How to play Euchre

Euchre is a four-player partnership trick-taking game played with a 24-card deck (nines through aces). You and your partner sit across from each other, name a trump suit and try to win at least three of the five tricks. First team to 10 points wins.

Trump and the bowers

The jack of the trump suit (the right bower) is the highest card. The other jack of the same colour (the left bower) is second highest and counts as a trump. Then come ace, king, queen, ten and nine of trump.

Making trump

After the deal one card is turned up. Going round the table, each player may order it up, which makes that suit trump and gives the dealer the card. If everyone passes, players may name any other suit. If it comes back to the dealer, the dealer must choose (stick the dealer).

Playing tricks

The player left of the dealer leads. You must follow the suit led if you can; remember the left bower belongs to the trump suit. The highest trump wins, otherwise the highest card of the suit led.

Scoring

The team that named trump scores 1 point for three or four tricks and 2 points for all five (a march). If they win fewer than three, they are euchred and the other team scores 2.

Tips from the table

Order up with three trumps, especially if you hold a bower — two trumps and an off-suit ace is borderline.
When your partner is the dealer, order up a little more freely: the upcard goes to your team.
Lead the right bower to pull out the opponents' trumps when your team called it.
Don't trump your partner's winning ace — throw off your weakest card instead.

Euchre scoring reference

The making team scores 1 point for taking three or four tricks and 2 points for all five. If they take fewer than three they are euchred and the defenders score 2. Going alone and taking all five is worth 4 points, and 1 point for three or four. Games run to 10 points.

The bowers and trump

The jack of the trump suit is the right bower and the highest card in the game. The jack of the same colour is the left bower, the second highest, and it counts as a trump suit card rather than its printed suit. After that trump runs ace, king, queen, ten, nine.

Variations

Stick the dealer forces the dealer to name trump rather than passing out the hand. Farmer's hand lets a player with three nines and tens swap cards with the kitty. Some groups play with a joker as the highest trump, and others award a 'march' bonus for winning all five tricks without going alone.

Frequently asked questions

How many cards are used in Euchre?: Twenty-four: nine through ace in each suit. Each player gets five and four cards form the kitty.
What does going alone mean?: The maker plays without their partner, who sits the hand out. Sweeping all five tricks alone scores 4 points instead of 2.
What is a euchre?: When the team that named trump takes fewer than three tricks. The other team scores 2 points.

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