Around the time Tiffany Banks learned to read, she also learned to play euchre.
The Adel resident was one of more than 50 people who competed in the Iowa State Fair’s first-ever euchre tournament on Friday, Aug. 14.
For those who haven’t played the trick-taking game, it requires an unspoken strategy between two players. Competing fairgoers recommended learning from someone skilled in the game’s lingo rather than looking up the rules (which the Register did to prepare for this story).
“It’s just something that gets ingrained in your brain,” Banks said. “I feel like it’s harder to learn later in life, but it’s really fun.”
One attendee noted that in an episode of “Family Guy” the devil is teaching the rules of euchre when a character goes to hell. Fortunately, Des Moines resident Sydney Marshall shared some non-hellish tips before the tournament began.
“The strategy is to get points,” Marshall said. “So you want to play aggressively and call trump more frequently, and the points matter more than winning in this tournament.”
Marshall said once you learn euchre, it becomes a social game. She has organized euchre tournaments at the Rook Room in Des Moines and was excited about more opportunities for people to play the game in central Iowa.
‘You’re not a Dubuquer if you can’t play euchre’
Euchre is especially embedded in the social fabric of eastern Iowa. While Banks lives in Adel, her hometown is Muscatine. She joked that the majority of people playing in the state fair’s tournament were likely from Dubuque.
“Northeast Iowa is like the euchre capital of Iowa,” Banks said.
She wasn’t exaggerating.
Christie Woodford, originally from the Dubuque area, also learned euchre at a young age, “Probably before I could walk.” Woodford learned from her parents and grew up playing at every family function.
“It’s definitely a culture,” Woodford said. “It’s like, you’re not a Dubuquer if you don’t play euchre.”
Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Learn tricks and tips at Iowa State Fair’s 1st euchre tournament
Reporting by Kate Kealey, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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By Kate Kealey, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
