Have a seat, the euchre game is about to begin

Euchre is a card game that enjoys enormous popularity in the Midwest, particularly in Michigan and the Great Lakes region.

 

Mark Crocker of White Lake Township, a suburb of Detroit, tells us why. “The manufacturing background of the area dictates that there are no lunch ‘hours’ for hourly workers. You get a ‘lunch half-hour.’” 

“This is where euchre shines,” Crocker said. “Even average players can get in two games during a half-hour lunch break. Skilled veterans can get three games completed in that half hour...maybe four.” 

Dara Katz, an editor with Gallery Media Group in New York City, said euchre is the perfect game for four people to cuddle up with on a cold winter’s night. Winter lasts about six months in Michigan. 

It’s conveniently known as the “mitten state,” because its lower peninsula section looks like a left-handed mitten. 

Euchre is pronounced as “YOO-ker,” which is similar to “YOO-per,” the term of endearment given to folks living in the U.P. (Michigan’s upper peninsula).

 

Compared to the game of bridge, Katz said, “euchre is wayyyy easier to learn…and for kids, too!” Played only with cards ace through 9, each player is dealt five cards, so each hand of cards is manageable for children to hold.

 

It’s a fairly fast game played by two sets of partners opposing each other. The element of finesse is what is so intriguing about euchre, according to Katz. 

Dr. Clifton Mark of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, says what distinguishes the game of euchre is its use of “bowers.” In euchre, once the trump suit is established, the jack of that suit becomes the highest card in the deck and is called the “right bower.” The jack in the suit of the same color becomes the “left bower,” the second-highest card.

 

So, if spades is trump, then the jack of clubs “plays like spade” and outranks the ace of spades for that round. It sounds confusing, Dr. Mark said, but the rules of euchre are learned quickly. 

Sharlyn Lauby, a human resources consultant in Gainesville, Fla., said euchre has been used by small and large companies to help “break down workplace silos” as well as “build engagement” among employees across department lines. 

A simple game helps boost morale throughout the organization, she said. 

Euchre even became a “part of the corporate culture” at a Canadian software firm, Lauby noted. Playing euchre wasn’t mandatory, but every employee who did said he or she really looked forward to their scheduled weekly game.

 

The company created a euchre league, Lauby said. One of the engineers wrote a software program that randomly matched people up, with a bias toward pairing up people who hadn’t played against each other before or recently. 

“This was a great way to introduce employees who don’t necessarily work together on a regular basis,” she noted. “Games were played ‘on company time’ all throughout the day, whenever the players’ schedules could sync up.” 

Company spokesperson Braden Box said that euchre broke down walls. “You never knew who you’d be sitting down to play with – it could be the new guy in accounting, or it could be the CEO.” 

He was Paul Loucks, who said: “It was a wonderful opportunity to interact with employees. They got to know me better; I got to know them better. I hope they had as much fun as I did.”  

Lauby said: “Opening the lines of communication can be as simple as taking a short break for a quick game, like euchre.” 

More organizations should try it.