Signature: This fast-paced card game uses a 32-card deck (all 2s through 6s are removed). Because it’s relatively easy, even new players have good odds of winning.
Origination: From where euchre descends isn’t known, but theories exist. One camp believes it derived from the Alsatian game jucker or the British game whist. Some argue it evolved from France’s ecarté, a descendant of the Spanish game triumph. A third group says it originated from an earlier game ruff, played in France and England.
According to Hoyle’s Rules of Games, in the United States, euchre originated among the Pennsylvania Dutch before 1864 and subsequently became one of the popular games in the Old West throughout the rest of the 19th century. At some point in the States, the joker card came to be used as a wild one.
Objective: The first player to reach a score of 5 (or another previously determined number) wins a game.
Current Status: Although the game evolved into bridge, in the last decade it’s made a comeback of sorts.