DECISIONS OF THE SUPREME EUCHRE COURT OF EARLWOOD

SECE JUDGMENT NO.1774

Citation:  Kenny Crenshaw/Keith the Neck v ESG&EC

Question:  Must the person ordered up retain the (trump) card he was ordered up on?

Hearing date/s:  25-26 March 2003

Judgment date:  26 March 2003

Jurisdiction:  Rules

Judgment of:  Hannah, P.

Decision:  Question answered, "No"

Catchwords:  Order up, dealer, discard, trumps.

Legislation cited:  Rules of Earlwood Euchre (1973) as amended, Hoyle's Rules of Games – The Essential Guide to Poker and Other Card Games – Third Revised and Updated Edition 2003

Case/s Cited:  Kenny Crenshaw v ESGEC (SECE 13/1986)

Parties:  Crenshaw/Keith the Neck - Plaintiffs, ESG&EC - Defendant

File number(s):  SECE 24/2003

Counsel:  Tackhead & Associates - Plaintiffs, Hughes & Java - Defendant

Judgment:

1.  The plaintiffs claim in their affidavit that, according to the rules of the euchre, the dealer is not permitted to discard the order up card.  They further describe a loss of enjoyment when the dealer discards that card from his hand.

2.  When cross-examined by defence counsel, plaintiff Crenshaw was unable to describe his loss of enjoyment as anything more than a desire to bully, ridicule and humiliate the dealer.  His fellow plaintiff, Keith the Neck, maintained that the term "order up" had a strict literal meaning and the dealer must keep that card in his hand.

3.  The defendant, represented by card master Fatcatsson, a joint custodian of the rules of Earlwood euchre, referred in his evidence-in-chief to judgment SECE 13/1986, where this court found that the purpose of an order up, or a dealer take up, is to make that suit trumps.  In that judgment, the SECE found it inconceivable that euchre's founding fathers intended that a dealer, turning up a seven of hearts, and already holding the right, left, ace, king and queen of hearts, should be forced to weaken his hand by discarding one of those higher cards to keep the order up card.  Therefore, Fatcatsson argued, the court has already determined that it is the dealer's prerogative to select which cards make his best hand.

4.  After reviewing the submissions and hearing the evidence of both parties, I find that the player ordered up has the right to decide which five cards make up his best hand, and therefore his best defence, against the order up.  For this reason I answer the question "No".