User talk:Debra.chaney

History
My son, Joshua Chaney, his father, Pat Chaney, and I, Debbie Chaney, created a new twist on the three-player game of euchre. I do not know if we are the only people who have ever thought of the game but I can guarantee we developed it independent of any other source.

Our family is card and game players but we have always especially enjoyed playing euchre. Throughout the years, there were times when only 3 euchre players were available and we were forced to play a version of the game that we always called "Buck Euchre". The rules of the game that we learned are different than what I found on Wikipedia as more commonly associated with "Buck Euchre" so I will include those rules here too.

Our version of "Buck Euchre" is not nearly as fun as the partner play/strategy of the 4 player version of euchre. Our discontent with the three player euchre game is what drove the creation of BAD KITTY EUCHRE. We have now taught Bad Kitty Euchre to several other members of our family and it has become a family favorite. We have even passed it down to our next generation and now want to share it with everyone.

Cards with Ranking
Bad Kitty Euchre is a three-person trump game (buck euchre). The cards in play are the Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 10s of all suits for a total of 20 cards. Just like the conventional game, when a suit is called trump, the Jack of that suit is the highest ranking trump card and is called the Right Bower. Also, the Jack of the suit of the same color as the trump suit is the second highest trump card and called the Left Bower. For example, if hearts is trump, the Right Bower (highest trump card) is the Jack of hearts and the Left bower (second highest trump card) is the Jack of diamonds. The ranking of the other non-trump cards are in the usual order of Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10.

Dealing and Bidding
Each player is dealt 5 cards and the remaining cards (called the kitty) are put face down on the table. The card on top of the kitty is then turned face up. Bidding starts with the player to the left of the dealer with each player having a chance to call the suit of the face up card as trump or they can pass. Regardless of which player calls trump, it is the dealer that picks up the face-up card and discards another card from his hand face down on the kitty. If no player calls trump during the first round of bidding, the face up card is then turned over. During the second round of bidding, the player to the left of the dealer can choice to pass again or call another suit as trump (a suit different from one in round one). This round of bidding continues until trump is called or play reverts back to the dealer.

Bad Kitty Euchre Fun
This is the part where Bad Kitty Euchre differentiates from any other game of uechre. The dealer must call trump if no other player calls trump during the first or second rounds of bidding. This is commonly known as "Stick the Dealer". The twist in Bad Kitty Euchre is the dealer can choose to call trump using the hand he was dealt or he can swap his hand for the cards in the kitty and call trump with those. Note: Only if using the kitty hand is the dealer allowed to call any suit as trump.

Staying/Folding
The next round of play does not seem to be a part of most euchre games but it is a part of our "Buck Euchre". After trump has been determined, play starts with the player to the left of the player that called trump. Each player decides to play the hand, known as staying, or not playing the hand, known as folding. If no other player stays, cards are thrown in and play is scored.

Play
The player to the left of the dealer plays a card and the other players must play a card of the same suit if they have one (follow suit). If they do not have a card of that suit, they can choose to trump (play a trump card) or throw off (play a card that is neither trump of the suit led.) The player that takes the trick is the one who played the highest ranking card of the suit led unless the card was trumped, and then the trick is awarded to the player that played the highest ranking trump card. The player that took the trick then leads and play continues until all five cards have been played.

Scoring (Buck Euchre)
A point is awarded for each trick a player takes. If the player that calls trump fails to get at least 3 tricks, they are set or 'bucked'. If a player stays and fails to get at least 1 trick, they are also set. When a player is set, no points are awarded for tricks taken and 5 points are subtracted from their score. Any player that folded is awarded no points. First player to 15 points wins.

Family tradition is to score using X’s. It is much easier because it is more visual than mathmatic. Each player starts with 3 X’s and if they get set, another X is added. Each point is recorded as a dot in the middle of the X and on the 4 ends. The winner is the first player to fill their X's.

Variations
Dirty Spades: A family tradition in conventional euchre play is "Dirty Spades" so we had to incorporate this variation into Bad Kitty Euchre. In Dirty Spades, when a spade is turned up in the first round of bidding, spades automatically become trump. No bidding takes place and the dealer must pick up the card. In Bad Kitty Euchre, if the face-up card is any other spade besides the Jack of Spades, the dealer must get 2 tricks to not be set. If the card is the Jack of Spades, the dealer must get at least 3 tricks. All the other players are also forced to stay and must take at least 1 trick to not be set.

No Trump: This is a variation of the conventional euchre game that we also like to play in Bad Kitty Euchre. During the second round of bidding, the players are allowed to call No Trump. In No trump, there are no bowers and no trump cards. Therefore, each trick is awarded to the player who had the highest ranking card of the suit led.

Debra.chaney (talk) 12:16, 19 December 2014 (UTC)