Stick the dealer

What stick the dealer means, why almost everyone plays it, how it changes bidding for all four players, and how to pick the least bad suit when you are stuck.

Stick the dealer means the dealer cannot pass in the second round of bidding and must name a trump suit if everyone else has passed twice. It is a regional variation rather than part of the standard rules, and it is played almost everywhere in the Midwest and Ontario.

Last updated 2026-09-06

Stick the dealer means that if all four players pass in round one and the first three pass in round two, the dealer is not allowed to pass. They have to name a trump suit, however bad their hand is.

Also called screw the dealer. The Official Rules of Common North American Euchre list it as a regional variation rather than part of the standard game, and it is played almost everywhere.

Why it exists

Without it, four passes and three more passes means a misdeal. The cards are reshuffled and the next player deals. That is thirty seconds of shuffling for nothing, and at a table of cautious players it happens constantly. Sticking the dealer guarantees every deal produces a hand.

It also makes the game better. Somebody has to commit, which means somebody can be euchred, which gives the defending team a real chance to score.

What it does to the bidding

If you are the dealer, your round one decision changes. Picking up a mediocre up card is often better than passing, because passing may leave you calling a worse suit with no exchange at all. Round one gives you a card and round two gives you nothing.

If you sit to the dealer's right, you have real power. Passing in round two forces the dealer to commit blind. When your hand is decent in two suits, passing and defending is frequently worth more than calling.

If the dealer is your partner, be more willing to call in round two yourself. Sticking your own partner puts them in trouble and you share the score.

If the dealer is an opponent, pass with a defensive hand and let them hang themselves.

How to pick when you are stuck

You have to name something. In order of preference:

1. Next, the suit of the same color as the turned down card. Its bowers are the ones nobody ordered up, so they are more likely to be spread out than sitting in one opponent's hand.
2. Your longest suit, even if the cards are small. Length beats a single high card when you are trying to scrape three tricks.
3. The suit where you hold a bower, even a lone left bower with support.
4. A green suit with an ace, if the above are empty.

Then play for the euchre to be cheap rather than for the point. Lead your longest trump early to force theirs out, and hope your partner has one of the top three. Euchre strategy covers why third seat should pass more often than it does, which is what put you here.

Two things people get wrong

Assuming a stuck dealer has a bad hand. Sometimes they were slow rolling a strong hand in round two, hoping to call the suit they actually wanted. Do not throw away a defensive trick on that assumption.

Forgetting your partner is stuck. If your partner is the dealer and you pass in round two, you have handed them a coin flip. Call the suit yourself if your hand is even close.

Turning it on here

Stick the dealer is on by default at every table on playeuchre.games, because that is how most people learned. It is a switch in the lobby, along with farmer's hand, the target score, and the Luke Deal mode. Change it before the first hand and the setting is remembered for your next table. How this site works walks through starting a table, and everything except live video is free.

FAQ

What does stick the dealer mean in euchre?

If everyone passes in round one and the other three players pass in round two, the dealer must name a trump suit and cannot pass. Their team then has to take three tricks or be euchred.

Is stick the dealer an official euchre rule?

It is listed in the official rules as a regional variation, not as part of the standard game, though it is played so widely that many people have never played without it. Without it, everybody passing twice is a misdeal and the next player deals.

What is the difference between stick the dealer and screw the dealer?

Nothing. They are two names for the same rule, and which one you hear depends on where you learned the game.

What should you call when you are stuck as the dealer?

Usually the next suit, meaning the same color as the card that was turned down, because its bowers are more likely to still be scattered. Otherwise call your longest suit rather than the one holding your single highest card.