One Tuesday each month, a large group gathers at Embarcadero Center bar Patriot House to do something not commonly seen in the city: play euchre.
Euchre is a card game characterized by choosing a suit to be "trump." Two pairs of players compete to win the "trick," or hand of cards, by either playing the highest card of the suit being played or a trump card. it's usually played with a non-standard deck, consisting of the nines through the aces.
According to its Wikipedia entry, "Euchre appears to have been introduced into the United States by the early German settlers in the Midwest." That would explain its popularity there. CJ Sipos, who runs the euchre group at Patriot House, said if you're from a state or Canadian province (Ontario) that touches a Great Lake, "you probably play euchre."
Several players from Michigan showed up at the most recent euchre meeting, along with players from Chicago; Youngstown, Ohio; western Pennsylvania; and Toronto. "Growing up in Michigan, it's cold, so you stay inside all winter long playing cards," said Greg Tabar. He said euchre reminds him of home, and he can "commiserate" with others from the Midwest. (We even saw Sipos using his right hand as a map of Michigan, so you know he's a native.)
Debbie Gartner and CJ Sipos.
Others picked up the game in college or from friends. "I was in the Peace Corps [in Samoa], and a bunch of people in the Peace Corps were from the Midwest" and taught him to play, said Supy Tauthong.
Sipos took over the euchre group in the FiDi nine years ago, but it's been going since 2002 and touts itself as "the largest of its kind on the West Coast" on its Meetup page. The group also meets monthly at Pig & Pie in the Mission and the Pacific Coast Brewing Company in Oakland; the FiDi group usually gathers on the third Tuesday. "This one is great because it's a perfect location," Sipos says of Patriot House. "Centrally located."
At the most recent euchre night, Oct. 20th, more than two dozen people rotated in and out throughout the night. They pair up, four to a table, and the losers switch to other tables after a game (finished when a team wins 10 points) to "make it more social," said Micaiah Filkins. The group counts more than 400 members. "We generally get 25–30" on any given night, Filkins noted. "The biggest night we've had so far is maybe 45."
Because hands are quick and don't require serious concentration, euchre lends itself to social interaction. Tables this week were discussing the recent Canadian election, or work, or sports. And it's an easy game to pick up—Earl Gong from Daly City found the Meetup and read the rules online before joining recently. "I like playing games and I enjoy meeting people who like to play games," he said.
Thomas Hunter and Earl Gong.
The Meetup can go on for four or five hours, and visitors can stay as long as they like or just pop in for a few games. People make friends over cards; some have even started dating, Sipos said.
People from all walks of life congregate to play euchre, but one thing you won't see at the tables: Cell phones. They're banned, because it makes it easy to cheat. You can use them text your partner which cards you're holding or to track cards, said Thomas Hunter. That unplugged aspect is something many enjoy. "It lets you connect to other humans in a way you normally can't," he said.
