Most common card games

Canadians are a remarkably fun-loving people, and like all fun-loving people, the ways in which they entertain themselves can run the gamut. Maybe it’s due to the lengthier winters, but, especially when it comes to indoor games, the sky is the limit. From balderdash to cribbage, Canadians love to gather together for a friendly indoor board game or card game.

Whether you’re hoping to gain some Canadian friends on your trip to Niagara and you want to be able to hold your own should you all sit down to a game, or you just want to get a feel for what many of the locals enjoy doing in their spare time, here is a look at how to play the game of euchre, arguably Canada’s most popular card game.

The Game

A four person, partnered card game that’s played with a reduced deck, there are almost as many forms of euchre in Canada as there are hockey teams in the NHL. The most popular one, however, is the British form of the game. The deck is comprised of all the aces, kings, queens, jacks, tens, and nines, plus one joker. Five cards are dealt to each of the four players, and the goal for each partnered team of two is to take at least three out of the five tricks.

After the deal, the next card in the deck is turned over. At this point, the player to the left of the dealer can select that card’s suit as trump for the hand, or she can pass to the player on her left. If all the players pass, then the card is turned over, and each player now has a chance — in turn — to call up a different suit that then becomes trump. If all players pass, and the choice ends up with the dealer, he has to choose a suit that then becomes trump.

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