Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(Aus.) the game of euchre.

[1880		Aus. Town & Country Jrnl (Sydney) 14 Feb. 33/2: It’s rather sailing on the wrong tack to prevent people running their horses for money, and having fair play to boot, when they can in dulge in ‘hazard,’ ‘blind hookey,’ the blackfellow’s game of ‘three up,’ or the gentleman’s game of ‘props’].
1885		Areas’ Exp. (Booyoolee, SA) 7 Apr. 2/6: We threw our novels aside and thought the faint glimmer would admit of us playing that popular black-fellow’s game — Euchre.
1896		Sydney Mail 26 Dec. 1356/3: When night came he moped about while the others played the ‘black fellow’s’ game for sticks of tobacco.
1897		Clarence & Richmond Examiner (Grafton, NSW) 18 Sept. 4/6: Euchre, which was a short time ago only looked upon as a blackfellows game, and generally relegated to the vulgar, has bobbed up suddenly as quite the thing for nice people.
1904		Brisbane Courier 2 Jan. 12/2: A group of niggers playing the ‘blackfellow’s game’ euchre were the first he encountered.
1915		Gosford Times (NSW) 12 Feb. 12/3: One of the confidence men pulled a pack of cards out [...] and invited all and sundry to play euchre with. him. His two mates, posing as strangers [...] refused to play ‘a blackfellow's game,’ and suggested ‘faro,’ and volunteered to teach the game.
1924		Kalgoorlie Miner (WA) 4 Nov. 4/4: The people in attendance took part in a euchre competition. [...] Altogether 240 players took part in what has been jocularly known in Australia for several decades under the name, title and designation of ‘The Blackfellows’ Game’.
1931		Longreach Leader (Qld) 24 Apr. 15/1: Whoever thought when he learnt that fascinating card game euchre, so often referred to as a blackfellows’ game, that it would be the means of improving his finances.
1940		Riverine Grazier (Hay, NSW) 12 Jan. 1/2: Evidently the ‘blackfellow’s’ game of euchre is not despised at Leeton. The 'irrigator' reports that the weekly tournaments draw large at tendances.
1945		Baker Aus. Lang.