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Is this a common play say in bridge or some other euchre where players just randomly throw their last card in? I notice it's commonly done during a lone hand but also on regular play and I have to always defend that it was my lead.

Glorfindel
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Bill E Montgomery
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  • If the tricks stand at 3-1, then the outcome of the fifth trick does not matter -- 3-2 or 4-1 both score the same. So this is probably a common reason for everyone throwing in their last card. – John Gordon Feb 07 '23 at 21:59

2 Answers2

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It's common in all trick-based card games; since your 'move' is forced (you have to play the only card you're still holding), you're not giving away information to your opponents (or your teammate). By just playing your card the very moment the second-to-last trick is taken, you speed up the game.

Players who do this know who is in the lead; the player who took the second-to-last trick, not the one who throws his/her card first. They assume the other players know it, too. Even more: most of the times they probably already know who is taking the last trick, which can often be deduced by remembering cards played during previous tricks. E.g. it might be clear that there is one trump card left and only one person can have it.

If it's confusing you or one of the other players, e.g. because you/they are relatively new to the card game, just ask the out-of-order-throwing players politely not to do so. Card games are a social activity and if you ask nicely, they're likely to comply.

Glorfindel
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  • So your saying its ok to lead out of turn, these players dont confuse me but may confuse others who either arent playing because im alone or are new to the game I find this rude since you cant play out of turn any other time I cant see why they do it at the last. – Bill E Montgomery Aug 15 '19 at 06:58
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    It's OK if everybody knows what's going on; then it speeds up the game. – Glorfindel Aug 15 '19 at 07:11
  • How can it speed up the game when we both have 2 tricks and the last trick has to be played and people trying to make their ace good and you have to explain to people it was my lead, I dont care what you say its not right to play like that its inconsiderate and more proper to play what lead instead of people guessing whos trick it is. Just because its not cheating does not make it right. – Bill E Montgomery Aug 15 '19 at 12:33
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    @Glorfindel addressed this concern already. If everyone is aware of what is going on, then it speeds up the game. You're absolutely right that it slows it down if players are confused. In my games we rarely play hands past the third trick. If the side that has the highest trump left is the team that has two tricks in a two to one split then the hand is over. – LeppyR64 Aug 15 '19 at 13:08
  • It's right to play like that if everyone's okay with it and it's not right to play like that if somebody's not okay with it. If you're not okay with it, ask them to stop. – Tanner Swett Aug 15 '19 at 15:00
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    @BillEMontgomery If someone is trying to "make their ace good", then they're trying to cheat. That's an entirely different problem than everyone throwing their last cards in on the last trick, and definitely behavior worth calling out. – afrazier Aug 15 '19 at 15:16
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    It's common since their move is forced, and so is everybody else's. If there was a player who did have more than one choice, then playing out-of-turn might show hidden information, even if the move showing it was forced in itself. – ilkkachu Aug 15 '19 at 17:41
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    It's not so much that they are playing out of order as they are revealing their play ahead of time because they know that a) their play will not be changed based on what the people ahead of them play and b) the people ahead of them will not change their plays based on their play. By revealing the plays ahead of time, it allows the table to process all the plays more rapidly. – Arcanist Lupus Aug 16 '19 at 06:57
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    Could you explain "trying to make their ace good"? In trick taking games, the order the cards are laid down in doesn't affect who wins the trick... – AakashM Aug 16 '19 at 13:25
  • Maybe claiming that their ace was the same suit as the leading card? – Glorfindel Aug 16 '19 at 14:14
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    Just because the not-leader puts their A of Diamonds on the table before anyone else does not mean diamonds is led. The suit played by you (if it's your lead) is the suit that is led. Nobody can "make their ace good" by putting their card down first. All that can happen when anyone plays out of turn is that others can change their mind about what to play -- and on the last play, that's not possible since they have no choice what to play. – Kate Gregory Aug 16 '19 at 14:24
  • I can think of at least one trick based game where this would not work: Rage. It has Joker cards that can take any suit/ color and therefore order is important (and there are cards as well which disable trumps for a round) – Zibelas Feb 04 '23 at 09:21
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    @Zibelas There are always exceptions to a rule. – Joe W Feb 04 '23 at 15:02
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It is not that everyone throws the last card it is usually one person doing this and with people trying to learn and older people who can't see or hear that good as well as other issues like concentration etc.

We all can't be experts or play super fast. Older folks don't like to play like that and people who are just learning don't get that way of playing until they understand better. It's ok to play like that at home but at a tournament or even regular play there are rules to follow. It may sound odd to an experienced player, but you have to remember there are new players or older players that are not on the fast track.

Most people don't play like that so when one person throws it in. I can see if some throws in the right bower or gets last trick but this is not a euchre where once you are euchred, they throw the hand in.

Toon Krijthe
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Bill E Montgomery
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    The user is clearly asking about the situation where everyone does throw in their last card each. They are not claiming that every single player that ever exists does play like this, or that all players who have ever done it will do it in every hand. This doesn't appear to answer the question at all, and is instead merely commentary on people with that style of play. – Nij Aug 19 '19 at 05:26
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    @Nij - the user is the author of both the question and answer... – The Chaz 2.0 Aug 19 '19 at 17:50
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    Yet the question has a pretty clear intended meaning, as written, which the answer seems to go sideways from. At best that suggests they don't fully understand the situation they're asking about; at worst that the entire post was disingenuous. @TheChaz2.0 – Nij Aug 19 '19 at 19:39
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    This is a rant, not an answer. Stack exchange is a place for Q&A - questions and answers. If you want to argue that someone is doing something wrong, and convince them of that, go talk to them, not to us! – AndyT Aug 20 '19 at 09:51
  • ok lets drop this since you all think its ok and im just ranting because I dont agree with you............i just dont see anything wrong with leading in turn so its the normal way of playing but thats ok lets drop it since you will never see my side of it. – Bill E Montgomery Aug 21 '19 at 14:07
  • @BillEMontgomery - This is nothing to do with agreeing with you or not, it is to do with what this site is for: Q&A, not discussion forum. – AndyT Aug 22 '19 at 15:33
  • OK I was wrong I was always taught to play whats lead and play in turn but you say its ok to fling out your last card randomly out of turn ok I did not think thats how to play but I learn something new thanks for telling the aspects of playing euchre. – Bill E Montgomery Aug 23 '19 at 20:52
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    I really need to disagree here - older folks are most likely to play like this, my grandfather is usually the first card on the table in the last trick in euchre, older people who play these games tend to be more experienced in them (having played them longer) and understand play order doesn't matter on the last trick, since it's pure forced. – Andrew Jan 06 '21 at 18:54
  • Where I play euchre the main ones who play like that are bridge players very few regular euchre players play like that, if you are a card shark count the cards etc, thats different. Its similar to saying throw the cards in once you are euchred theres no sense playing if you are euchred however for player who are slower and dont play like that I dont see why it must be played that way not every one pays that much attention they figure who ever led the card must have taken the last trick, when playing with older folks some are deaf or poor eyesight and sometimes in confused for various reasons – Bill E Montgomery Jan 07 '21 at 20:07