That’s putting it lightly. Euchre, despite utilizing only the nines through aces of a deck, is more complicated than most 52-card games. But once we figured it out, we were hooked on a fast-paced game that’s always exciting and sociable.

In euchre, you and your partner, sitting across from one another, face off against another twosome with everyone, partner or not, going into the hand knowing only the cards that they’ve been dealt. The object of the game is to be the first team to score ten points. Points are awarded for winning hands; hands are won by winning tricks; tricks are won with “trump.” Get all that?

Perhaps it’s best to start with the game’s unique card hierarchy. For each hand, one of the four suits (spades, clubs, hearts, diamonds or purple horseshoes—almost got ya) is considered trump, or the supreme master suit. If, say, hearts is trump, the best cards in the game, in order, are the jack of hearts, the jack of diamonds (because it’s the jack of the other suit of the same color), ace, king, queen, ten and nine of hearts. Over in the other suits, the best card is the ace; the jacks are just so-so, and so on.

As confusing as this sounds, a few hands (check the euchre Wikipedia page for more details) will get you thinking in trump terms. Of course, you’re bound to make a few rookie mistakes. We’ve come across folks forgetting that the other jack (known as the “left,” with the top jack becoming the “right”) is actually considered a trump for the duration of the hand. Players have to follow suit when throwing cards, so often newbies will toss the jack of diamonds instead of another diamond they’re holding. They may also get so excited about their hand that they blurt out how good it is to the table (don’t). Covertly trying to signal your partner, (table talk) is also a no-no.

Jannusch warns that there are rules of etiquette too, including excessive pausing before making decisions. Most players get anxious to keep the game moving. One time, when the cards were coming our way and we were putting thought into our moves, our bitter opponents started eyeing our shuffles and glances to see if we were up to no good. We weren’t; they lost.

If you want to get your feet wet and avoid the stink eye, head to one of the four weekly events held by the 20-year-old Euchre Club of Chicago (euchrechicago.org). Bonus if you don’t know anyone; partners rotate every game, which may lead to a little something-something.

Once you’re familiar with the game, it’s time to shake it up. Lisa Yee, who runs the Chicago Euchre Club Meetup group, plays what’s called “progressive euchre”—after a few hands, you, your partner, hell everyone at your table rotates, which revs up the social angle. There should be aggression in the way you play the cards, though. Yee’s advice to players echoes that of Jannusch and Hall, as well as anyone who needs really bad hairdo tips: Call trump.

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