Sunday, April 15, 2007

Euchre on vacation

The Euchre Universe is on vacation (caribbean cruise) and won't be able to update until April 23. Meanwhile, we'll be honing our skills by introducing and pounding these east coast dandies in our favorite card game...euchre.

He's now off working to become the world's most famous cosmetic chemist.

Friday, April 06, 2007

Introducing New Euchre Software that can help you play better

The Euchre Universe is happy to announce the release of an exciting new piece of software. This program can significantly improve your euchre play. Go check out Fred Benjamin's Euchre Challenge and download a free trial version.

Having been one of the beta testers, I can attest that this software features some of the most challenging euchre bots that you'll encounter. Be careful because they don't always play in ways that are expected.

Of special note is the Euchre Simulator that allows you to input various euchre hands and have the computer automatically play out the hands. It keeps track of the results and lets you determine what the best strategies are of any given hand.

Be sure to get the companion euchre strategy book along with the software. We'll be doing a more thorough review of the book but it is full of excellent euchre knowledge.

And if you have thoughts about how to make the software better, feel free to post your opinion here or at Yahoo! Euchre Science.

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Want to improve your Euchre play - stop playing and start watching

You read the Euchre Universe, follow the discussions at Euchre Science, play online and live games, and even participate in a euchre club. But if you're not watching the performance of other euchre players, you are missing a golden opportunity to improve your game.

According to a recent paper in the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers found that...
"when a person watches someone else perform a task with the intention of later replicating the observed performance, motor areas of the brain are activated in a fashion similar to that which accompanies actual movement."
This means you can actually CHANGE YOUR BRAIN by watching other people play euchre. So, if you want to become a better euchre player, put those good ol' euchre playing cards down and go watch some people play euchre.

But the important part is that you can't just watch the games passively. You've got to watch the live or online euchre games with the intention of copying the plays that good players are making. Passive observation is almost worthless for euchre game improvement.

Watch with intention.

If you can't find a live game with a great player worth watching, go check out the many online games that allow spectators. You can find them on Yahoo, Hardwood Euchre, or Pogo.