Three tricks out of five
Euchre is a fast for two teams of two. Each hand has just five . One team picks the suit and must then win at least three of them.
Two jacks, the and the , are the strongest cards in the game.
Euchre
- Players
- 4, in two teams
- Deck
- 24 cards: 9 to ace
- Type
- Trick-taking
- Level
- Medium
- Game
- First to 10
Choose trump, then win at least three of the five tricks with your partner. The two black or two red jacks rule the hand.
At a glance
Setup
24 cards, partners opposite
Take a standard deck and keep only the 9, 10, jack, queen, king and ace of each suit: 24 cards. Outside trump, each suit ranks from ace (high) down to 9.
Four players form two , partners sitting opposite. You and North play against West and East.
The deal
Five cards each
The dealer gives each player five cards, clockwise, in two rounds: traditionally a packet of three and then two, or two and then three. Some groups simply deal one at a time.
In this example East deals, so you are on the dealer’s left. Four cards are left over; they go face down in the middle.
Turn up one card
The dealer turns the top card of the four left over face up. This suggests the trump suit.
The up-card is the 10 of hearts. Will hearts be trump? That is up to the players.
A turn
Round one: order it up or pass
Starting left of the dealer, each player in turn either passes or : accepts the up-card’s suit as trump. The dealer, speaking last, can accept it too.
You speak first. You hold the jack of hearts, the jack of diamonds and the ace of hearts, so you say “I order it up”. Hearts are trump. You and North are now the , who must win at least three tricks.
The dealer picks up
Once trump is ordered up, the dealer adds the up-card to their hand and discards one card face down. The dealer always gets the up-card, whoever ordered it up.
East takes the 10 of hearts and discards the 9 of spades.
Tip for dealers: discard your only card of a suit. Then you can trump that suit later.
Round two: name another suit
Suppose instead that all four players had passed. The dealer turns the up-card face down, and a second round starts left of the dealer. Now each player may pass or name any suit except the up-card’s suit: here spades, diamonds or clubs.
If all four pass again, the cards are thrown in and the next player deals.
Many tables play “stick the dealer”: in round two, the dealer may not pass and must name a suit.
A second chance before the redeal.
Lead and follow suit
The player left of the dealer the first trick: that’s you. Everyone must if they can. The highest trump wins; without a trump, the highest card of the suit led. The winner leads next.
You lead the jack of hearts. West has no hearts and throws the queen of diamonds. North and East must follow with hearts. Your jack wins: it is the highest trump of all.
Special cards
The right and left bower
Trumps rank in a special order. The jack of the trump suit is the , the highest card. The other jack of the same colour is the , second highest. Then come ace, king, queen, 10 and 9 of trump.
With hearts as trump, the jack of diamonds becomes a heart for every purpose. Diamonds have only five cards this hand: ace, king, queen, 10 and 9. If diamonds are led and your only “diamond” is that jack, you do not have a diamond.
One jack quietly changes suit.
Going alone
A player who made trump may announce that they are , after trump is fixed and before the first lead. Their partner puts their cards face down and sits out the hand.
Had you gone alone with this hand, North would lay down their cards and West, on your left, would lead first. Win all five tricks alone and your team scores 4 points.
Many tables also let a defender go alone. A lone defender who euchres the makers scores 4.
Scoring
Scoring a hand
After five tricks, one team scores:
| Makers win 3 or 4 tricks | 1 |
| Makers win all 5 (a march) | 2 |
| Lone maker wins all 5 | 4 |
| Makers win fewer than 3 | 2 to the defenders |
You win the first three tricks with the right bower, the left bower and the ace of hearts. West takes the fourth with the ace of spades, East the last with the ace of diamonds. Three tricks: 1 point for you and North.
When the makers fail, they are .
Winning
First to 10
The deal passes to the left after each hand. The first team to reach 10 points wins the game.
Players often keep score with a spare 6 and 4 from the deck, turning and sliding one over the other to show the points.
Point at a dot to see why it matters
Variants and house rules
- Stick the dealer
- If everyone passes in the second round, the dealer must name a trump suit. No hand is ever thrown in.
- Defending alone
- A defender may also go alone. If they stop the makers from taking three tricks, the defenders score 4 instead of 2.
- Shorter games
- Play to 5 or 7 points instead of 10 for a quicker game.
- 32-card Euchre
- Add the 7s and 8s as the lowest cards and deal from a 32-card deck.
Tips from the table
- Before you order up, count the trumps you would hold, bowers included: three is a solid start.
- Keep track of both bowers: once they are played, your ace of trump may be the boss.
- As dealer, discard your only card of a suit so you can trump it later.
Euchre: quick answers
What is the difference between the right and left bower in Euchre?
The right bower is the jack of the trump suit, the highest card. The left bower is the other jack of the same colour, the second-highest trump. The left bower counts as a trump, not as its own suit.
How many cards do you deal in Euchre?
Five to each of the four players, usually in packets of three and two. Four cards are left over, and the top one is turned face up.
What does euchred mean?
The team that chose trump won fewer than three tricks. The other team scores 2 points.
What happens if everyone passes in Euchre?
The up-card is turned down and there is a second round in which players may name any other suit. If all pass again, the hand is thrown in and the next player deals, unless you play stick the dealer.
How many points do you need to win Euchre?
10 points is standard. Some groups play shorter games to 5 or 7.
Decks we like
The classic
Bicycle Standard
The deck most people picture. Poker size, standard faces, shuffles well. If you buy one deck, make it this.
Every game hereFamiliesBuy now ↗on Amazon
Lasts for years
Copag 1546 plastic, double deck
Two 100% plastic decks in a hard case. Washable and hard to bend, and a double deck is what Canasta and Spider need.
CanastaRummyGame nightsBuy now ↗on Amazon
Easy to read
Bicycle Jumbo Index
Extra-large numbers and suits. Readable across the table, for kids learning their first game and grandparents alike.
KidsOlder playersBuy now ↗on Amazon
The British classic
Waddingtons No. 1
The pack found in British homes for generations. Paper cards with a linen finish that fan and shuffle smoothly.
WhistCribbageFamiliesBuy now ↗on Amazon
The gift
theory11 Monarchs
A luxury deck with a navy and gold tuck box. The one to give, or to bring out when the good whisky is poured.
GiftsCollectorsBuy now ↗on Amazon
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