The card game known as 500 formerly called Euchre, is thought to have originated from a former province of France known as Alsace sometime during the French Revolution in 1789. There are some historians who believe that the game is actually a descendent of the Spanish game Triomphe.
For a short while the game was also known as Ruff. Even though that name faded out rather quickly, the phrase “to ruff”, or trump, is still well known today. Although the game had been in existence for more than 100 years, in 1904 the game was formally invented and copyrighted as 500 by the United States Playing Card Company.
The card game of 500 is a trick-taking game. There is a variation on the rules of 500. The most common game usually consists of 4 players playing in partnerships of 2, although the game can be played with 2-6 players. A breakdown on how to play the game with 2, 3, 5 and 6 players will be noted later on.
When playing in groups of 4, a deck of 43 cards is used. A joker is included and the 2’s, 3’s, and black 4’s are removed. 10 cards are then dealt to each player and 3 cards are dealt face-down on the playing surface to form the “kitty” (also known as the “widow” and the “blind”).
If a deck of 45 cards is used, the 4’s are not removed, each player is still dealt 10 cards and the “kitty” gets 5 cards instead of 3.
The game has somewhat evolved since its arrival in the late 1700’s. There are a large number of different versions and alternate rules for the game. Many of the variations are specific to a particular region. For instance, in the U.S. one popular variation is “Stick the Dealer” or “Screw the Dealer”, depending on the players.
In this version the dealer is forced to call trump if no suit is chosen after the second round of bidding. Another popular version is known as “Farmer’s Hand” or “No Ace No Face No Trump”, which allows a player with a bad hand to force a re-deal, or exchange his low cards for the kitty or blind. In Australia and New Zealand, it is common to play with 11 points rather than 10. In southwestern England and Guernsey, the joker is sometimes played as the highest trump. The game 500 has spanned out with variations in strategies, rules, game objectives and number of players. Other card games that may have been originally tied to 500 are Rummy 500, Partnership Rummy 500, Euchre and Contract Bridge.
There are many variations to 500 and many proven strategies for each. The most important things to consider when playing 500, or any card game, is to pay attention, stay focused, stay in sync with your partner(s), always remember the highest unplayed card in each suit and play your hand accordingly, Don’t be afraid to call trump early on in the game if you have some really good high cards, and most importantly, have fun!!
Oscar
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