Next and Reverse Next
What is “Next”
The core idea of Next in Euchre is deceptively simple: when the dealer turns down a suit, the player to the dealer’s left may call trump in the other suit of the same color during the second round of bidding (R2). If hearts are turned down, diamonds are Next. If clubs are turned down, spades are Next. Reverse Next is the two suits in the opposite color of the turned-up card.
The power of Next comes from the information created by the dealer’s pass. The dealer has the first opportunity to strengthen their team by picking up the turned-up card. Declining that option usually indicates that the dealer’s team lacks sufficient strength in that suit, particularly in the bower hierarchy that dominates Euchre strategy.
Even if your own hand does not hold meaningful bower strength in the turned-down color, the most probable place for the missing control becomes your partner’s hand behind you. The information does not come from what you hold, but from what the dealer refuses.
Against timid or inexperienced opponents who pass biddable hands out of fear, the informational value of the pass weakens. Next works best against strong players whose bidding decisions communicate honestly.
Why Next Works
Euchre is a game of incomplete information. The dealer’s pass narrows the possibilities. Strong players exploit that narrowing.
If neither opponent orders the turned-up suit and you do not hold its bowers, probability favors your partner. While no call is guaranteed, repeated application of next across many hands produces higher scores over time than passing the same holdings would.
High turned-down cards strengthen Next logic even further. When a dealer refuses an A or K, the rejection is a louder statement of weakness. A turned-down bower provides the clearest signal of all.
Trap passes do exist. Experienced dealers sometimes decline biddable hands hoping to bait a predictable Next call. This does not invalidate Next; it simply means players should avoid automatic behavior. Next should be reasoned, not reflexive.
Philosophy and Framework
I’d like to start developing this calling framework by exploring a points system that was developed by KngLenny.
Point values are assigned to every card in the hand to determine what is and is not callable. It is by no means exhaustive, but it’s a good foundation.
- The R is worth two points
- Every other trump card is worth one point
- Aces are worth one point
- Being two-suited is worth one point
- Ks can be assigned 0.5 points
- Ks 0.75 points
The maximum potential value of a hand is six points if you are holding the right bower.
Calling Threshold: Round 1
In R1, from S1 and S3, you generally want about four total points in the turned-up suit to make a call, with at least half of that total coming from trump.
S3 should be played extremely passively, and usually requires at least three trump cards, two of which must outrank the turned-up card. This is because of positional disadvantage and the need to take more than two tricks on average without relying heavily on partner.
From S1, the advantage of leading allows slightly lighter calls, but you still need a strong hand to overcome the dealer’s pickup plus discard advantage.
From S2 and S4, you generally need at least three total points to order, with half of that value rounded up coming from trump.
Calling Threshold: Round 2
- From S1, Next can usually be called safely with three points, sometimes less.
- Reverse Next generally requires four points from S1.
- From S2, Reverse Next becomes callable at three points and Next at four.
- From S3 the same thresholds apply, though stronger suit quality is preferred because of positional disadvantage.
- From dealer when stuck, you must call your best hand.
When two suits appear equally viable, Next is usually the strongest default.
Calling Thin
One important adjustment from S1 in R2 is overall suit coverage.
If I feel safe in only one or two suits being called, I will very often call Next and lead it regardless of how thin my holding appears. This is a calculated aggressive play that succeeds more often than not.
The logic is simple: we get the next deal, and dealer advantage makes it likely my partner can recover at least one lost point. Passing allows opponents to call their strongest hands freely and potentially march uncontested.
The less covered I am across suits, the more likely I become to call Next. As my coverage increases, my willingness to pass rises.
The Bower Turn-Down
When a dealer turns down a bower, they are communicating extreme weakness in that suit.
A bower is worth two points, and with a common call threshold of three points, passing a bower usually implies near voidness.
In this case, S2 should almost always call Reverse Next regardless of strength. The dealer almost certainly holds strength in the opposite color, and it becomes S2’s responsibility to name trump into that hand.
No-Trump Next
No-trump Next refers to calling Next without holding a single trump. This works when the hand contains strong off-suit power, particularly multiple As.
Two or three As alone can justify a no-trump Next call because partner’s trump is expected to establish the trick flow that allows those aces to stand.
No-trump Next is strongest against skilled opponents whose passes convey real information. It weakens against timid players and within stick-the-dealer formats.
Playing the Next Hand
Proper play is what turns Next into real results.
When you hold any trump on a Next call, the correct opening lead is almost always a small trump to activate partner’s higher trump.
Leading a bower first is usually wrong. It risks crashing partner bowers together. Only when you hold both the right and the ace should you confidently open with the right.
If you hold weak trump and lack immediate activation potential, off-suit A leads can be correct.
If your partner calls Next and leads trump, do not automatically return trump. Doing so strips the caller’s plan and often leads to needless Euchres, unless you possess overwhelming trump control. Suppose your partner in S1 called Next (♧) thin, with AQ♧ KQ♢ 9♡. You hold J9♧ Q10♤ 10♡. They correctly lead Q♧ to you, and you take with the R. You lead back 9♧ thinking they will take the trick, but instead you strip their A♧ and S2 takes the trick with the L. Now your team has no trump, and your euchre is imminent.
Reverse Next
Reverse Next is primarily a S2 call used to bid into the dealer’s presumed strength. The traditional minimum for Reverse Next is the “K9 kicker” holding: K and 9 in trump backed by an off-suit A.
Reverse Next weakens against inexperienced dealers whose passes do not reliably communicate strength.
Special Case: The Bower Turn-Down
When a dealer turns down a bower, they are communicating extreme weakness in that suit.
A bower is worth two points, and with a common call threshold of three points, passing a bower usually implies near voidness.
In this case, S2 should almost always call Reverse Next regardless of strength. The dealer almost certainly holds strength in the opposite color, and it becomes S2’s responsibility to name trump into that hand.
Defensive Value
Next functions as a powerful defensive tool. Most loner threats arise in green suits. Calling Next prevents free access to those green calls.
Even a euchred Next can be the correct play if it blocks a four-point opponent loner. Trading two points for preventing four is strategically positive.
When Next Fails
Failures occur when timid opponents pass strength or experienced dealers deliberately trap predictable players. The solution is to avoid automatic calling and instead apply Next with reasoning.
Some mathematically correct calls will still be set simply due to card distribution. Over time, however, the expected value of Next broadly favors calling rather than passing.
Summary
- Next declares your belief that partner holds strength in the same color the dealer has refused. Reverse Next declares belief in strength in the opposite color.
- Next should be called when your hand contains three sources of trick potential combined with expected partner support.
- No-trump Next works with strong A holdings.
- Proper play requires small trump leads unless holding RA. Returning trump after partner leads is generally incorrect.
- Euchred next calls are not failures if they deny larger losses. Strong players call Next because they trust the table’s information, not because they gamble.