EUCHRE - "LIVE" TOURNAMENTS

The Losers Lament (Summary)

TOP TEN EXCUSES
10.	My partner played like a "drib".
9.	The chairs were very uncomfortable.
8.	The opponents were using body language (signals)
7.	The Director made a bad ruling against us.
6.	There was an error on the scoresheet. (or maybe several errors)
5.	"I can't believe we got set on that hand, as the trumps were stacked against me"
4.	The room was (pick one) - too hot, too cold, poorly lighted, or had a bad smell
3.	"My partner was squeezed down to 2 Aces, and he threw the wrong Ace"
2.	I had (pick one) - a headache, backache, stomach pains, dizziness, blurred vision.
1.	"We lost because they had better cards" (the classic excuse)

As for "on line" games ,

The SafeHarborGames site has an excellent Euchre game. However,
I have seen many of the posts in other forums regarding the RDG, (Random deal Generator). the erratic deals, and how unlucky cards often decide the outcome of games. Maybe the RDG is good; however, there is no way to make all of the deals "equal". After all, are you going to deal one Jack to each player for every hand? How about dealing an ice cold Loner to one player and junk cards to all of the others every 4th hand? And, as you know, one bad hand at the end of a match can spell defeat! T he answer is very simple:

In "live" games, the same wailing and complaining is common!
Here is the 'cure" - the perfect medicine.

Duplicate Euchre ! (A "Comparison" Game)

The luck of the deal is HEREBY eliminated!

The concept has worked beautifully for the ACBL (American Contract Bridge League) for 75 years, and is the basis of all their events from the local club level to their national Championships.

Duplicate eliminates the luck of the deal, as your Team's (you and your partner) results for each and every hand are COMPARED to all of the other Teams who sit in the SAME direction. Each hand is its own separate entity. In "live" events, a game consists of 12 - 16 hands. North / South teams are stationary; East / West Teams move to the next highest # table to play one or two different hands against a new N / S pair. Duplicate is not played in a standard "Tens" format; instead, the hands are Match - Pointed, based on the results. If your side bids a Loner, and makes it, (and the other Teams did not bid the Loner) - you get the top score for that hand. Ditto if your side is the only Team which Euchres the opponents on another given deal. Given the fact that all Teams play the same hands at the same time (and then a new hand for each subsequent deal), there is no need to utter the nauseating familiar refrain - "We were so unlucky" !

As for 'on - line" games, the Duplicate format is ideal, as the computer automatically calculates and updates the score for each hand, as it is played. And you do NOT hear: "They had the better cards" !

I introduced my first Duplicate Euchre at a "live" event in London, Ontario (CA) in 1999, and I have conducted more than 25 "live" Duplicate tournaments since then. On line Euchre games can utilize the Duplicate format, and the results of each hand would be available immediately.

Duplicate works well for Bridge, Hearts, Spades, and Pinochle..

It does not work for Backgammon, Cribbage, and Chess (I wonder why)?

Any comments?

Have a nice Summer !