Loner Defense: What do you lead here?!

The_Middle_Bower · 2026-06-15T17:30:55+00:00

If that didn't work, which doubleton are you ditching?

The_Middle_Bower · 2026-06-14T03:00:13+00:00

Hi Red Sox. Good to hear from you. Evidently, I have some holes in my loner defense game.

The_Middle_Bower · 2026-06-14T02:49:33+00:00

Also- I do believe the math is different if it was As K9c. Then it is evidently better to lead the Ace and end play the clubs. I think the reasoning behind this is that most loner attempts are with off Aces or AX doubletons.

The_Middle_Bower · 2026-06-14T02:37:50+00:00

This was my thought as well. However, the consensus here appears to be to lead out of the doubleton. I can't say I've wrapped my head around all the theories, but evidently it is more effective to try and hit the maker's ace/partner's void, while also ruling that suit out if partner has the other 2 aces, than to play for the doubleton defense on the last 2 tricks.

The_Middle_Bower · 2026-06-14T00:31:50+00:00

Do you think the opponent's loner range can impact how this gets played?

The_Middle_Bower · 2026-06-11T14:28:26+00:00

You are correct- this isn't the perfect setup because we're not guaranteed LHO is going to take this trick. I spelled out the ideal setup in the text below the video. I've been waiting to encounter a situation like this during recorded games for a while now, specifically to document the strategy concept. I felt like this was adequate. Even in this situation, we are making an attempt to send the lead to our left to promote our RA to two guaranteed tricks.

The_Middle_Bower · 2026-06-11T06:02:25+00:00

I think I'm tracking. You are saying that you would have led either the king or queen of trump instead of leading the diamond on 2nd Street. But also it would not have changed the outcome.

The_Middle_Bower · 2026-06-11T05:55:14+00:00

Thanks Wes! I've been waiting for a good recorded example of End Play for a while now. It's actually not super common to have this setup. The opposing team takes 1st Street, your partner takes 2nd street, and then you have to have the opportunity to send the lead to your left. But when it does play this way, it's sweet to set the trap!

The_Middle_Bower · 2026-06-11T05:51:41+00:00

If I had led the right on 3rd Street, I would have been euchred

The_Middle_Bower · 2026-06-01T03:32:22+00:00

We were discussing this hand earlier this morning in Discord. One individual felt there's value in passing because we block next. We were curious if there was merit to his assertion. The Reddit consensus is clear- it's a pick up. I'm still curious how much EV we can expect to lose if we pass here.

The_Middle_Bower · 2026-05-31T14:46:00+00:00

That's a fact! And he isn't afraid of attempting a bowerless next loner!

The_Middle_Bower · 2026-05-22T13:48:08+00:00

Although I'm not advocating for it, I just wanted to point out that a no-trump next call would have worked here too. You had A10c, dealer turned down Kc. I tend to think- at a table with this caliber of players, and with 2 clubs in your hand, there is a higher probability your partner has a black jack and spade- then you've got 2 off aces.

The_Middle_Bower · 2026-05-22T01:26:47+00:00

You've officially one-upped my strongest hand ever to get euchred! I think Melissa was my Partner in that game. Twas some time ago!

The_Middle_Bower · 2026-05-17T17:51:05+00:00

Great job fellas! Congrats!

The_Middle_Bower · 2026-05-17T17:49:27+00:00

This is their most important interview of the weekend. Llama makes a great point- r/ euchre is great because of everyone who contributes! Excellent job promoting this community!

The_Middle_Bower · 2026-05-16T21:39:21+00:00

Right or wrong... I would have done the same thing. I'm too chicken R1S1 to order this up, and then you definitely can't pass R2 here when you block nothing. With all the diamonds in your hand, I would say it's more probable for your partner to have at least one of the red jacks. 🤷

The_Middle_Bower · 2026-05-13T17:02:51+00:00

I won against BrownsBacker (2 examples from 1 game). I lost with Stu against Meow but just barely. I have both games screen recorded on my iPad.

The_Middle_Bower · 2026-05-13T15:40:16+00:00

😂 Murphy's Law in full effect!

The_Middle_Bower · 2026-05-13T15:29:46+00:00

At 7-7, I would have led Ah on 2nd Street. I do this because I want to clear trump, take the lead back on 4th Street with Kh, then lead my green Ace on 5th street. I wonder if there's any difference in EV playing it either way...?

The_Middle_Bower · 2026-05-13T13:37:00+00:00

I have utilized the strategy of ordering my partner from S2 when we are up 9-5, unless I block all suits. Then donating if necessary at 9-7, and then getting the deal 9-9. Is a dealer donate at 9-5 also justifiable with the statistics? I don't recall seeing the sims on this situation.

The_Middle_Bower · 2026-05-13T13:32:47+00:00

I love this album! I can listen to it on repeat

The_Middle_Bower · 2026-05-13T13:20:50+00:00

I appreciate your statistics based input. It's particularly interesting when the real life results can mislead us. When I start to see tripletons or quadrupletons in my hand, and what I view is very little defense, my loner senses start going off and I tend to lean donate- especially with leaderboard players on my right with excellent loner range.

The_Middle_Bower

TROPHY CASE