Euchre?

[sparklynails23]

Four over six, pick up tricks. Six over four, score no more. Any euchre player hear of that?

 

[roscoepc1]

A poster on another thread got me thinking, way back when I was in college and travelled to other schools with my fencing team, we found out something curious about the card game Euchre. First, it appeared to be almost universally, a Midwestern game. More specifically, understanding of the game seemed concentrated among Michigan and Illinois. So here's my random poll about Euchre playing habits to determine whether the game really is a regional phenomena.

If you desire to post a further explanation, please elaborate on whether or not you believe it is necessary to place your scoring cards behind your ears and "milk" your opponent's hands when you are "in the barn". I'd also like to see how wide spread this strange practice is, as I've only heard of it once.

It's an obsession in Ontario. I know very few people who don't play, and it's usually the card game of choice for any group that is in multiples of 4....In high school we all carried decks of cards around with us so we could have a game at any given free moment....spares, lunch, substitute teachers who didn't teach class etc...

I do know friends in Michigan play, but hadn't heard about Illinois. I know any Ontarian who moves out of Province usually has to educate their new friends so they can continue to play, lol....

I've never heard any of the barn terms you were talking about, and we only use score cards for progressive euchre at big parties....

 

[TLSnell1981]

I am not from the Midwest and learned to play Euchre on the Internet. I love playing cards!

 

[Donaldswife]

You can add Indiana to your list.

Definitely, everyone around here plays it.

I have never heard or seen of someone putting the scoring cards behing their ears, but I do know several people who "milk" when they are "in the barn."

 

[Donaldswife]

Four over six, pick up tricks. Six over four, score no more. Any euchre player hear of that?

Yep, also have to make sure your cards are "sprouting"

 

[castmemberb4]

DH family are from Michigan and they all play I amd from GA had never heard of it until we got married. His Stepmother said to me "If you're going to be a Behr you have to learn to play Euchre"
Nope. I've resisted for 18 years !

 

[Aisling]

I thought euchre was another name for ear wax.

 

[NHdisneylover]

My in laws grew up playing Euchre in Iowa. I learned from them in Colorado. We often tease the kids that we had two of them just to complete a Euchre table It is the Midwest's answer to the South's 42.

 

[johnsontrio]

Around here the kids want to play Farmer's Hand... that's when your hand is 9s and 10s and you can exchange it for the 4 cards leftover once trump has been called. We don't play that way even though the teenagers want to.

 

[ShesAPirate]

I've only ever heard of Euchre on the TV show DeGrassi, which takes place in Toronto -- so I guess it's pretty popular there, too.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I voted "I play and I'm not from the Midwest."

But you really need an "I used to play, but have completely forgotten how" option.

Anyway, I grew up in upstate New York, and I do remember my parents playing. I also played in college, but I don't recall any of the ear or in-the-barn stuff.

 

[BKMETV]

It's an obsession in Ontario. I know very few people who don't play, and it's usually the card game of choice for any group that is in multiples of 4....In high school we all carried decks of cards around with us so we could have a game at any given free moment....spares, lunch, substitute teachers who didn't teach class etc...

I do know friends in Michigan play, but hadn't heard about Illinois. I know any Ontarian who moves out of Province usually has to educate their new friends so they can continue to play, lol....

I've never heard any of the barn terms you were talking about, and we only use score cards for progressive euchre at big parties....

Another from Ontario who wasted most of her high school years playing Euchre. It's huge here especially with the seniors. Never heard of the milking or sprouting...never wore card in our ears either but I knew several friends who were masters at dealing from the bottom of the deck!! Most of our arguments were whether you scored with two fives or a three & two.

 

[LisaR]

It's an obsession in Ontario. I know very few people who don't play, and it's usually the card game of choice for any group that is in multiples of 4....In high school we all carried decks of cards around with us so we could have a game at any given free moment....spares, lunch, substitute teachers who didn't teach class etc...

I do know friends in Michigan play, but hadn't heard about Illinois. I know any Ontarian who moves out of Province usually has to educate their new friends so they can continue to play, lol....

I've never heard any of the barn terms you were talking about, and we only use score cards for progressive euchre at big parties....

I forgot about our friends in Windsor! We used to have US vs. Canada tournaments with some friends. The losers had to wear the opposing teams jersey at our annual Detroit Tigers & Toronto Blue Jays game. I only had to wear that Blue Jays jersey once and it was horrible!

 

[roscoepc1]

Another from Ontario who wasted most of her high school years playing Euchre. It's huge here especially with the seniors. Never heard of the milking or sprouting...never wore card in our ears either but I knew several friends who were masters at dealing from the bottom of the deck!! Most of our arguments were whether you scored with two fives or a three & two.

I STILL can't figure out the 2 and 3 way! Gotta be 2 fives all the way!, lol

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We play Euchre generally with 3 people. You bid your hand, from 6-10, spades, clubs, diamonds, hearts, & no trump.

You are allowed to bid nil once only in the game.

We make it pretty simple & quick to play. We play to 500.

 

[shortbun]

Look, I have played Euchre with some veeeerry serious Euchre players and I've never heard of that 'milk...barn...behind your ear' thing. I don't mind saying, I'm dam good! We play according to Hoyle mostly. I've played bid, Hausey, 3 handed. Here I go again revealing my personal stuff....I once played in a 20 table tournament where I-not my partner-was the only player NOT hallucinating. That's right, everyone else had dropped acid(never have, never will) but me. We won. Imagine that. It was hilariously fun and entertaining. Somehow the 'skunk board' took on a life of it's own. Sigh, those were the days!!!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Look, I have played Euchre with some veeeerry serious Euchre players and I've never heard of that 'milk...barn...behind your ear' thing. I don't mind saying, I'm dam good! We play according to Hoyle mostly. I've played bid, Hausey, 3 handed. Here I go again revealing my personal stuff....I once played in a 20 table tournament where I-not my partner-was the only player NOT hallucinating. That's right, everyone else had dropped acid(never have, never will) but me. We won. Imagine that. It was hilariously fun and entertaining. Somehow the 'skunk board' took on a life of it's own. Sigh, those were the days!!!

We have the Hoyle Book. There are so many versions to play.

We just play the basic Euchre game and keep it simple. Although a lot of these games seem interesting.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

Milking: The Rules (apparently)

Okay, so when you play Euchre, the first team to 10 points wins. Usually, two non-playing cards (either two 5's or a 6 and a 4) are used for scoring purposes. When you get to 9 points you are "in the barn" and almost certainly going to win. Upon reaching this number, one team member picks up their two scoring cards and puts them behind their ears (so as to make their ears look bigger). The person wearing the cards than makes two thumbs down (like this but upside down). His or her parter then pretends to "milk" his friends thumbs.

Why? I have absolutely no idea.

Around here the kids want to play Farmer's Hand... that's when your hand is 9s and 10s and you can exchange it for the 4 cards leftover once trump has been called. We don't play that way even though the teenagers want to.

Oh, definitely Farmer's Hand (also known as Nines and Tens). We also always play Screw the Dealer. Another option is Partner's Best, but I hate that one.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Milking: The Rules (apparently)

Okay, so when you play Euchre, the first team to 10 points wins. Usually, two non-playing cards (either two 5's or a 6 and a 4) are used for scoring purposes. When you get to 9 points you are "in the barn" and almost certainly going to win. Upon reaching this number, one team member picks up their two scoring cards and puts them behind their ears (so as to make their ears look bigger. The person wearing the cards than makes two thumsa down (like this but upside down). His or her parter then pretends to "milk" his friends thumbs.

Why? I have absolutely no idea.



Oh, definitely Farmer's Hand (also known as Nines and Tens). We also always play Screw the Dealer. Another option is Partner's Best, but I hate that one.

Thanks for the explanation. I will have to look it up because I have no idea what you are talking about.

 

[mumom95]

I'm from Ohio and learned to play Euchre in college (college was also in Ohio). Everybody in college played. We used to joke that you had to play a game of Euchre with the president of the University before they would let you graduate. We still love to play today.

And yes, we always put the cards behind our ears and milk the other person's fingers when we are in the barn. I probably shouldn't be admitting to that on a public forum though