and four cards distributed. The players with two higher cards become partners and play the other two. The dealer deals five cards each in packets of two and three and turns the next for trump. The eldest hand (to the left of the dealer) opens the auction and may either 'order it up' (= accept the turnup as trump) or 'turn it down' (= pass ), in which case the next player in turn has

1960-516: Is Belinda's game in Alexander Pope 's poem The Rape of the Lock , written in 1714. An Ace of Hearts steps forth: The King unseen Lurk'd in her hand, and mourn'd his captive Queen: He springs to Vengeance with an eager pace, And falls like thunder on the prostrate Ace. The nymph exulting fills with shouts the sky; The walls, the woods, and long canals reply The progress of the game

2058-414: Is allowed to discard, but not both cards after "pass" is once said; nor can this be done with the two cards of the rest , as it is usual in other places. The most essential operation of this game may be its two principal hands, the flush and the primera , and a third, derived from the first, which is called punto ; from these three are deducted all the varieties which daily occur at primero, as

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2156-457: Is as per the 1844 rules with the exception that the top trump is the Benny or Best Bower represented by the joker or ♠ 2. Deal and play are clockwise. The first dealer can be chosen by any random method. The dealer shuffles and deals each player a packet of 2 or 3 cards in any order and then a second packet making the hands up to 5 cards. The next card is turned as a potential trump. Often, it

2254-419: Is chosen as trumps. The basic ranking of numerals is reversed in red suits, being 7 low; and a red suit is always one card longer than a black one of the same status, whether trump or plain. The black aces are permanent trumps, and the top three trumps are called matadors or estuches : When a red suit is trumps, the fourth highest trump is the A ♥ , or A ♦ , called " punto ", but it does not have

2352-491: Is closely related to the game of primo visto (a.k.a. prima-vista, and various other spellings), if not the same. It is also believed to be one of the ancestors to the modern game of poker , to which it is strikingly similar. The gambling game with this name goes back to the 16th century, being known to Gerolamo Cardano as primiera , which he thought of as the noblest of all card games, to François Rabelais as prime , and to William Shakespeare as primero. It

2450-418: Is customary to offer a cut of the deck to the player on the dealer's right before passing out the cards. The process of making trump is as follows: As soon as someone makes trump (instead of passing) that player's team become the makers and their opponents are the defenders. Should either opponent order it up or the dealer take it up, the suit of the upcard becomes trump. The dealer picks it up and discards

2548-672: Is described in such detail that Lord Aldenham was able to reconstruct the exact deal and play of the cards. It is also mentioned in Alexander Pushkin's Eugene Onegin . _ (1873). "Tresillio, or, The Modern Game of Ombre" in The Westminster Papers , Vol. 6 (1 October 1873). pp. 120–127. Euchre Euchre or eucre ( / ˈ juː k ər / YU -kər ) is a trick-taking card game commonly played in Australia, Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand, and

2646-474: Is made at the second card, and when the first player say "pass", every one is obliged to discard, notwithstanding any one may have an ace or a 6 in hand. In Venice, for instance, the mode of playing may be different; in Lombardy, Naples, France and Spain, so many countries, so many customs. But of all the modes, none can be superior to that of the court of Rome. There, the 7s, 8s and 9s are not withdrawn; there it

2744-490: Is not certain that primero found its way to England previously to the marriage of Queen Mary I with Philip II of Spain , although there is no doubt that his coming to England from the court of Charles V would have cause it to be more generally known and played. William Shakespeare also speaks of Henry VIII playing at primero with his brother-in-law Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk , and makes Falstaff say: "I never prospered since I forswore myself at primero." Additionally,

2842-424: Is played in southwestern England, especially Cornwall , Devon and Guernsey , as well as in coastal East Anglia . A key feature is that a joker, called the Benny , is the highest trump. The following is a summary of modern British rules by John McLeod , supplemented by other sources where indicated. Euchre is a four-player game using a pack of 25 cards with a joker and four suits comprising AKQJT9. Card ranking

2940-408: Is spread on the table and players draw a card each. The players with the two lowest cards playing together against the others and the player with the lowest card dealing first. For this purpose only, suits are irrelevant, aces rank low and jacks rank immediately below the queens. The dealer then shuffles the pack and offers it to the right for cutting. Five cards are dealt in two rounds. In the first,

3038-619: Is still reported in South America (Bolivia and Peru). It may still exist in Portugal under the name Mediator. Daines Barrington , English antiquary and naturalist, says that Ombre was probably introduced in England by Catherine of Braganza , the Queen of Charles II , as Edmund Waller , the court poet, had a poem entitled "On a Card Torn at Ombre by the Queen". She was such a keen player, as were so many members of English high society by

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3136-456: Is then given the opportunity, in turn, to pass again or call a different suit as trump. If no trump is selected, the hand is discarded and the deal passes to the left. When trumps are chosen, the trump jack becomes the top card or right bower. The jack of the same color is the second-highest trump, known as the left bower. Example: Spades are trump. In this case, the trump cards rank as follows (highest first): The J ♣ effectively becomes

3234-415: Is to underbid their hands; for as Cardano puts it: "If anyone wins with the greatest point, he is obliged to show another card; otherwise he loses his deposit because he could have a 'Flush'... Similarly, if he 'vies' on the basis of point, he is obliged to show two different cards and one of a matching suit, so that no one may suspect him of having a 'Flush' or 'Prime'." A player may either knock or draw in

3332-443: Is traditionally played with a forty-card Spanish-suited deck with suits of coins and cups (round) and swords and clubs (long), but when it spread to Northern Europe French-suited cards with suits of diamonds and hearts (red) and spades and clubs (black) were usually substituted. Once the cards are dealt, players bid for the right to choose what suit will be trumps. The trump maker (Ombre) undertakes to win more tricks than either of

3430-465: Is uncertain if Primero is of Spanish or Italian origin. Although Daines Barrington is of the opinion that it is of Spanish origin, a poem of Francesco Berni is the earliest known writing to mention the game; it affords proof that it was at least commonly played in Italy at the beginning of the 16th century. His work entitled Capitolo del Gioco della Primiera , published in Rome in 1526, and believed to be

3528-456: Is what appears to be a heraldic rose (the crest of the Tudors), and underneath, though indistinctly, the partially illegible name of a French card-maker Jehan Licl**rer. This particular shows that the cards then used were at least sometimes obtained from France. The money on the table, together with considerable heaps of gold and silver, appears to be coins of Edward VI and Queen Elizabeth I. As

3626-406: The 2 and 3 of one suit. Scoring starts with counting the symbols on the cards, for points 1 to 4; at 5, the cards are turned over and crossed. Crossing the cards indicates 5 points. Points 6 to 9 are counted similarly by counting the number of suit symbols showing and adding them to the 5 when the cards are crossed. In Canada and Michigan, it is common for each team to use two 5 s of

3724-441: The prime , a sequence of the best cards and a good trump, is sure to be successful over the adversaries – hence the game's name. Because this is a gambling game, the first step is for all players to ante into the pot. The deal is counter-clockwise, starting with the dealer. Each player receives 4 cards dealt in 2's from a 40-card deck ranking K Q J 7 6 5 4 3 2 A. Anyone dealt a winning combination calls for an immediate showdown, and

3822-461: The trick-taking game maw , the favorite card game of James I, and alluded by Harington as supplanting primero. According to Charles Cotton , primero, which by the time of the Restoration in 1660 had already evolved into many other variations, some of six cards, rapidly went out of fashion with the introduction of the Spanish game of Ombre . The object of the game, as in poker, is to attain

3920-480: The 7 is the 6, which counts for 18; then the 6, which counts for 15. The ace is equivalent to 6 points, but the 2 (deuce), the 3 (trey) and the 4 count only for their respective numbers. To these cards may be added, if the players choose, the quinola , for which the jack of hearts is most commonly chosen, and of which he may make what card and what colour he likes. After which each of the players show their four cards, and he whose cards are all of different sorts wins

4018-574: The Italian writer Berni said: "The game is played differently in different places." Daines Barrington described an Elizabethan card party painted by Federico Zuccari that originally belonged to Lord Falkland in which Lord Burleigh is represented playing at cards with three other persons, apparently of distinction, each having two rings on the same fingers of both their hands. The cards used are marked as at present, although they differ from those of modern times for being narrower and longer. Eight of

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4116-510: The King's losses at cards appear in the Remembrance's Office, dated December the 26th, in the ninth year of his reign. There, an entry is made of one hundred shillings paid at one time to him for the purpose of playing at cards. The private expenses of Princess Mary, Henry VIII's daughter and later Queen, also contain numerous items of money "for the playe at cardes". But despite the records, it

4214-434: The Midwestern United States. It is played with a deck of 24, 25, 28, or 32 standard playing cards. There are normally four players, two on each team, although there are variations for two to nine players. Euchre emerged in the United States in the early 19th century. There are several theories regarding its origin, but the most likely is that it is derived from an old Alsatian game called Jucker or Juckerspiel . Euchre

4312-425: The Restoration. In the late 18th century, the three player version of its offshoot, German Solo , was often referred to as German Ombre ( Dütsch Lumber or Deutsche L'Hombre ), a game popular with "the lower classes" in northern Germany. Ombre takes its name from the Spanish phrase originally used by the player who declared trumps: Yo soy el hombre , i.e., "I am the man". It appears to be merely an alteration of

4410-435: The aid of a partner. The partner's hand cards are laid face down and the partner takes no part in the game. Play is as before: the eldest leads and players must follow suit if able, otherwise may play any card. The first team to score the target number of points (5, 7 or 10) wins the game. In Columbus, the target is 10. Scores can be kept by using two otherwise unused cards as markers, with each team often using cards of

4508-421: The artist meant to describe, and that the person exhibiting his cards to the spectators had won a lush, for his three clubs are the best cards for counting. A passage in an old play by Robert Greene has been quoted by several writers as evidence that primero was a gambling game. But a person who objects to cards, might make such a remark with respect to any card game, whether a gambling game or not. Judging from

4606-436: The better equal combinations are those with the highest point. Thus, a quartet of aces (4x16=64) beats a quartet of 5s (60), but it's beaten by four 6s (72). Four kings will not beat four queens or jacks, as these hands all count 40. Such ties are broken in favor of the eldest hand competing. Players vie or vye by stating how high a hand they claim to have, and may bluff by overstating it. What they apparently must not do

4704-448: The bidding by passing (saying "pass") or accepting the suit of the upcard as trump by saying: "I order it up" (or "pick it up"). If the eldest passes, the second hand, the dealer's partner, may pass or accept by saying: "I assist" (or "I'll help you"). If the second hand passes, the third hand may pass or accept. If the first three pass, the dealer may accept the turnup by discarding a card (called "taking it up") or turn it down by placing

4802-399: The cards lie on the table with the blank side uppermost, for the cards at that time had blank backs, while four remain in each of the other players hands. A particular in this painting is that one of the players is seen showing his cards, which are: the jack (knave) of hearts, the ace, 7 and 6 of clubs. The cover of the pack lying on the table displays two lions supporting a shield, upon which

4900-424: The chief was called "Renegado", at which three only could play, and to whom were dealt nine cards apiece so that by discarding the eights, nines and tens, there would remain thirteen cards in the stock". Seymour 's The Compleat Gamester (1722) contains a frontispiece representing a party of rank playing it and describes it as a game so much in fashion that at its peak by the turn of the eighteenth century it inspired

4998-499: The clown Lancelot in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice confides in this father that "for mine own part, as I have set up my rest to run away, so I will not rest till I have sun some ground" (2.2.91-92). To "set up [one's] rest" alludes to a type of gamble in the Italian version of primero ( see below ). Among the epigrams of John Harington we have one which describes "The Story of Marcus' Life at Primero", in which many of

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5096-598: The counties of Cornwall or Devon in southwest England, where it remains a hugely popular game. Euchre was introduced into Devon in turn by French prisoners of The Napoleonic Wars , imprisoned in Dartmoor Prison between 1805 and 1816. American prisoners were also housed there after the War of 1812 . Card game historian David Parlett believes that Euchre is derived from an eighteenth-century Alsatian card game named Jucker or Juckerspiel, pronounced "yooker". Clues to

5194-402: The dealer may deal either 2 or 3 cards each, in turn and in clockwise order beginning with the eldest hand. This is followed by a second round to bring each player's hand to 5 cards. Whichever system is used initially, it must not subsequently be changed. The remaining four cards, called the kitty , are placed face down in the center of the table and its top card flipped. The eldest hand opens

5292-409: The dealer takes up trump and they become the makers. A player confident of taking 5 tricks single-handed may say "cards away" to the partner and play alone against the opponents. The eldest leads to the first trick . Players must follow suit if able; otherwise may play any card. The highest trump takes the trick or the highest card of the led suit if no trumps were played. The trick winner leads to

5390-424: The earliest extant work describing a card game, contains some particulars on primero. According to David Parlett , the game's card-point system is found in other Italian games but nowhere else. The game is still very much played in central Europe and Spain with Italian-suited cards, under the name of goffo or bambara , remaining the major native vying game of Italy. Alessandro Striggio 's madrigal dramatizing

5488-448: The early days. According to Stephen Skinner , primero and prima-vista are one and the same game. As for John Minshew, primero and prima-vista ( Primum et primum visum , that is, first and first seen, because he that can show such an order of cards, wins the game), are two different games of cards. Whichever opinion these two seventeenth-century lexicographers might have had on the origin of primero, it seems fairly plausible that

5586-522: The end of 1674, that the Lower House of Parliament proposed to pass an Act against the playing of Ombre, or at least to limit the stakes at £5, a proposition received as "ridiculous" at that time. But a small book of rules, The Royal game of the ombre written at the request of divers honourable persons , published in London in 1660, would support the inference that the game was known in England before

5684-420: The first Marquess of Exeter , Lord Burleigh, is said to have entirely devoted his time to business and study, taking no diversion but that afforded by his gardens, of which he was both fond and proud, it is to be supposed that this painting was not actually a portrait of him, though mistaken for his, as was the ownership of the old manor-house of Wimbledon. So, there seems to be little doubt here as for which game

5782-513: The fourth trick, but he may not do this if playing a "Solo". In a "Vuelta", his surrender must be accepted by both opponents. However, if the game played was "Entrada", either opponent may himself take over the role of Ombre and play the rest of the hand as if he had made the bid himself. There are three possible outcomes, which are: If the Ombre wins, in addition to collecting the pool he is paid by each opponent. If Ombre loses "Puesta", he doubles

5880-399: The gambling game of Bête , formerly known as Homme, and the tarot game of Taroc l'Hombre . The historical importance of Ombre in the field of playing cards is the fact that it was the first card game in which a trump suit was established by bidding rather than by the random process of turning the first card of the stock. This game developed from Triunfo , though it was from L'Hombre that

5978-591: The game Primero and it is to be presumed that it was invented prior to the publication of the Dictionary of Sebastián de Covarrubias in 1611, although it makes no mention of it. The spelling changed from "Hombre" to "Ombre" in English due to a misunderstanding that the name came from the French ombre meaning "shadow." Cotton 's Compleat Gamester says that "there were several sorts of this game, but that which

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6076-420: The game being played in different parts of Europe had to acquire similar names as it migrated from one country to another, or from one region to the other, notably in Italy and Spain. And with the addition of new rules to the original set of rules, or even variations on the rules that the game devised, it finally reached a level of development that made them become separate games, despite their common origin. So, as

6174-421: The greater and lesser flush , the great and little prime , and more or less points; this diversity gives rise to numerous controversies and disputable points. Another excellent hand in this game is four-of-a-kind; four court cards, four aces, etc., beat both the flush and primera . Jacob Le Duchat , in a note on that chapter of Rabelais, in which the games Gargantua played at are enumerated, has described

6272-486: The highest possible hand, or at least bluff your competitors out of betting against you. There are no existing written rules for the 16th-century primero, only descriptions. However, a number of reconstructions of the game have been made, primarily on the basis of books describing playing strategy and references in period literature. Primero is played with a 40-card deck, and there are special decks made for this game. It works best with four to six players. The player who holds

6370-451: The idea of bidding was adopted into other card games such as Skat , and Tarot , which owes Hombre a good portion of its betting system as well. Ombre's precise origins are unknown, but it reached England and France at about the same time. The earliest French reference dates to 1671 and it is recorded in England as early as 1661 with a set of rules being published in 1662. The game continued to be in vogue in almost every corner of Europe from

6468-521: The late 17th through the 18th centuries. As with most games, Ombre acquired many variations of increasing complexity over the years, until its popularity was eclipsed by the second quarter of the 18th century by a new four player French variant called Quadrille , later displaced by the English Whist . Other lines of descent and hybridization produced three-handed games like Preference and four-handed ones such as German Solo and Mediateur. Under

6566-547: The mode of playing primero, and a similar account may be gathered from the Dictionary of the Spanish Academy. According to Duchat, there are two kinds of primero, the greater and the lesser; the difference between them is that the former is played with the figured cards, while at the latter the highest card is the 7, which counts for 21. Each player has four cards, which are dealt one by one. the next card in value to

6664-739: The name Tresillo, it survived in parts of Spain during the nineteenth century, as Voltarete in Portugal and Brazil, as Rocambor in countries such as Bolivia , Peru , and Colombia in the twentieth century, and it is still played as L'Hombre in Denmark, mostly in Jutland and on the island of Funen, where it is organized by the Danish Hombre Union ( Dansk L'hombre-Union ), as well as in the Faroe Islands (as Lumbur) and Iceland (as Lomber). Today, Tresillo survives in Spain and Rocambor

6762-572: The name primero. Primero appears to have been one of the earliest card games played in England during the Renaissance and the Tudor dynasty , and certainly it continued to be one of the most fashionable games throughout the reigns of Henry VIII , Edward VI , Mary I of England , Elizabeth I and James I , due to the frequent mention of it by many writers of that time. Already during the reign of Henry VII, notices of money issued several times for

6860-410: The next is the punto (supremus), consisting of the quinola , 7, 6, and ace, which count for 55; then the primera , or prime, which is four cards of different suits. Should two persons have flushes, the player who counts the highest number, or the greatest flush wins, and the same regulation holds good in regard to the prime. But should there be neither flush nor prime, the one who can count

6958-487: The next trick. The makers must take at least 3 tricks to win and score 1 point. Otherwise they are euchred , i.e. have lost and their opponents score 2 points. Winning all 5 tricks is a march which earns 2 points. Announcing "cards away" and winning all 5 tricks alone scores 4 points. Points are tallied using the unused Deuce and Trey cards, or counters . Game is 5 points. The following terms were used by Mathews. Many continue to be used today: In Britain, euchre

7056-455: The number of "Estuches" applicable. If all pass immediately, lower bids may be made so as to avoid a redeal. They include: Vole , Contrabola : No one discards, Hombre announces a trump suit of which he holds at least one, and aims to lose every trick. If successful, he wins as if the game was "Entrada", if not it counts as "Puesta". Spadille Forcé , Force Spadille : if all pass without bidding, whoever holds "Spadille" or "Basto", must take

7154-618: The offending team. Euchre terminology varies greatly from region to region and is highly colloquial. Some examples include: The following North American rule variations are recorded: Primero Primero (in English also called Primus, in French Prime , in Italian Primiera or in Spanish Primera ), is a 16th-century gambling card game of which the earliest reference dates back to 1526. Primero

7252-416: The original Spanish words. Traditionally, a Spanish 40-card deck is used, but a French-suited deck may be substituted in which case spades correspond to swords, clubs to clubs, hearts to cups and diamonds to coins. The eights, nines and tens can be stripped out of a standard 52-card deck to make a suitable 40-card deck. The rank of the cards in the game depends on whether a black (long) or a red (round) suit

7350-584: The other players, and wins the pool if successful. If an opponent of the Ombre wins the most tricks the Ombre pays that opponent. If there is a tie for most tricks the Ombre pays into the pool. There are additional payments for various feats such as winning all the tricks (Vole). By the 17th century, when it caught on outside Spain, most people were playing a three-player variation called "Renegado" first described in 1663 in Madrid. The terms used were those in English, which were anglicized versions of French versions of

7448-408: The others split three-two. The possible bids are, from low to high: In turn, each player may pass or bid, and having passed cannot bid again. Each bid must be higher than the last. However, a player who has made a lower bid, and not yet passed, may raise his bid to equal that of the previous player, unless overcalled again. Unless playing Solo, Ombre may discard as many cards as he likes before drawing

7546-403: The partial descriptions of the game which remain to us, it might seem that primero was played for either large or small stakes, as agreed upon. John Florio describes primero played by two persons for "one shilling stake and three rest (pool)." In Minsheu's "Spanish Dialogues", four play; the stake is two shillings and the rest, eight. The text is self-explanatory, explaining also the meaning of

7644-463: The partner of the lone player puts their cards face down on the table and drops out of that hand. A maker and a defender may both go alone in which case it is one against one. Play and scoring are as in the 1844 rules, except that: The following rule variations are recorded: Euchre is played slightly differently in North America and there are numerous variations. The following account is

7742-410: The partner should play. Depending on the local rules, such infringements may incur a penalty. A player who does not follow suit when able has revoked . Sometimes this is called "reneging" but, strictly speaking, a renege refers to a situation in other card games when you may legally not follow suit when you can. If discovered, the opposing team is awarded two points or two points are deducted from

7840-410: The player with the best hand wins the pot. Two cards go to each player, which is followed by the next phase of betting, and two more cards are dealt to each player. Then either eight cards are dealt face down on the table or the remaining cards are left out as a draw pile or stockpile. In the eight-card version, eight cards are laid out on the table, and players may draw and discard from only these. When

7938-497: The pool and pays five chips for each player in the game. If Ombre loses "Codille", he pays the same as for a "Puesta", but to the player who won instead of to the pot. These penalties are further increased as described above for "Primeras", and if he loses the first five tricks, and "Estuches", he pays one per each consecutive trump. If Ombre fails to win all nine tricks after leading to the sixth, he pays 30 to each opponent, less 2 if he played "Vuelta", and 10 if he played Solo, less also

8036-549: The prime, if they are all of one colour he wins the Flush. Meanwhile, according to the Great Spanish Dictionary , is played by dealing four cards to each player; the value of the 7, 6 and ace, are the same; but the 2 is said to count for 12, the 3 for 13, the 4 for 14, and the 5 for 15, the figured cards are each equivalent to 10. The best hand is the flush, that is, four cards of high numbers and one of one colour;

8134-520: The remaining 12 on the table. Ombre may take as many cards as he wants up to eight and the other player may take the rest. When the trump is named, the player is paid for Matadors. Ombre is intended to make five tricks to win the stake. If the tricks are divided by four, the game is then considered "Remise". If the other player makes five, he wins by "Codille". In this variation, first described in 1669 in Zaragoza , usually only three players are active at

8232-422: The role as Ombre, or by eldest if no one does. He discards up to 8 cards, draws replacements from the stock and then announces trumps. The game counts as "Entrada". Ombre may be played sometimes by two players, for lack of a third person. It is played exactly as for three hands, but a whole suit is removed from the pack, either Diamonds or Hearts, so that 30 cards remain. Deal eight cards in batches of 2's and stock

8330-473: The same announcement, "bridge" possibly from Pritsche , a plank bed, hence a place of safety. The earliest known treatise is a 1839 lost book called Game of Euchre and Its Laws , by an unknown author. The earliest surviving rules appeared in 1844, in which there is no Joker. 32 cards are used. The Right Bower , the trump Jack, is the "commanding card" with the Left Bower , the Jack of the same color, as

8428-425: The same color to keep score, with one team red and the other black. The 5 s are usually referred to as "counting cards" in this situation. Euchre does not require silence as in some other games; some table talk is acceptable. However, communicating with one's partner to influence the game is considered cheating. Unacceptable table talk may include code words, secret gestures, bidding out of turn or suggesting what

8526-548: The same color. Scoring begins using one card face up, covered by the other card face down. Upon winning points, the top card is moved to reveal the appropriate number of suit symbols on the bottom card. After all points are revealed on the lower card, the top card is flipped over, adding pips on both cards to indicate the score. In Columbus, score is kept with a 4 and a 6 . A variation of scorekeeping in Western New York and Ontario involves each side using

8624-440: The same number from the stock. Solo or not, both opponents may then discard and draw for themselves. As it is advantageous for one of the defenders to have the stronger hand, they may agree as to which is to exchange first. Whoever does so may draw any number of cards up to eight. Rules vary considerably as to whether any untaken cards are left down or turned face up, and the point should be agreed before play. Eldest leads first and

8722-457: The same options and so on. The team that order it up are the 'makers'. If all pass, the dealer does not exchange , and another round of bidding begins with eldest who may make trump of any other suit. If all pass again and dealer does not want to make trump, the cards are thrown in and the next dealer deals. If anyone orders up, the dealer picks up the upcard and discards a card in return. The dealer's partner may bid "assist", in which case

8820-473: The second-highest card. According to Parlett, the Joker was added to a 32-card pack in the 1850s specifically for the game of Euchre and is first mentioned in a set of rules in 1868 where it turns out to be a blank specimen card not intended for actual play. This gave rise to a variant called "Euchre with the Joker" in which the blank card ranked above all the rest. It must have been in use even earlier, since

8918-492: The status of a matador. Whoever draws the highest card from the deck becomes the dealer; the turn to deal and play rotates counter-clockwise. Before play, the dealer antes five chips to the pool, deals nine cards in batches of three, and places the remaining thirteen face down on the playing surface to form the stock, or talon. Whoever bids highest becomes Ombre, chooses trumps, and seeks to win more tricks than either opponent individually. Thus, five or more wins, and four wins if

9016-547: The term "Best Bower" appears in a satirical 1861 piece about the American Civil War. Later, the Joker was embellished with a motif and specifically intended for use as the top trump. It was later transferred to the game of Poker and initially called the Mistigris. In the late 19th century, Euchre was regarded as the national card game of the United States. It has since declined in popularity, although it retains

9114-424: The terms of the game are developed in detail. Judging by the pattern of succession of games during the Renaissance, many of the card games played throughout Europe, ascended in popularity to be later replaced by another type of game, again brought into England by the court gamester of that time. So that, by the last quarter of the 16th century, primero had already decreased in popularity, and was gradually replaced by

9212-403: The upcard, face up, half under the kitty (called "turning it down"). If the dealer acquires the top card, either by being ordered to pick it up or choosing to pick it up, it becomes part of the dealer's hand. It is left in place until played, and the dealer discards a card to the bottom of the kitty, face down. If no one orders up the top card and the dealer chooses not to take it up, each player

9310-436: The winner of each trick leads to the next. The trick is taken by the highest card of the suit led or by the highest trump if any are played. Normally, suit must be followed if possible, otherwise any card may be played. Matadors, however, can only be forced by higher matadors, not by lower ones or trumps. That is, if the player's only trumps are matadors he need not follow to a trump, but may discard ("Renege") instead. However, if

9408-462: Was also played in Germany where the fourth player was called the King ( König ) or, in Low German , the "one who sits still" ( Stillsitter ). In this five-handed variation called Cinquillo , first described around 1683, the players are dealt eight cards each, after staking down a fifth to the pool, therefore no discard is possible. Bidding may be for Ask Leave, when Ombre calls a king seeking for

9506-442: Was disseminated throughout the nation. The 1864 edition of The American Hoyle disputes its alleged German heritage, tracing the game's origin to Pennsylvania itself in the 1820s. It goes on to surmise that a "rich German farmer's daughter" had visited Philadelphia and carried home a confused memory of Écarté , which then developed into Euchre. Yet another theory is that Euchre may have been introduced to America by immigrants from

9604-456: Was responsible for introducing the joker into the modern deck of cards, first appearing in Euchre packs in the 1850s. Euchre has a large number of variants and has been described as "an excellent social game". Eucre is briefly mentioned as early as 1810, being played in a gaming house alongside all fours , loo , cribbage , and whist . In 1829, uker was being played with bowers on

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