01The decision
When you go alone, your partner sits the whole hand out. You play all five tricks yourself, with no partner's ace to bail you out. The payoff is simple:
- All five tricks
- 4 points, twice a normal march. This is why you go alone.
- Three or four tricks
- 1 point: a made hand, the same as calling with your partner.
- Two tricks or fewer
- Euchred: the defenders score 2.
For the full scoring, see the rules.
02The arithmetic
Weigh the two choices by what each is worth on average. The only difference is the reward for taking all five:
| You take | Alone | With your partner |
|---|---|---|
| All five tricks | 4 | 2 |
| Three or four | 1 | 1 |
| Two or fewer | They score 2 | They score 2 |
So going alone is right when your chance of taking all five on your own, times the extra two points, outweighs what your partner's cards would have added: the tricks they'd have won, and the euchres they'd have saved. Your partner can't help you sweep, but they can't hurt you either. The question is whether your hand is strong enough on its own.
03How strong is strong enough
Not every strong hand is a lone hand. What you need is control of trump, and something to win the tricks after trump is gone.
04When to go alone
These hands and situations favour a lone call:
- Both bowers and another trump
- Almost always go alone. You hold the top two trump, and a third to mop up.
- Right bower, ace of trump and an off-suit ace
- A strong lone hand. The bower and the ace pull the defenders' trump; the side ace takes a trick of its own.
- You lead the first trick
- When you sit on the dealer's left you lead first, and leading is a big advantage alone: you decide every trick from the start.
05When not to
Resist it in these spots. For reading the table before you call, see the bidding guide.
- At 9–9
- One point wins. Any call that takes three tricks ends the game, so don't risk a euchre on the last hand.
- Three low trump, no bower
- Your partner may hold the bowers. Together you might march; alone, you'll probably be euchred.
- At 8 points
- You need two, and a normal march gets them. The extra points for going alone are wasted.
- On defence
- You can't. Only the side that names trump may go alone (some tables allow defending alone; this one doesn't).
06Playing the score
The same four points mean different things at different moments in a game.
- You need four or more
- Going alone is the only way to win in a single hand. Lower your bar and take the risk.
- You need one or two
- Don't risk it without a monster. A normal call closes the game just as well.
- Early in the game
- More aggressive lone calls are fine. Four points early is huge, and a euchre isn't fatal.