Bid Euchre
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Bid Euchre is a version of the popular card game Euchre in which the trump suit is decided by which player can bid to take the most tricks. Bid Euchre is very similar to Euchre, the primary differences being the number of cards dealt, absence of any undealt cards, the bidding and scoring process, and the addition of a no trump declaration. Local rules may allow a low no trump declaration. '
The game is also known as Pepper, a delineation which comes from "Hasenpfeffer", a German dish of marinated and stewed trimmings of hare.
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[edit] Bid Euchre/Pepper
[edit] Cards
A pack of 24 cards containing 9, 10, J, Q, K, and A in each suit. The rank of the cards in the trump suit is: J (of trump suit, also known as the right bower; high), J (of the other suit of the same color as the trump suit, also known as the left bower), A, K, Q, 10, 9 (low). In the plain suits the rank is: A (high), K, Q, J, 10, 9 (low). When playing with no trumps, all four suits follow the 'plain suit' ranking.
[edit] Dealing
Cards are dealt one at a time to each player, clockwise, starting with the player to the dealer's left. Each player receives six cards.
[edit] Bidding
Bidding is the key to the game, as it is essentially what makes it different from Euchre. Starting at the person to the left of the dealer, each player "bids" how many "tricks" he or she thinks it is possible to get in partnership with his/her partner (sitting across the table). Players may pass or bid, and a "one" bid is generally not used. Common bids are 3, 4, and 5.
There are some variations, but in most traditional pepper games the bidding only goes around the table once. That is, each player only bids once. At the end of bidding, he or she who bid the highest wins the bid, and gets to name the suit which will become trump. Bidding does not generally exceed 5 (6 is maximum), as there are two special bids. A small pepper, also called "shooting" or "give me your best", is where the bidder gets to exchange one card with his/her partner (but does not get to choose or say which card he/she wants...he/she may only say the suit that is trump) and then plays alone against the other two players. He/she must get all six tricks. If all six tricks are won, the team with the winning small pepper receives 12 points. A big pepper, also called "loner", is the same as a small pepper, except the bidder does not get any cards from his/her partner, and, if successful, receives 14 points.
[edit] The "Two" Bid
To delineate a "two" bid, the terminology "a couple" is used; this is because of special meaning given to the word "two." If one has a both a jack of spades or clubs AND a jack of either hearts or diamonds, he/she can bid "two" to indicate to his/her partner this special possession. This gives the partner key information when placing his/her bid. The only catch is when one wants to bid "two" but someone has already bid "a couple" or "three" or "four." It has often been the case for the player with the "two" bid to promptly say (after the higher bid was made), "Well, that shoots a two bid!" This technique was for a time successful at still communicating the "two" information to the partner. However, it is generally considered grounds for a misdeal and is therefore not allowed.
[edit] Leading and Taking Tricks
The highest bidder then makes the opening lead, and may lead any card. The other players each play a card (playing clockwise) and must follow suit if possible. If a player cannot follow suit, he/she may play any card. The trick goes to the highest trump or, if there are no trump cards, to the highest card of the suit led. The winner of a trick leads to the next trick.
Note: if (for example) spades are trump, the jack of spades is the highest trump, followed by the jack of clubs (the other jack of the same color) which is considered a spade for this hand, the ace of spades, K, Q, 10, 9. The ranking follows the same pattern for the other suits when they are trump.
[edit] Scoring
The contracting side scores one point for each trick taken if it makes at least its contract, but is set back (loses) six points if it fails to make its contract, regardless of the value of the contract. A side can have a negative score. If the team that is playing defense (that is, not the winning bidders) fails to get any tricks, they go back six points. An exception to this is the 'big pepper' bid. With this contract, if all the tricks are taken the contracting side wins 14 points (12 for the small pepper). However, if the contracting side fails to take all six tricks, they are set back 14 points (12 for the small pepper). The opposing side always scores one point for each trick taken. If the defensive side does not get any tricks in a small or big pepper, they go back just six points. (In another variation of this game, known as "hawsy" (also short for hasenpfeffer), the little pepper is known as "hawsy" and there is no big pepper. If one player bids hawsy, the next player can bid "double hawsy" for an attempt at 24 points.)
Although the "magic number" can vary from tradition to tradition, a good winning number is 42. The first team to score 42 or more points wins. If both sides reach 42 or more points on the same hand, the side with the higher score wins. A team must bid to win (that means that a team cannot play defense and by getting one trick [if the bid was for say, 3] get 42 and win). That means that a team may have more than 42, but the game will still continue. Only when the team with over 42 bids and wins are they crowned the winner. Instead of using a winning number, players may decide to set a time limit such as one or two hours. (In the "hawsy" variation, 32 wins.)
[edit] Variations
Sometimes a scoring variation is the "big pepper" bid is worth 24 points. In these cases, the ending score is usually higher than the traditional 42.
[edit] Progressive Euchre
Progressive Euchre is a tournament format Euchre.
[edit] Basics
Play begins when the lead table rings a bell. The lead table plays 8 hands, the deal revolving to the left with each hand, so that each player has dealt twice, then rings the bell again. When the bell rings, players at each table finish their current hand, record their team score on an individual tally. The losing team at the head table moves to the tail table; otherwise the winning team at each table advances to the next table, and one member of the losing team changes seat so that partners in one game are opponents in the next game. Play begins on the next game immediately without waiting for another signal. After 10 games, players total their tally sheets, to determine high score and low score for the tournament.
[edit] The Game
Each table of four players use a 24-card deck containing A K Q J 10 9 in the four suits ♠ ♥ ♣ ♦. Players bid once each, clockwise around the table, starting at the dealer's left. Bids of one to six are made by stating the number of tricks to be taken. A bid of "pass" is most often shown by knocking on the table. A player must either bid higher than any prior bid, or pass.
A pepper consists of winning all six tricks with a passed card. Typically, a pepper bid is signalled by holding the pass card face down and wagging it. If no succeeding player wishes to play a loner, the bidder declares suit by saying, "Give me your best heart", "Give me your best club", etc. His partner gives the requested card to the bidder, face down, before seeing the bidder's passed card, and sits out the rest of the hand.
As loner bids - asserting that one will win all six tricks without assistance - are pre-emptive, they are typically made by declaring suit and leading out the first trick.
High bidder declares suit as he leads out the first trick. The winner of each trick leads the following trick.
Only suits may be declared trump; no-trump and low-no-trump declarations are not permitted.
[edit] Scoring
Teams score one point for 3 or 4 tricks, 2 points for all 5 tricks, 4 points for a loner. A team failing to achieve their number of tricks receives no points for any tricks won, and 2 points goes to other partners score.
Deal passes around the table, clockwise, after each hand.
[edit] Strategy and etiquette
- Conversation is welcome in Progressive Euchre, as long as it does not slow play.
- While the lead table consists of winners versus winners, rarely will someone who has spent the tournament at the lead table have a particularly high score, as that table is the first to stop playing in each game.
- It is considered rude to deliberately lose while at the lead table, but failure to aggressively bid is simply considered conservative play.
- On the team which remains at the table, the person who has been longest at the table is the one who remains seated, and the other person is the one who moves. Players advancing to a table may select either available seat.
- Repeatedly going set will tend to make one unpopular, but so will playing so conservatively as to never go set.
- Players who consistently have high scores are permitted to make innocent math errors to avoid always winning. It is considered unsportsmanlike for those who consistently have low scores to make innocent math errors that give them a higher total.
[edit] Pfeffer
Pfeffer, is a variation of Pepper and is played in the Midwest. Its primary difference is that the dealer is forced to make a 4 Trick Bid when all players pass in front of the dealer. This allows for a strategy of forcing teams in the lead to make bids, or stick the dealer. In addition, there are variations on No Trump Bids that force bidders to reconsider this type of bid.
[edit] Preliminaries
All preliminaries are as described above, for Pepper.
[edit] Bidding and Naming Trump
Each player, beginning at dealer's left, may either bid or pass. A bid is the number of tricks that a player wagers for his or her team to win and each bid must be higher than preceding it. Trump Bids are the numbers Four through Six, and Pfeffer (a bid to win all six tricks, alone). No Trump Bids are the numbers Five, Six, and Pfeffer (a bid to win all six tricks, alone).
When three consecutive players pass, the dealer is stuck and gets to name any suit as trump, or may declare no trump. The minimum bid for a dealer is four tricks.
All card hierarchies are the same as Pepper, above.
[edit] Play
Declarer (the player who who wins the bid) declares trump. For Trump Bids, the player to the left of the dealer leads to the first trick and each player must follow suit if possible, otherwise may play any card. The trick is won by the highest card of the suit led, or by the highest trump if any were played. Note: Left Bower is not in the suit printed on its face, but of the trump suit. Winner of each trick leads to the next and play continues until all six tricks have been played. For No Trump Bids, the player to the right of the Declarer leads. Note: This is different than most, if not all, Pepper and Bid Euchre variations.
[edit] Scoring & Winning
For Non Pfeffer Bids, the team that declared trump scores one point for each trick taken if they took at least as many tricks as were bid. If the declaring team takes all 6 tricks, they get 6 points and the opposing are "set", lose 5 points and receive a Hickey. If the declaring team takes less than the number of tricks bid, they are "set", lose 5 points and receive a Hickey.
For Pfeffer Bids, if the declaring team takes all 6 tricks, they get 12 points and the opposing team are "set", lose 5 points and receive a Hickey. If the declaring team fails to take all 6 tricks, they are set, lose 10 points and receive 2 Hickeys.
In all cases, the opposing team simply scores one point for every trick they take. Deal then passes clockwise around the table. Game is to 42 points. In cases of a tie at 42, the bidding team wins. Negative scores are allowed and are referred as being in the hole. For purposes of betting, amounts are set for Game and Sets (Note: Sets are the total number of Hickeys on the scoresheet for the losing team), with Game generally twice the amount as Sets. Games ending with the losing team at 0 points or below, pay double.
[edit] Double Hasenpfeffer
A variant for either 4 or 6 players divided into two teams and using the 48-card pinochle pack. Double Hasenpfeffer, or Double Pepper, is played without bowers, so all cards rank A K Q J 10 9 in each suit, and there are no bids of Little and/or Big Pepper. All cards are dealt out and bidding goes around the table only once, the minimum bid being 3. If all pass, dealer names trump at a minimum bid of 3 tricks. In a 4-player game, high bidder may opt to play alone and exchange any two cards with his or her partner and then play solo against the opposing team. Scoring is as 24-card pepper above, with a forced declaration by the dealer losing only half (rounding up) if not made. Playing alone scores double, positive if bid is made, or negative if not.
[edit] "Pepper" Computer Game
Though not as streamlined as the popular MS Hearts game, there is a version of Pepper available for free download here.
