Now that you have a little (Tony)taster of variance, Next, and Reverse Next, hopefully you are starting to open your game by calling more hands and taking more chances. It’s time now to get into one of the best aspects of Euchre – the bidding rounds, where the real strategy kicks in!

We are going to start by focusing on R1 (Round 1), which is all about positional strength. In R1, seat strength matters just as much as hand strength, and in fact, sometimes where you sit > what you hold. In this article we’ll go seat by seat, to see how each one changes your odds, thereby affecting if and what you should call.

Once we’ve broken down R1, we’ll move into R2 (Round 2), where things get a little trickier. The pressure ramps up, the safety net disappears, and every pass from R1 suddenly matters. R2 is all being able to read the table. And understanding how R1 strategy connects to R2 decisions is what separates good players from truly dangerous ones.

Round 1: Ordering Up

In the last section, we learned how calling more often shifts your results. Now we’ll refine that instinct by adding positional context—because in Round 1, where you sit can matter more than what you hold.

The Dealer

The most advantageous position is the dealer, S4 (Seat 4). This is true for several reasons:

1. They can add a trump card to their hand;

2. They can create a void (or short-suit themselves);

3. They may be the last to bid (if no one else ordered in R1), providing them with useful information (more important than many realize); and

4. They are the last to play for the first trick (1st street), which again provides useful information.

As you can see, being the dealer comes with a lot of perks! So, what do you need to order up as dealer? Without delving too deeply into this topic, there are 4 basic final hands (those you are left with as dealer after discarding) that you should be considering:

1. Three trump. Period. Even if it’s just QT9 of trump with 2 off-9s – as the dealer, you cannot pass on a hand with 3 trump.

2. Rx. No matter how bad your other cards are, R9 is good enough. For the sake of getting your partner to trust you, never turn down a jack if you have any other cards of the same suit. Your partner may very well have passed with 2 trump and one off-A (or more) so as not to ruin your loner. They are trusting you to pick it up for Rx, so do not betray that trust.

3. 2 trump and 2 off-A’s. Even 2 trump and 1 off-A, is possible, but if your partner didn’t order you up, you might need some luck. However, with 2 trump and 2 off-A’s, you have a really good chance of getting at least 2 tricks.

4. Keep reading to find out what the 4th hand type is!

In short: being dealer means you start with leverage. You have extra trump, control, and last-hand knowledge. Don’t waste that advantage. Pick up thin if needed, especially with 3 trump or Rx. You’re not just playing your hand; you’re protecting your team’s tempo.

If the dealer has the edge in information, Seat 2’s edge is influence. Here’s where you turn partnership into power.

Seat 2

The next best seat during R1 (Round 1) is arguably S2, for similar reasons to those for the dealer: you get the opportunity to put a trump card in your partner’s hand, while also giving them the opportunity to void themselves in a suit. When it comes to Euchre strategy, I find S2 the most fascinating to analyze because it’s consistently undervalued. Here, you can order up trump with some impressively weak hands:

1. 2 trump and an off-A. That’s it! You have 3 chances to take a trick. You just gave your partner trump (likely not their only one) and allowed them to void a suit. Often, this minimum holding is enough to get you your points.

2. R and an off-A. This isn’t a call you have to make every time, but mathematically, this holding is strong enough to net positive points from S2. The goal is to rely on your partner to capture at least one trick while your A carries stays good. In an ideal scenario, your partner takes a trick, leads trump back to you, and you follow with your A (which is now stronger with less trump in the wild).

But not every seat rewards boldness. After S2’s freedom comes S3’s caution—where patience and timing win the day.

Seat 3

And that brings us to S3. Here, you need to be even stronger than in S1. This is because S1 has already passed, so they may not be much help. On top of that, the dealer (S4) can afford to order thinner than you can — they’ve got the fallback of picking up a card — so there’s always the chance they’ll order into your strength. The other BIG thing to remember is if you order up the dealer (assuming S4 wouldn’t have picked up), you are stealing a potential call from your partner in S1. So, if you are going to order from S3, you need to be sure of your play.

The calling minimum is the same as in S1 (except for #3). When I call from S3 in R1, I’m only counting on my partner to lead me trump – nothing more. I always assume I’ll need to take all three tricks myself. I know I’m repeating myself, but I think it’s vitally important to remember: a S3R1 call takes a call away from your partner. And on that note, let's talk about R2 bidding!

Now that we’ve seen how every R1 seat carries unique strengths and responsibilities, let’s see what happens when everyone passes, when the game shifts from acting to reading.

Round 2: Next and Reverse Next

After everything we’ve covered about R1 bidding, what happens when everyone passes in the first round? Well, great news: you have been able to gather good information! A common Euchre strategy (and term) is Next. Next is the other suit of the same color of the turned-up card, or the other suit of the same color as trump. So, what is it that makes next so important? Let’s find out.

Let’s pretend the Ah (ace of hearts) was the turned-up card in R1. Already we know the Next suit for this hand is diamonds (the other red suit). If we have gone through R1 and moved to R2, we know that S2 and S4  are likely weak in hearts. Following that logic, we can also infer that one or both of the red jacks are probably not in the hands of S2 or S4. This, my Euchre friends, presents an opportunity. That opportunity comes immediately to S1R2 (S1 in R2). Carpe Deinde (Seize Next) my friend! Importantly, S1R2 can call Next thin (declaring trump with a traditionally weaker hand). How thin, you ask? Let’s look at minimum Next calls from S1.

1. The Rule of Three. A combination of any three trump or boss cards (boss cards are the highest card in their suit). For example: three trump; two trump and an off-A; or even 1 trump and 2 off-A’s.

• Some people, myself included, will argue that having no trump, but all three boss cards for the non-trump suits, is a viable call.

• I like to count the R as two when using the Rule of Three, which makes hands like R with off-A, and R with any other trump (Rx), viable calls.

2. R and Kx. (K doubleton, or K and another card of that suit) can be called in desperate times. The strategy here is to lead the lower card in the king doubleton to hopefully make the K a boss card. If you can get some help from your partner and they lead back trump, you can follow up by sucking out more trump with your now-boss K.

Going back to R1 bidding, your goal in S4 is to pick up with Rx. So if the dealer turns down a heart, it’s very unlikely they’re holding the Jh. It’s important to remember that in S1R2 Next calls, you are banking on the bowers of the turned-down color being either in your partner’s hand or buried (in the kitty). Your opponents turning down hearts doesn’t mean they are weak in diamonds, just that they are not likely to have those jacks. Try to imagine if you were the dealer with that Ah turned up, and you were holding AKQ10d with a 9c. In this situation, you wouldn’t be likely to pick up the Ah, but you would have a very strong hand in Next.

In short: Next is where R1 information pays off. When everyone passes, patterns emerge—weakness in one color signals strength in the other. Calling Next is reading probability, not luck: you’re betting on who can’t hold the jacks.

Now that we understand what ‘Next’ means and why it matters, let’s see how it plays out from the first seat to act in Round 2. Seat 1 sets the tone — and the mistakes here often echo through the entire hand.

Seat 1: Next

The two general strategies for playing S1R2 Next calls depend largely on your hand, but  you should always keep the turned-down card and score in mind. The strategies are, “to lead, or not to lead”. That is, do you lead trump, or do you lead off. How do you decide? I like to think of it as a decision tree, or a set of rules (though remember, in Euchre, the only absolute is that there are no absolutes). The choice between leading trump or an off-suit comes down to visualizing how your hand can create a path to points.

1. 1. Leading trump. If the strength of your hand lies in off-A’s, then leading trump may be the way to go. For example, in the kamikaze (calling Next with Qt – queen of trump – and two off-A’s). Here, you are hoping your partner has at least the R, if not both bowers. Even if they don’t, leading trump allows you to pull some trump from your opponents, further strengthening your two A’s. Between that and a little help from your partner and/or the Euchre gods, you should be able to make your points. However, like most things in Euchre, this rule comes with a few side rules of its own.

• You never (don’t forget the Euchre absolute) want to lead an off-A without sucking out some trump first (except if you called with no trump and only A’s/boss cards).

• Avoid leading the R on Next calls, unless you have a very strong hand. Even though leading the R will strengthen your boss cards, remember why you called Next: you are assuming it is more likely that the jacks are in either your hand, your partner’s hand, or the kitty. Thus, if you lead the R, you could end up taking an unprotected L from your partner.

• The exception here is that you want to lead the R if you called on just the R with off-A’s, because in this case, there isn’t a viable way to regain the lead without your partner’s help.

• However, if you have Rx and an off-A, you can lead off to give your partner a chance to take a trick. If they can’t, you can still take a trick with your x trump, then pull trump with the R, followed by your ace/boss.

1. 2. Leading off. If your hand relies on using trump to take tricks, you don’t want to lead trump. You want to lead off to give our partner a chance to help, especially if you don’t have any bowers. While they are likely (hopefully) in your partner’s hand, you want to maximize your team’s ability to trump in on non-trump-led tricks. You also may want to lead off IF:

• You have a strong hand but need help from your partner for the march. For example, having [RA9 + 2 off-9’s]. You want to lead one of your 9’s (not the turned-down suit) in the hopes that your partner can take the trick. You need help, so don’t start the hand by taking their trump, especially when you have no A’s.

• You have a doubleton and you need to promote the higher card. For example, you have [LKt + 1 off-A + off-KQ]. You don’t want to lead your off-A without making it stronger first. You also don’t want to lead trump, because that could leave you vulnerable. That leaves you with the KQ doubleton: lead off, in this case, to give your partner a chance to help you out. The worst outcome is you lose a trick, but promote your Q to boss while gaining information about everyone else's hand.

  • • Lead the K in this situation so your partner doesn’t waste their ace on your Q.

A final point about S1R2 Next calls I’d like to point out is that your TRUMP strength can be lower when deciding to go alone. You still need good off suits, but banking on one or two jacks being buried gives you a bit more leeway. I would caution that if you’re calling thin, you should make sure it makes sense based on the score (up or down by a lot, or have some wiggle room) and play the hand conservatively (leave yourself an out).

As a further point on the Rule of Three, there are times where you may need to break it; for example, when you only have 2 trump, but the rest of your hand is absolute garbage. This is a defensive call. You might get lucky, and your partner may be able to do the heavy lifting, or you might set. The strategy here is to make your BEST call, to prevent S2 from going alone. The same the same is true when your opponents have 9 points – never pass here. Call your best suit or call Next for your partner.

Finally, one that is often missed, is if you are winning 9 to anything (but especially 7 or 6) CALL SOMETHING! This is a free call. The goal is to prevent your opponents from having a shot at a game-winning loner. Even if you get euchred, that’s fine because you’re still at 9 points, and it’ll be your deal on the next hand. Statistically, the dealing team wins the hand about 66% of the time, so by blocking the loner and taking the next deal, you’re giving yourself roughly double your opponent’s chance to score the winning point.

In short: S1R2 is your moment. You act first, armed with full R1 context. Next calls can be thin if your logic is strong. Whether you lead trump or off depends on your plan: clear a path for your aces, or open lanes for your partner.

Whoa, we just burned through a lot of strategy. I recommend reading this section again (and again if needed). Additionally, dealing out some hands face up and seeing all four hands as well as the up-card, with Next in mind, will really help you get a feel for this strategy. Just like most other things in life, succeeding in Euchre is about gathering information. Every chance you have to gather information is valuable, and you never know what piece of information could help you in the later tricks.

You’ve learned the fundamentals of R1 bidding. Next, we’ll dig into Round 2, where Next itself becomes the key word.

Seats 2–4: Next and Reverse Next

We've finally made it to the last article in this series on the bidding process in Euchre. This is where it gets really fun—the more passes that occur, the less we can rely on Next and Reverse Next of the up-card to guide us. I want to dive into my favorite seat and round, S2R2, but before that, we need to more thoroughly discuss Reverse. We wouldn't be a good Department if we didn't do our background research first! Due diligence and all that.

Recall: if Next is the other suit of the same color as the up-card, then Reverse Next is the opposite. If the up-card is black, Next is black and Reverse Next is BOTH red suits, and vice versa.

Reverse Next is an extremely powerful tool that works on the same principle as Next. With Next, if S2 and S4 don't order the up-card, they probably don't have the jacks of that color. Well, if that's true, wouldn't the opposite also be true? If the up-card is black and S2 and S4 don't order it, they're weak in black, so they must be stronger in red.

Of course, this comes with conditions. Sometimes S1 has all four jacks, or S2 and S4 are too conservative to order "thin" hands even with a jack, or you both just have really bad hands. Start paying attention to other players you play:

• When S2 calls, how often are they calling a Reverse Next suit?

• If they call Next from S2, how strong was it?

• Was it fairly strong but they still got set?

You'll start to see patterns and develop a table sense for these Reverse Next calls and when to make them.

In short: Reverse Next works just like Next, but flipped. When one color’s suits are weak, the opposite color is probably strong. Track how often players make Reverse Next calls from each seat; patterns here reveal who’s bold, who’s cautious, and when you can steal a hand.

Before diving into seat-specific tactics, we need one more building block: Reverse Next—the mirror image of the concept you just mastered.

Seat 2: Reverse Next

You Shall Not (Double) Pass!

In the last section, we discussed how important it is to know what you would do in S2R2, before you pass in S1R1. Now, we’re going to delve more deeply into S2R2. This is one of the areas where most players can improve their game. And understanding Next and Reverse Next is especially helpful for assessing when to make thinner calls here.

A good rule of thumb is: unless you have at least two cards in Next, you should call Reverse Next.

Here is an example of a S2R2 Reverse Next order that’s thin.

Yikes! Two mid-trump, an off-ace, and four-suited. Not an ideal R1 order. And if we Marty McFly this thing and look into the R2 future, we're making a Reverse Next call consisting of: one trump, two off-aces, and still four-suited. So actually, those hands don't look that different. 

It’s important to consider two things:

• There are only two cards between the Qt and an off-ace: the 9 and 10 of trump

• In R2 you have the bonus of knowing your partner wasn't strong enough in spades to order it up, so they should have some red strength. Maybe, hopefully, please have some red strength!

Before you decide those two options are approximately equal, and that the extra kernel of information you get from R1 is enough to balance them out, you must do your due diligence (we are the Department, after all):

• In a vacuum, you’re definitely stronger in spades than in hearts

• But comparing hand-to-hand, the extra information you gathered in R1 should give you a bit more confidence in making a Reverse Next call

Never forget that when you order up your partner, you’re giving them a trump and allowing them to void a suit. 

To evaluate the strength of your hand in Next and Reverse next, you should do two things: analyze your hand, and consider the general trump distribution.

Analyze your hand. In a vacuum, S4 might be slightly stronger in red. Having a trump and likely a void in spades gives their hand added leverage. On your side, the second ace (diamonds) in the R2 call [1 trump + 2 off-A’s] is somewhat risky, since it’s in Next and there are fewer diamonds left in the wild. You have two spades and have buried another, leaving only three spades unaccounted for, meaning you have limited control over the suit. The positional upside is that if spades were passed, those remaining cards are more likely to be with your opponents. And because you buried the king up-card, you effectively control the top two spades regardless of how the suit breaks.

Consider the general trump distribution. You hold two of the seven trump, and the up card makes three if claimed. That leaves four trump unaccounted for (yes, it’s a bit scary that both jacks could be anywhere). Assuming a roughly even distribution of those four remaining trump, we might expect one in each opponent’s hand, one in your partner’s hand, and one buried in the kitty. Viewed this way, your hand doesn’t seem quite as thin. As a team, you have four trump and at least one green ace.

• Your goal as you play this out is to avoid losing two trump in the same trick – you want to play your trump separately. If your team has a green ace and you can play your four trump in four different tricks, it will be very difficult for the opponents to set you.

If you see a player pass in S2R2, it should mean they have Next covered, but are not strong enough to call. Because they have Next covered, they’re not forced to make a ridiculously thin call in Reverse Next — they can instead pass the call to the dealer, thereby removing the need to guess at the correct Reverse Next suit. Of course, this only works if their head is of approximately equal strength in both Reverse Next suits.

Coming back to trust: don’t let your partner get an STD (stick the dealer... focus on Euchre, please!). Seriously, don’t let them get stuck unless your hands are tied or you are approximately equal in Reverse Next and feel confident about stopping a Next march. If one of you has to guess, it might as well be you in S2. The reasoning: if someone has to guess anyway, you might as well take an opportunity away from S3. The only downside is if your hand is weak and S4 turns out to be strong.

I like this rule because it really puts pressure on you to act in R1 if the up-card is the best you have. It also requires a lot of trust in your partner to not leave you unprotected in R2 by passing dirty in R1. Now can you understand why I emphasized trusting your partner and not setting traps in the last article? In S2/S4, you are dealing, you have the advantage, and with that advantage comes the opportunity to make some thin calls. Thin calls require trust.

One way to look at it is that when your team is dealing, you are playing man-to-man defense. It’s the job of S4R1 to prevent S1R2 from easy Next points and the ever dangerous Next loner. The bonus here is that in S2R1 you get to help your partner in defending against S1R2 by ordering in R1 instead. In S2R2 your job is to guard against S3R2 calls. You need to be able to trust each other to do your jobs.

In short: from S2R2, don’t sit back waiting for a miracle. If you have fewer than two cards in Next, call Reverse Next. You’re guarding your team’s position and trusting your partner’s unseen strength more than your own hand.

Once you start recognizing when to call thin, the next level is spotting traps, both the ones others set, and the ones you accidentally lay for yourself.

It’s a Trap!

Yup, we’re still on S2R2! It’s one of the most layered and information-rich positions in the entire game, and we need to cover all aspects of it. 

By the time you get here, you’ve gathered a lot of information, and it’s your team’s last chance to go on offense. Sure, if you pass, it might get to S4... but think back to all those times you were the dealer and got stuck. Most of the time, a S4R2 call is defensive in nature. But more on that later.

Right now, let’s talk about the fact that you even got opportunity to call S2R2. Either S1 didn’t have enough to call Next (which, remember, has a low calling minimum), or they’re stronger in Reverse Next. Or both! But you do have to at least consider that this could be a trap.

Note: S1 not calling doesn’t mean they’re deliberately setting a deliberate trap. It could be that:

• Their Next hand was just shy of the calling minimum, or that their Reverse Next wasn’t quite strong enough to call.

• Their Next was just strong enough, but they also had enough strength in Reverse Next to block any loners or marches, so they didn’t need to risk forcing a weak Next call. That’s part of the power of Next.

• They’re strong in Next but don’t understand the concept well enough. Think of a hand like [R + 1 off-A]. That’s a very strong Next call that a surprising number of players still pass.

Sniffing out traps becomes especially important in competitive play. Here, players want to call, because they understand that the callers are at an advantage. And they want to call Next from S1R2. So if they pass, it usually means one of two things: they’re hoping S2 will call Reverse Next, or their hand is truly unplayable.

As I mentioned in the first S2R2 section, sometimes you’ll have to call extremely thin: two trump, or one trump with two off-aces, or even one trump if the situation demands it. Sometimes that risk is worth it. Sometimes you’re better off passing and hoping to escape with only a one lost point instead of two.

In short: a passed S1R2 might be baiting you into Reverse Next—but that doesn’t matter if your real threat is S3. Thin calls here protect your team from worse outcomes, even if you sometimes walk into a setup.

Still in S2R2, but now the silence at the table changes the math. When everyone hesitates, you’re reading probability, not just hands.

A Little Too Quiet!

If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably not going to like me very much. I started this whole section by talking about Reverse Next – how powerful it is, how it’s one of the sharpest tools in your kit. I emphasized the importance of trusting your partner and doing your job: guarding against S1 in R1 and S3 in R2. 

Then I shifted gears and planted suspicion in your mind: 

• Why did S1 pass in R2?

• Should we still make a thin Reverse Next call if S1 wasn’t strong enough in Next to call?

• Does that mean S1 is stronger in Reverse Next?

• Are they setting a trap?

  • Definitely, at some tables. We all know players who are religious about Next, so if they pass, you should be wary.

Now here’s the part you’re not going to like: there’s another wrinkle to consider. In S2R2, you’re caught between:

1. Your duty to protect your team from S3

2. Your duty to protect your partner from being stuck

3. The risk of walking straight into a trap set by S1

Don’t worry, though, this is a good wrinkle. In general, you don’t need to fear an S1 trap, especially if you trust your partner to do their job. You’re reading right: I’m telling you to walk right into that possible trap, because unless you have enough to cross the river (more on that below), your number-one priority is still to protect your team. So let’s sift through what you actually know, and how that impacts your decision. 

What you know:

• If nobody’s called, nobody is strong enough, even with the low calling minimums in S2 and S4.

• The logical assumption, based on position and probability, is that S1R2 will call Next. We’ve already covered why: S1R2 has even lower calling minimums than S2R1 or S4R1.

• But S1 passed in R2, meaning they couldn’t even meet those low minimums for a Next call. There are four main possibilities for why S1 might have passed:

1. They are setting a trap for you in Reverse Next.

2. They are hedging their bets because they aren’t strong enough to call anything, but they have all suits blocked.

3. Their hand just really SUCKS.

   • Note: their calling minimums are higher than ours. (Everyone’s thresholds are different, but this usually connects back to one of the first three reasons anyway.

• If your hand can’t block a S3 Next call, you should be making a Reverse Next call, regardless of why S1 passed.

What is all this information really telling you? You know your own hand, and by now you have some pretty solid insights into the other players’ hands. From that, you can start making logical leaps.

First, remember that your team wasn’t strong enough in the turned-up suit to make a call. If you had one or both jacks of that color, it wouldn’t take much more to justify ordering. So given that you didn’t, the power was handed to S1. But for whatever reason, they also passed. Going back to the four reasons S1 might have passed in R2, and also factoring in that S4 already turned down a color (which would have added trump and created a void), you can see that making a Reverse Next call from S2R2 neatly addresses reason 3 (a weak hand). For reason 2 (hedging their bets), calling your best Reverse Next, combined with help from your partner, still gives you a decent chance to score.

So even if S1 passed because they’re hedging their bets (2), you should still take your shot, rather than leave S4 to get stuck against a well-defended S1 hand. And that just leaves us with reason 1: S1 setting a trap.

But I’m going to stop talking about the S1 trap because it doesn’t matter. Let’s say S1 has a lot of Reverse Next, but is roughly balanced between both suits, and just not strong enough to call either. In that case, the right play for them is to pass and push the responsibility of declaring trump onto your team.

If you pass in S2R2, and S3 also passes, then S4 must call, and they already turned down one color. S1 gets to sit back and watch your team sweat, to later wreak havoc on whatever you end up calling. If that’s the situation, then fine. You’ll take S1 on in your best Reverse Next. The key takeaway here: the real position you should be afraid of is S3R2.

Here’s an example, and let’s say clubs is the turned-up suit. If S2 and S4 weren’t strong enough to order clubs, that tells you there’s a shortage of black jacks in that team. If S1 doesn’t call spades (Next), that suggests they aren’t strong in black either.

So look at your hand: if you’ve got only one (or zero... gulp) spades, and you trust your partner not to have passed a biddable hand just to set a Next trap, then where are all the spades?

Bingo! S3 has them. That’s why I kept lowering my minimum calling threshold in S2R2. Because when it got to me and I didn’t have Next, it meant S3 was sitting on all of them. Silence from S3 is telling.

So what should you do? You order Reverse Next and take your chances against S1, because we have no chance against S3 in spades.

Hopefully this discussion is helping you realize that every single action in Euchre gives you new information. The more aware you become of when, where, and how you are given that information, the better you’ll get at collecting it, wielding it, and vanquishing your foes.

So keep practicing. Even if the conclusions you draw turn out to be irrelevant (or worse, wrong), the process itself will still gradually build your skillset. Hone those instincts now so that when it does matter, you’ll be ready.

In short: silence tells stories. When everyone before you passes, it’s information, not comfort. If S1 and S4 both declined, assume S3 holds the power. Your duty is still to protect your team, even if that means guessing into Reverse Next. Trust the system you’ve built.

Sometimes the best Reverse Next is no Reverse Next at all. When your best hand lies across the color divide, it’s time to cross the river.

But Wait, There’s More!

After everything I said about making some really light Reverse Next calls in S2R2, sometimes the best move is actually to cross the river. In S2 and S4, crossing the river means calling Next. 

Generally speaking, when crossing the river, you should expect no help from your partner.

There are times when you can call Next from S2 offensively. The following example is a situation where you could call Reverse Next, but your hand in Next is much stronger:

With this hand:

1. You can expect to take three tricks on your own in diamonds.

2. You don’t want to give S3 or S4 the chance to call spades.

3. S1 has already shown some weakness in diamonds by not calling Next.

The path to three tricks here is pretty straightforward. In an ideal situation, S1 won’t lead clubs, so you take the first trick with your Qd. Then lead your 10c and see how the hand unfolds. From there, your goal is to position yourself so that you’re playing last in either the second or third trick. That way, your JAd combo becomes unstoppable for the point.

Other times, you might cross the river because Next is your best suit (as it would be in an offensive call) and the score makes it critical that you don’t let S3 call. In this case, it becomes more of a defensive call. Contributing to that decision might be the fact that you’re weak in one of the Reverse Next suits, and possibly even weaker in the other.

An example of this would be the following hand.

You can’t count on our partner for either of the red jacks, since they turned down the Kh in R1. But ideally, they have the Qd or 10d. You’re going to need some help here, and deciding how to play the hand is tricky.

Let’s say S1 leads the Ac, and you take it with your 9d. Now comes the dilemma: you need help from your partner, and they just turned down hearts. You might consider leading your 10h on the second trick. 

• The downside is that you called Next, and with the Kh buried, only the Ah, Qh, and 9h remain in play. While that might give your partner the best chance to use a trump if they have one, it’s also possible your opponents don’t have any hearts either.

• The flip side: by doing this, you’re banking on your partner not having a red jack, which means those jacks are likely in the opponents’ hands or the kitty. And you don’t want the opponents using those red jacks on two separate tricks, suggesting leading trump might be the safer play.

• Unfortunately, if you lead trump, you’re left with only one remaining.

Another option is to lead your Ad – your strongest card. 

• If S3 has a protected jack, they might play under your Ad lead, hoping S1 takes the second trick. Now you’re down to one trump, weak in your off-suits, and S3 gets to play after you with that final red jack.

• Another danger: S1 already showed weakness in Next, so what if S3 has both red jacks? You lead Ad on the second trick, they take it with the R, then use the L to pull your final trump (Kd) on the third.

A lot of this comes down to feel, but generally, you should play these hands in a way that gives your partner as many chances as possible to take a trick. That usually means:

1. Laying off on first street if anything but the Ac is led (second hand low), and

2. Leading weak off-suits after you pull trump.

Let’s take a moment to discuss second hand low. Usually, it comes up on the first trick, but you can “duck” as the second player on any trick. What it means is this: if your right-hand opponent (RHO) leads a non-boss off-suit card in a suit you’re void in, you intentionally don’t play your trump. Instead, you discard a weak card. A similar version is when your RHO leads a non-boss, non-trump card; in that case, you purposely play under, keeping your stronger card in that suit for later.

The goal of playing second hand low is twofold:

1. To give your partner a chance to take the trick.

2. To strengthen your own hand for later play.

Using the hand from this example: if S1 leads the Qc on the first trick, you’d play the 9s instead of trumping in. That gives your partner a chance to win the trick and voids you in clubs for later.

Now, let’s go back to the first example from this section:

Here, if S1 leads the Qc, instead of playing your Kc, using second hand low you could play the 10c. This way, if your partner has the Ac and a trump to lead back on the second trick, the only thing that can stop a march at that point is the opponents having a protected L.

Finally, there are times when you cross the river for a mix of both offensive and defensive play. It’s offensive because you see a clear path to scoring a point, and defensive because you’re preventing other suits from being called, either by S3 (to prevent loners or marches) or by S4 (so you don’t leave them hanging).

Typically, in these situations, you have little to no ability to stop or support play in those other suits, so crossing the river becomes the best way to protect your team and stay in control.

Let’s look at an example similar to the earlier defensive call, but this time, we’ll swap the 9s for an As.

In this situation, you’ll usually want to play second hand low on the first trick if the lead isn’t a boss card. However, there’s a strong case for trumping in on even a non-boss club lead on first street: now that you have the As, you can strengthen it by clearing out trump early. Either approach can work.

The argument against taking the trick on first street is that by doing so you:

1. Create a void, and

2. Give your partner a chance to take the trick (since they probably don’t have much else to contribute on this hand).

The bonus of ducking, especially if the lead is Qc, is that one of two good things happens:

• S3 wins the first trick, meaning you’ll play last on the second, or

• Your partner wins the first trick, leaving you with three trump and an off ace to take two of the next four tricks.

From there, any second-street lead, except another club (which is unlikely since you’ve shown a void) or a trump, should be winnable. But even a trump lead works in your favor, especially if your partner already won the first trick.

Now that you’re void in hearts, you can take a heart lead with trump, then bleed trump on the third trick. Or, if you take the second trick with your As, you still have three trump to close out the hand.

In general, when calling Next from S2R2, you need to be strong. Ideally, you’re holding at least three trump. There are exceptions, of course, but remember: you should decide before passing in R1 whether you’re prepared to call Next or pass in R2.

In short: calling Next from S2R2 is crossing the river, so you’re likely on your own. Make the call only when your Next hand clearly outshines Reverse Next, or when the score demands a defensive stop. Plan every trick knowing your partner’s help is minimal.

That covers the gauntlet of S2. Let’s slide clockwise to S3—where timing and defense intertwine.

Seat 3

S3R2 plays a lot like S3R1; you still need to be strong to make a call, but there are a few key differences to keep in mind:

• In S3R1, any order you make takes away your partner’s chance to call in S1R2. That’s not the case in R2. So if you’ve got a strong hand in either Next or Reverse Next, you can confidently make the call here.

• Since S1R2 already passed on Next, you’re free to call Reverse Next if your hand supports it.

  • But there’s a nuance here: if you’ve been paying attention to your partner’s tendencies and you know they rarely call Next without a traditionally strong hand, you can sometimes stretch a thin Next call in this position.

    • In this scenario, a thin S3R2 Next call becomes almost a defensive move. You might be able to score in Next, but more importantly, you’re also preventing the dealer from calling Reverse Next, which could be far worse.

Here’s what the table has already told us:

• S1 didn’t call Next → showing weakness in that color.

• S2 didn’t call Reverse Next → possibly indicating they’re stronger in Next.

So now it’s down to judgment: knowing when to be bold, and when to play with caution. If it gets to you in S3R2 and your hand looks balanced – maybe a jack and a couple of aces – it might make sense to stick the dealer and play for the set. Often when the dealer ends up stuck, it’s because nobody is particularly strong in any one suit.

In general, by the time we reach a S4R2 call, off-suit boss cards become even more valuable than they were in earlier rounds.

In short: S3R2 is about judgment. You’ve seen a lot, so use that info to make controlled, informed assessments. Strong Next or Reverse Next calls here block the dealer’s options. Balanced hands can stick the dealer to force the set.

After S3’s choices, all roads lead here: S4R2, the dealer’s last stand. What happens when everyone else has passed and the pressure lands on you?

Seat 4

Finally, we’ve made it to S4R2 – you’re stuck as the dealer. In high-level games, this doesn’t happen often. When it does, S4 is usually in one of two situations: either they’re thrilled (and someone before them clearly should have called), or they’re extremely weak.

If you’re happy it got to you, then great! The decision is easy. 

But what if you’re weak? It’s simple: just call your best suit. Whether it’s Next or Reverse Next, just call whatever gives you the best combination of trump and boss cards. If it’s close, the tiebreaker is the suit with the most trump, since that gives you more control.

But what if your best suit happens to be Next, and Reverse Next is close behind? The same rule applies: call your best. It’s perfectly fine to call Next from S4 because your partner already passed on Reverse Next in R2, which means they should be at least okay in Next, and probably weak in Reverse Next.

Now, like all things in Euchre, there are exceptions to this rule. Take the following situation, for example.

You certainly could make an argument for ordering here with two trump, an off-ace, and a three-suited hand. However, this is a good place to pass. Why? Because you’re well-positioned to block spades (with two trump and two off aces) and to be very helpful in Reverse Next for whatever your partner decides to call in R2.

That said, Next (spades) isn’t a bad call. Your partner’s pass in R2 tells you they probably aren’t terrible in Next, and neither opponent called Next, which likely (though not guaranteed) means they’re weak in black. From a numbers perspective, you could make the case that spades is your “best” suit, giving you a total of four strong cards (two trump + two boss cards).

But before deciding, let’s think it through:

• Diamonds gives you a total of three (two trump + one boss), but your trump there are very strong.

• Hearts also gives you three (one trump + two bosses), but that single trump is the R.

This is one of those hands that could go either way. You’re not weak in any suit, and you will probably score a point no matter what you call.

At this stage, the real decision revolves around your partner:

• Are they passing in R2 because they’re weak in Next?

• Are they avoiding making a thin Reverse Next call because they’re not comfortable with the risk, and relying on you for help?

• Or are they simply weak all around?

If you know my partner will usually call in S2R2 unless they have at least a solid Next hand, then you should call Next (spades) here, counting on their help, and on the weakness S1 and S3 have already revealed by passing.

But in every other case, you should call my best suit, which in this hand is hearts.

That might sound counterintuitive since spades totals four and diamonds three (with stronger trump). But in this situation, you can consider the R as worth two by itself, and hearts, to me, offers the clearest path to three tricks without any help.

Ultimately, the choice comes down to this question:

“Can my partner help me in spades, or do I need to do it all myself?”

It’s also important to consider that, by the time it gets all the way to S4R2, your aces become stronger than normal. That’s because if everyone else has already passed, it’s likely no one has a dominant suit, meaning your aces are less likely to be trumped.

In this hand, you’re hoping to first get the lead with one of your aces, then bleed trump with the R, and last, finish with a second ace that walks.

In short: when you’re stuck, call your best suit. Next or Reverse Next doesn’t matter. Trust the math: your partner’s pass means they’re probably fine in Next. Count trump, value your aces, and aim for control over flashiness.

Passing