Going Alone in Euchre — When to Risk a Loner and When to Keep Your Partner

What Going Alone Means

When a player on the making team declares they are going alone, their partner sits out the hand. The lone player plays all 5 tricks by themselves — 1 hand against 2 opponents.

If the lone player takes all 5 tricks, the team earns 4 points instead of the usual 2 for a march. If they take 3 or 4 tricks, the team earns only 1 point. If they take fewer than 3, the team is euchred and the opponents score 2 points.

The scoring implications make this the most impactful single decision in euchre. A 4-point swing can end a game from 6 points or turn a deficit into a lead.

The Risk-Reward Math

Going alone is an asymmetric bet. Here is the comparison:

The only bonus is on the march (all 5 tricks). Taking 3 or 4 pays the same either way, and being euchred costs the same. So the question reduces to:

Is the extra 2 points from a lone march worth losing your partner’s help?

Break-Even Analysis

Suppose you estimate your team will march with your partner. That is 2 points guaranteed. Going alone instead gives you:

• P(lone march) × 4 + P(3–4 tricks alone) × 1 + P(euchred alone) × (–2)

If there is an 80% chance you take all 5 alone and a 20% chance you take only 3–4:

• Expected value alone: (0.80 × 4) + (0.20 × 1) = 3.4 points
• Expected value with partner: 2.0 points (guaranteed march)
• Going alone is better.

If there is a 60% chance of taking all 5 alone, 25% chance of 3–4, and 15% chance of euchre:

• Expected value alone: (0.60 × 4) + (0.25 × 1) + (0.15 × −2) = 2.35 points
• Still better than 2 — but the margin is thin and subject to variance.

If there is a 50% chance of all 5, 25% of 3–4, and 25% of euchre:

• Expected value alone: (0.50 × 4) + (0.25 × 1) + (0.25 × −2) = 1.75 points
• Worse than keeping your partner for a 2-point march.

Rule of thumb: Go alone when you estimate at least 60–65% chance of taking all 5 tricks without your partner. Below that, the partnership march is more reliable.

Hands Worth Going Alone

Tier 1: Almost Automatic Loners

These hands should go alone nearly every time:

• Right Bower + Left Bower + Ace of trump + any two cards — Three top trump cards. Opponents have at most 4 trump between them (King, Queen, 10, 9). You will win the first 3 tricks with trump and likely sweep from there.
• Right Bower + Left Bower + Ace of trump + King of trump — Four of the top 5 trump. This is as close to a guaranteed lone march as euchre allows.
• Both bowers + 3 other trump — Five trump cards. Opponents share only 2 trump. You win every trump trick and have nothing left to lose.

Tier 2: Strong Loners

These are excellent loner candidates but have slight risk:

• Right Bower + Ace of trump + King of trump + off-suit Ace + any card — Three strong trump plus a side winner. The 5th trick depends on your remaining card.
• Both bowers + 2 mid-trump (Q, 10) + off-suit Ace — Four trump including both bowers plus an off-suit winner. Very strong.
• Right Bower + Left Bower + 2 off-suit Aces + any card — Only 2 trump, but they are the 2 best. Your Aces need to hold up for the other tricks. Risky if opponents are void early.

Tier 3: Borderline — Think Before Calling

These hands sometimes work and sometimes do not:

• Left Bower + Ace of trump + King of trump + off-suit Ace + mid card — No Right Bower means the opponents might win a trump trick. If the Right Bower is in the kitty, you are fine. If an opponent holds it, you lose a trick.
• Right Bower + 2 mid-trump + 2 off-suit Aces — Only one strong trump card. Off-suit Aces can be trumped by a void opponent.

For Tier 3 hands, consider the score before deciding. At 6–8 points where a loner wins the game, the extra risk is worthwhile. At 2–3 points, keep your partner and take the safer 2-point march.

When NOT to Go Alone

Your Partner Likely Has Strength

If your partner ordered up the card (Round 1) or called the suit (Round 2), they are telling you they have trump. Adding your trump to theirs makes a march near-certain. Going alone throws away their contribution for no reason — you were getting 2 points anyway.

Exception: If you hold both bowers and your partner ordered up on the strength of mid-trump and the kitty card, your hand is so dominant that the loner is still justified.

Off-Suit Aces Are Your Main Tricks

Off-suit Aces are strong but fragile. They lose to any trump card from a void opponent. In a normal 4-player hand, the chance of someone being void in a side suit is moderate. In a loner (1 vs. 2), each opponent has more cards proportionally, so voids are slightly less common — but 2 opponents both getting a crack at your Ace increases the combined chance of a trump-in.

If more than 2 of your 5 tricks rely on off-suit Aces, keep your partner.

The Score Does Not Justify It

Going alone at 1–3 points (needing 7–9 more to win) provides no game-ending benefit. A failed loner that euchres you for 2 points is a devastating swing early in the game when many hands remain. The 4-point bonus is most valuable when it ends the game or brings you to the brink.

Opponents Are Strong Defensively

If the opponents passed reluctantly or one of them considered calling, they may have defensive trump. Two opponents with even 1 good trump each can take 2 tricks between them — enough to euchre you.

Positional Considerations

Going Alone from Seat 1 (Eldest Hand)

You lead the first trick. This is an advantage because you can lead your best trump immediately and start pulling opponent trump. Seat 1 loners succeed slightly more often because you control the pace.

Going Alone as Dealer

The dealer (Seat 4) has exchanged a card in Round 1, so the decision is well-informed. If the pickup gave you a powerhouse, going alone from the dealer seat is strong. You also saw three other players pass, which suggests trump is concentrated in your hand.

Going Alone from Seat 2 or 3

These middle positions are neither advantaged nor disadvantaged for loners. The standard hand-strength evaluation applies. Seat 2 (dealer’s partner) sometimes goes alone after the dealer turns down but the player holds a strong hand in another suit for Round 2.

How Opponents Defend Against Your Loner

Understanding opponent defense helps you evaluate your loner’s chances:

1. They only need 1 trick to deny you the 4-point bonus. Your march must be bulletproof.
2. They will lead their strongest card — usually an off-suit Ace or their best trump.
3. They play independently — without their partner, defenders are discoordinated, which actually helps them (two independent chances to win a trick).

Against strong defensive leads, your off-suit cards are most vulnerable. This is why trump-heavy hands make better loners than Ace-heavy hands.

The Score-Dependent Loner Decision

The game state should always influence your decision. A loner that wins the game justifies more risk than one that merely adds to a comfortable lead.

Common Loner Mistakes

1. Going alone on one bower and off-suit Aces — Those Aces can be trumped. You need trump depth.
2. Going alone when your partner called trump — Your partner has strength. Use it.
3. Ignoring the score — A loner at 2 points is a gamble; a loner at 7 points is a game-winner.
4. Not counting your sure tricks — Loners need all 5 tricks. Count every one before committing.
5. Going alone on every strong hand — Sometimes the safe 2 points is better than the risky 4. Two 2-point marches get you to 10 the same as one loner plus a regular call.

Quick Loner Checklist

Before declaring a loner, quickly verify:

• Do I have at least one bower? (Ideally both)
• Can I count 4+ sure tricks from my hand alone?
• Is my 5th trick reasonably secure (not just an off-suit mid-card)?
• Does the score make 4 points significantly more valuable than 2?
• Did my partner not call or order up (meaning their hand is likely weak)?

If you check 4 of 5, go alone. If only 2–3, keep your partner.

What to Learn Next

If you are not going alone, the hand still matters. Learn what to lead as the maker, how to defend against loners when the opponents go alone, and how scoring shapes every hand decision.