What Is Stick the Dealer?

In standard euchre, if all four players pass in both rounds of calling, the hand is thrown in and the cards are redealt to the next player. Stick the dealer changes this: if all four players pass through Round 1 and three players pass in Round 2, the dealer is forced to name a trump suit. No re-deals.

This rule is also called screw the dealer in some regions. It is the most widely used house rule in euchre — so common that many players consider it a core rule rather than a variant.

Why Stick the Dealer Exists

Re-deals are the enemy of good euchre. Here is why most groups have adopted stick the dealer:

It Keeps the Game Moving

A re-deal means shuffling, cutting, and dealing again with no points scored. In a social game, this kills momentum. In a tournament with a time limit, re-deals waste precious minutes.

It Creates Strategic Depth

Without stick the dealer, passing is always safe — worst case, the hand gets re-dealt. With it, every pass has consequences. Players in seats 1–3 must weigh whether to call on a moderate hand or pass and potentially let the dealer be stuck with a worse hand (good for the dealer’s opponents) or a better hand (bad for them).

It Reduces Luck

Re-deals give the next dealer different cards, resetting the hand randomly. Stick the dealer forces players to make the best of what they have, rewarding skill over luck.

How the Rule Works in Practice

The calling sequence with stick the dealer:

  1. Round 1: Card is turned up. Starting left of the dealer, each player calls or passes on the turned-up suit. If anyone calls, the hand is played. If all four pass, the card is turned down.

  2. Round 2: Starting left of the dealer, each player names any suit except the turned-down suit, or passes. If anyone in seats 1–3 calls, the hand is played.

  3. Dealer forced call: If it reaches the dealer in Round 2 with three passes, the dealer must name a suit (not the turned-down suit). No pass. No re-deal.

The hand is then played normally with the stuck dealer’s team as the makers.

Strategy Changes Under Stick the Dealer

This rule fundamentally changes how every seat behaves in Round 2.

Seats 1–3: The “Pass and Punish” Strategy

If you hold a moderately weak hand in Round 2, passing becomes attractive:

  • You avoid calling on a marginal hand (risking a 2-point euchre)
  • The dealer is forced to call on what might be a worse hand — and your team gets to defend with 2 points on the line
  • If the dealer gets euchred, your team earns 2 points for doing nothing

This is called “leaning on the dealer” or “passing it through.” It is a legitimate strategy, but it has a risk: the dealer might actually have a reasonable hand and make the call successfully.

When to pass-and-punish:

  • Your hand has no bower and only 1 trump card
  • You suspect the dealer has a weak hand (they turned down in Round 1)
  • Two points from a euchre would be very valuable at the current score

When NOT to pass:

  • You actually have a decent hand — call it yourself to control the trump choice
  • Your partner is the dealer — do not stick your own partner
  • The score is tight and you cannot afford to gamble on the dealer failing

The Dealer: Stuck But Not Helpless

Being stuck as the dealer is not ideal, but it is not a death sentence. If you know standard euchre, stick the dealer requires only a small strategic adjustment.

1. Call Your Longest Suit

If you have 2 cards in spades, 1 in hearts, and 2 in clubs (with diamonds turned down), call the suit where you have the most cards, especially if one of them is a bower or Ace.

2. Consider the “Next” Suit

The next suit is the same color as the turned-down suit:

  • Hearts turned down → Diamonds is “next”
  • Diamonds turned down → Hearts is “next”
  • Spades turned down → Clubs is “next”
  • Clubs turned down → Spades is “next”

Why next? The player who turned down the card might hold the Jack of the turned-down suit. If the next suit is called, that Jack becomes the Left Bower — a powerful hidden asset, potentially in your partner’s hand.

Example: Hearts was turned down. You are stuck as dealer with no clear strength. Calling diamonds means the J♥ (if your partner has it) becomes the Left Bower. If your partner turned down hearts because they had the J♥ but not enough supporting hearts, diamonds activates their strongest card.

3. Use the “Green” Suit as a Backup

“Green” means the opposite color from the turned-down suit:

  • Red turned down → call a black suit (green)
  • Black turned down → call a red suit (green)

If the next suit does not work for your hand, green is the alternative. It is less likely to activate a hidden bower in your partner’s hand, but if your own cards are stronger in the green suit, call it.

4. Never Call the Turned-Down Suit

This is literally against the rules. In Round 2, the suit that was turned down cannot be called by anyone, including the stuck dealer.

The Stuck Dealer’s Survival Guide

When you are forced to call, your mindset should be damage control:

  • Best case: You have a reasonable hand and make it for 1 point.
  • Neutral case: You get euchred but the hand would have been a re-deal anyway.
  • Worst case: You call into a trap and get euchred when you could have done better.

Minimum Viable Hands

When stuck, even these marginal hands are worth calling:

  • 1 bower + any other trump — The bower gives you 1 guaranteed trick, and 1 more trump helps
  • Ace of a suit + 2 others in that suit — Three cards in one suit is a foundation, even without a bower
  • 2 trump of any rank — Better than 1, better than none. Sometimes it works.

What If You Truly Have Nothing?

If your hand has no bower, no Ace, and scattered low cards, call the next suit and hope your partner has the hidden Left Bower. It is a gamble, but it is your best option.

How Stick the Dealer Affects Other Seats

Seat 1 (Eldest Hand)

In Round 2 under stick the dealer, Seat 1 knows that if they pass, the hand will still be played (the dealer will be stuck). This means:

  • Call if you have genuine strength — do not let the dealer call your best suit in a different direction
  • Pass if marginal — the dealer might get stuck with worse cards

Seat 2 (Dealer’s Partner)

You have a conflict of interest: passing sticks your partner with a forced call. Be more willing to call in Round 2 with moderate hands to protect your partner from a bad forced call.

Seat 3

Like Seat 1, you benefit from the dealer being stuck. But if the dealer is competent, they will make the best call available. Do not assume the dealer will fail — if you have a playable hand, call it yourself.

Stick the Dealer in Tournaments

Most organized tournament play includes stick the dealer because:

  • Games have time limits — re-deals waste time
  • It adds a skill element — forced calls reward better hand evaluation
  • It reduces the “pass every marginal hand” meta that slows play

Some tournaments also pair stick the dealer with the Farmer’s Hand rule (allowing a re-deal if a player has no face cards), since that is a genuinely unplayable situation that differs from a merely weak hand.

Common Stick the Dealer Mistakes

  1. Sticking your own partner — If you are Seat 2 with a playable hand, call. Do not pass and force your partner into a worse call.
  2. Panicking as the stuck dealer — A forced call is not a death sentence. Call the next suit, play smart, and your partner often has hidden strength.
  3. Always passing to Seat 4 — Experienced players in seats 1–3 recognize that passing every marginal hand is predictable. Sometimes calling with moderate strength surprises the opponents.
  4. Ignoring the next suit pattern — The “next” call is statistically favored when stuck. Do not call randomly.
  5. Calling too aggressively before the dealer — If you have a strong hand, call it. But do not force a marginal call just because you are afraid of the dealer getting stuck — let the system work.

What to Learn Next

Stick the dealer changes trump calling strategy at every seat. Understanding the full calling decision makes stick-the-dealer situations far less stressful. For defensive play against a stuck dealer, check our defense guide — euchring a forced call is one of the most reliable paths to 2-point swings.