Customer Reviews

The Complete Win at Euchre

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The "Complete Win At Euchre" is a fine book, and helpful to players of all abilities. It has two flaws, one of which is the uncertainty of the history of the game. The author tries a "shotgun" approach by quoting various sources and writers, and leaves the reader with the impression that he is not sure just where Euchre really came from. The other fault I find with this book is the overdone praise that the author pours on his friends, sponsors, and tournament hosts.
However, he recovers quite nicely with a solid section of terms and definitions, and continues with several good chapters, including Mr. Lapp's "Ten Commandments of Euchre". I also liked the section about Loners. Finally, he has a complete chapter loaded with play-by-play analysis of hands as they happended in various tournaments. Some of the actual plays were very strange, but this is how they took place.
You will not be disappointed if you get this book. I hope that if and when the author updates The Complete Win At Euchre, he includes a little more information on other variations of the game, and up to date listing on places where to play Euchre on line. A four star effort which can be brought up to five stars with a little more work!

The Complete Win At Euchre rocks! It is all the Euchre book I need to become a better player. Really good stuff, here. I looked at the other recent review and was suprised to see that "The Complete Win At Euchre" was totally trashed, like it was worthless. Who cares about 2-handed Euchre? Does anyone play that game at Tournaments? Does anyone play the 2-handed game when they play Euchre with their families or friends?? I thought Euchre was almost always played with 4 players, or sometiomes, 3 players. As for "Solitaire" Euchre,it sounds interesting, but then again, is there a place on line where you can play this style of Euchre?

Then we have the 24 hands in the book. It is clearly said in the book that these hands were played at various Euchre events, and this is how they were played. It is always easy to see how you should have played a hand after it is over with. I enjoyed the stories, and learned from the way hands were played. It helps you learn from the mistakes that did happen in some of the hands. We are all just people, not machines. Other hands were most helpful to improve my way of playing. I really liked the section about the 10 Commandments. Even if a reviewer does not agree with a book, the book can't be all trash, and worth nothing. Read "The Complete Win At Euchre", you will be glad you did!

I've been very impressed with Mr. Andrews from his articles on MSN Gaming Zone and Games Magazine and also from the live tournaments he directs every year. Mr. Andrews' writing style is such that even a beginner can play Euchre like a pro using his easy to understand theories and techniques. He truly is an expert and it's easy to see why Bicycle put their name on his books.

Joe Andrews and Bicycle playing cards have done it again! Very informative and comprehensive. One of the few card books I can honestly say has improved my playing. I've read the others and nothing can beat Joe Andrews' The Complete Win at Euchre! Thanks, Joe and Bicycle - a pair you can't beat!

Here is another another wishy-washy "middly" review. What we have here is a popularity contest of sorts. This book is "great"; this book is "so-so"; this book "stinks", and so on, ad nauseum. Let's face it, folks, the game of Euchre is not rocket science. We are not discussing Chess, Bridge, Mah-Jongg, Pinochle, Go, or other games which DO have plenty of skill and strategy. Euchre is a game of psychology, intuition. You have a 24 card deck, five card hands, three hidden cards, and plenty of guesswork. It is a basic game.

Let me give you an example with another card game. There are lots of books out there about Texas Holdem Poker. Will any of these books do you any good when you are sitting on two Aces, and the "flop" has one more Ace, and the guy opposite you with the funny yellow glasses goes "all in" for $500,000, and you call him with your last $500K, and the River card is the five of hearts? -And he fills a flush and you are eliminated from the tourney? Will Chris Moneymaker's newest book save your derriere here? Will Phil Helmuth suggest that you should have folded because -"as it turns out", the opponent was going to pull a heart on the "River"?

What makes Euchre a successful game, is that it is easy to learn, plays real fast, and has a strong accent on luck. Having a good partner also helps. The beauty of Euchre is that anyonecan win on any given day.

"The Complete Win At Euchre" is a well-written book, with lots of humor, wit, and interesting illustrative hands. It does fall short in some areas. Then again, just how much can you "puff up" a simple game? As far as I can see, you don't really need any book to become a great Euchre player. What you do need is a good partner, card sense, aggressive play, and the ability to "read" your opponents. -And the more you play, the better you will be. - And of course....... drum roll.....You need ...

LUCK! (And lots of it). If you can't get a Bower, your game will be sour!

[...]

First I will say that this is in fact (sadly) the best Euchre book on the market. It consists of a fairly wide variety of hand situations and strategy as well as tidbits about the history of the game.

With that said, this book contains topics and ideas that are good for getting one's euchre brain into how euchre should really be played. HOWEVER, this book leaves a lot of unanswered questions and black holes that really need to be filled.

There are also a handful of points Andrews makes that are AT BEST arguable if not blatently WRONG. Things like this really get under my skin considering so many beginners will be reading this book. To start players off with FALSE strategy (yes there is such a thing) seems counterproductive to me. Here's an example:

Andrews claims that you shouldn't go alone when your team has 8 points (the game ends at 10 points). While in most cases this is true there are a PLETHORA of situations in which you should ABSOLUTELY go alone. Why? I'll show you one random example...

Let's say you're the dealer and the Jack of spades is turned. You pick it up and now hold both Jacks, the 10 of spades, and both red aces (JJ10 A A). You MUST pick this up alone so that you can almost assure your team of making 2 points. Well why not just take your partner too with such a strong hand? Because your partner can HURT your chance of marching and finishing out the game. Here's one way your partner can hurt you (there are multiple ways however)...

Lets say the 1st seat opponent leads out the Queen of hearts and your P trumps it (you would have taken it with your ace). Then your P leads back clubs which you are void in. You now trump in with your 10 of spades... and the 1st seat opponent overtrumps you. So much for your almost certain 2 points!

It is things like this that the book is missing. Yes it helps with basic strategy, some intermediate skills, and even into some relatively simple "advanced" plays. But there is really so much more to Euchre that this book fails to make note of.

If you read this book will you get better? Probably, assuming you're a beginner or intermediate player. Will it help you if you're an advanced player? I doubt it. My euchre experience has generally been based on online play and I can tell you that I am without question one of the best online (Pogo, Yahoo, etc). Believe me when I say that this book is strictly "good" but NOT great.

Feel free to email me with whatever euchre questions you may have and I guarantee that I will be able to answer them correctly and completely... something Andrews attempts and only comes marginally close to doing.


**In Response to Euchre Man IV's Post**

I never once claimed that you should always go alone on 8 points. I didn't even infer that you should in MANY or MOST situations. I simply stated an obvious one... one in which your partner has absolutely no chance in helping your team achieve two points. Indeed there are far more situations that you SHOULD take your partner when you have 8 points (duh) because typically your partner will have a positive effect on a given hand. My point was that there are in fact many times where they can hurt you. I assumed that anyone who could follow my initial example could think of other situations on their own... silly me. But here are a couple others you can chew on:

-You hold both Js and the three side Aces (or even the two Js and AK A in side suits... although there is SOME chance your partner could help you here.)
-You hold JJ+1 and A+1 (there are dozens of varieties of this hand... JJ9 AK, JJK AQ, etc etc etc.)

Furthermore, I will return the favor and quote you on a few of your eager yet remarkably uninformative and incorrect statements...

"Junk! Anyone can "stack" a hand with one of the bad case scenarios. Here, the left hand opponent leads a red Queen, and your partner hops up with a trump ( a lot of good players will trust their partner here, and throw off a side suit singelton. ) Nothing boils my blood more than to have partner to trump in 2nd seat and blow away my Ace! And of course, your partner just happens to lead your void suit, and your left hand opponent just happens to be void in THAT suit as well. Yeah, yeah yeah..."

-Okay, so does this mean your partner should lay off with his/her only trump when, for example, they are 3-suited and have no side ace to lead back to you? There are many cases that your partner MUST trump in because it is their ONLY chance at helping your team take a trick in the hand. Of course it would boil my blood as well if they took away my side suit ace winner... hence why going alone is the ONLY correct play. Am I saying that it is impossible to take two points even if you do take your partner? Of course not. But why risk having your partner mess up your sure two points? YOUR PARTNER WILL DO YOU NO GOOD IN THIS HAND! Is that clear enough for you? :) Oh also... you speak as if it would be so MIRACULOUS for a situation like this to arrise. There are only 4 suits in euchre... not 40. It is extremely common for a given player to be void in one or more suits. Trust me, this example is by no means far fetched.

Moving on... "There are many more instances where your partner can help you than hurt you. In the above example, partner made the wrong guess by trumping, a natural reflex action to be sure, happened to have only one trump, and then made another wrong guess by leading the suit which a designated opponent was void in."

-I already mentioned why trumping in on trick 1 is by no means always incorrect. But isn't it correct that your partner could also lead back to you the OTHER suit in which you (the dealer) has a side suit ace in (rather than leading back your void suit and you getting overtrumped)? If so, is there a chance an opponent is void in that suit thus allowing them to trump in? That leaves your partner choosing between 2 "incorrect" suits to lead back to you (that would mean 2 of 3 suits that haven't been played yet... or 67% chance he will choose an "incorrect" suit.)These possibilities are quite obvious to advanced players, nevertheless this book is indeed a good tool for those who are beginners or intermediate players.

And finally... "It's like saying, go alone with the score 8 - 8 if your partner is going to foul you up by having the wrong cards and making the wrong plays when the hand is laid out in a certain way. You have a much better chance of snagging five tricks with your partner's help, than by taking on the two opponents by yourself."

-I have already stated a number of situations in which your partner can ONLY hurt your chance at taking two points. Furthermore, in these situations that I have mentioned (specifically the original one for it is the most blatant)... can someone give me a reason to take your partner? Whether these hand layouts are very common or only occasionally seen is irrelevant. To disregard ANY situation in euchre would be ignorant if you are trying to become a better player because every hand and every play relates to other similar situations (after all, only 24 potential cards can be in play and only 20 are ensured to be in play in a given hand... that leaves room for quite a bit of repetition after hours of playing.) That is the basis of becoming a sound euchre player; you must relate past experiences to the cards you hold in your hand at this very moment and then, after a period of time, become aware of how to correctly play similar cards in similar situations.

Keep reading euchre books? Sure, go for it. But PLAYING is the only way you will experience the vast number of situations that occur in euchre. So go find some buddies, grab a few brews and have fun!

The Complete Win At Euchre is an informative and instructional book. Yes, there are three superfluous chapters which could have ommitted. The "History" section, the "Profiles" section, and the "US Playing Card Story" are really not needed; however, the information about Bicycle cards was fascinating. Another chapter on Internet Euchre sites was somewhat incomplete and did not recognize two of the larger on line sites. The rest of the book is terrific, and will improve the game of players of all levels.

Harvey Lapp's unique and helpful "Ten Commandments of Euchre" is great. Lots of good strategy there. The Glossary is very helpful.
The illustrative hands at the end of the book are useful and show a play by play approach to the game. I might have tried a few different leads or defenses for three of the hands. Then again, according to the author, each hand was played in the fashion that it was presented. I liked the instructional quizzes and analyses.

There is also some good information about live Euchre Tournaments, and the format which is used at most of these events. I have read three other Euchre Books, and I will not use this forum to degrade or crticize these works. Instead, I will suggest to any Euchre player that he / she acquire as much knowledge as possible, and these other books will be helpful.

Check this book out - you will be glad you did!

This book was great and extremely helpful for a beginning player. It is no wonder why Joe Andrews is the foremost expert in the game of Euchre, bar none. I can see why Bicycle put their name on it and not any of the others!

I expected more from this book. I'm already an intermediate player and wanted advanced strategies. Most of the book is just basic information. The best part of the book are the 10 rules, which takes only a few pages. The author uses too much of his "slang", especially in the end section. This is the only euchre book I've read and overall, I didn't get much out of it.

The Complete Win At Euchre is very informative. You will learn a lot about Euchre if you are new to the game, or if you have played often. I really did not care about the history, or the long glossary. Other than it, it was a good book. The beginner's section was helpful - especially to my friends. Euchre is a fun game, which really plays quickly. The hands at the end of the book has some nice stories - I really liked the
article which featured Euchre on Cruise ships!

[...]