Those who have grown up hearing the sayings, “Ope, we’re in the barn” or “Pass on bower,” probably grew up in a household where euchre was regularly played.
Euchre is an offshoot of the card game Juckerspiel, which originated and became widely popular in Europe. It was introduced to the United States in the early 1900s through German settlers and became culturally significant to most midwestern states.
Euchre became so regionally popular that the term “euchre belt” was derived to describe the six states where euchre is most played and passed down. In the euchre belt there are Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Euchre is most popular in Michigan.
A large percentage of Taylor’s student body is from the euchre belt. Because of the popularity and widespread familiarity with euchre, the game has remained a prominent free-time activity for Taylor students.
“Everybody wants to play a game that everybody knows how to play,” sophomore Autumn Kennedy said. “It's also at a slightly higher level that it's not like Uno or Go Fish. No one says, ‘who wants go fish?’ They want to play a more sophisticated game. Once you know it, it's a fun game.”
Euchre has been a midwestern classic for a long time. The game is played with two teams of two. Experienced players will have strategies but the game is also impacted by luck.
Kennedy was taught euchre by her sister and has practiced her strategy since her senior year of high school. She played euchre long enough to have a deeper understanding of the competitive core of the game.
Although euchre is commonly played and enjoyed by students, new players may find that the game is complex and intimidating. Euchre has many rules which can cause people who are unfamiliar with card games to turn away quickly.
“If somebody trumps their partner, that's pretty much a giveaway that either they were not paying attention or they're inexperienced, because you're just kind of wasting (points),” Kennedy said. “You could have had two points instead of one.”
The premise of euchre is to win the most tricks in a hand of cards. The player with the highest value card at the end of a round wins the trick. But under certain conditions, the rules of the game may change.
In addition to being a fun and competitive game, euchre is also a great way to socialize with others. The game requires four players, and the best players communicate to give themselves the competitive advantage.
“When it comes to Euchre, the joy of the sport for me, at least, can be found in a community where you build just three other guys or girls or a mixture of two, getting to spend time dealing out cards and trying to win hands,” junior Jude Thrush said. “It's just an amazing joy.”
To connect people who want to play euchre, sophomore Jonathan Lora started a campus group chat.
The game requires exactly four people to play, so the group chat is available to help players find another player for their group or provide them with an opportunity to join a group. The chat welcomes both new and inexperienced players.
For more information on the euchre group chat, reach out to Lora through his email jonathan_lora@taylor.edu.
The euchre group chat can also be accessed through the posters placed in Wengatz, Olson, Gerig, Breu and English.
“Definitely keep branching (out) and keep playing,” Lora said. “Most people start playing and then think it's too confusing and then they quit, but if you just keep going for a few more times, then it usually clicks and it usually ends up being really fun. So basically, you miss out if you quit early.”
