How to play euchre
Euchre rules, step by step
Euchre is a fast trick-taking card game for four players in two teams, the card game of Midwest kitchen tables. Here’s everything you need to sit down and play: the deck, the bowers, bidding, going alone and scoring.
The players and the deck
Four players form two teams of two, and partners sit across from each other. Euchre uses a 24-card deck: the 9, 10, jack, queen, king and ace of each suit. Take them out of a standard deck and set the rest aside.
The deal
The dealer gives each player five cards, usually in rounds of three and two. The four cards left over are the kitty. The dealer turns the top card of the kitty face up. That card is the first offer for trump. The deal passes to the left after every hand.
Trump and the bowers
Each hand, one suit is trump. Any trump card beats any card of another suit. Two jacks are special:
- The right bower is the jack of the trump suit. It is the highest card in the game.
- The left bower is the other jack of the same color. It is the second-highest card, and for that hand it counts as a trump, not as its printed suit.
So if hearts are trump, the jack of hearts is the right bower, the jack of diamonds is the left bower, and diamonds has only five cards that hand.
Card rankings
| # | Card |
|---|---|
| 1 | Jack of trump (right bower) |
| 2 | Jack of the same color (left bower) |
| 3 | Ace |
| 4 | King |
| 5 | Queen |
| 6 | 10 |
| 7 | 9 |
| # | Card |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ace |
| 2 | King |
| 3 | Queen |
| 4 | Jack (unless it is the left bower) |
| 5 | 10 |
| 6 | 9 |
Bidding: choosing trump
Round one: the turned-up card
Starting with the player on the dealer’s left, each player either passes or orders up the turned-up card. Ordering it up makes that card’s suit trump. The dealer then adds the card to their hand and discards one card face down. The dealer can also pick the card up themselves.
Round two: naming a suit
If all four pass, the dealer turns the card face down. Starting again on the dealer’s left, each player may now name any other suit as trump, or pass. The suit that was turned down can’t be named.
If everyone passes again
The hand is thrown in and the deal moves left. Many home games play stick the dealer instead: the dealer can’t pass in round two and must name a suit. It keeps the game moving and rewards the team that bids.
Going alone
The player who makes trump, the maker, can announce they’re going alone. Their partner lays their cards down and sits out the hand. A loner that takes all five tricks scores 4 points instead of 2.
Playing the hand
- The player on the dealer’s left leads the first card. (If someone is going alone, the lead still starts on the dealer’s left, skipping the partner who sits out.)
- Everyone else must follow suit if they can. Remember that the left bower belongs to the trump suit.
- If you can’t follow suit, you may play any card, including a trump.
- The highest trump played wins the trick. If no trump was played, the highest card of the suit that was led wins.
- The winner of each trick leads the next one. Five tricks make a hand.
Scoring
| What happened | Points |
|---|---|
| Makers take 3 or 4 tricks | 1 to the makers |
| Makers take all 5 tricks (a march) | 2 to the makers |
| A loner takes 3 or 4 tricks | 1 to the makers |
| A loner takes all 5 tricks | 4 to the makers |
| Makers take fewer than 3 tricks (euchred) | 2 to the defenders |
The first team to 10 points wins in most home games. Euchre Player’s Network lets the table play to 5, 7, 10 or 15.
Euchre terms
- Bower: one of the two top jacks. Right bower is the jack of trump; left bower is the other jack of the same color.
- Kitty: the four cards left after the deal.
- Order up: tell the dealer to pick up the turned card, making its suit trump.
- Maker: the player who chose trump. Their team must take at least three tricks.
- Euchred: what happens to makers who take fewer than three tricks.
- March: taking all five tricks.
- Loner: playing a hand without your partner.
- Next: the suit of the same color as a turned-down card. It is a common call in round two, because the player who turned it down showed weakness in that color.
- Renege: not following suit when you could. In home games it costs your team 2 points.
- Stick the dealer: a rule that forces the dealer to name trump if everyone passes twice.
Tips for new players
- Count to three tricks. Before you order up, look for three likely winners between you and your partner. Bowers, trump aces and off-suit aces are what win tricks.
- Know where the left bower is. Most beginner mistakes come from forgetting it counts as trump.
- Lead trump when your partner made it. It pulls trump out of the defenders’ hands and protects your partner’s winners.
- Don’t trump your partner’s ace. If your partner’s card is already winning the trick, save your trump.
- Watch what the dealer turns down. A turned-down jack or ace tells you a lot about what isn’t in their hand.
The fastest way to learn is to play a few hands. In Euchre Player’s Network you can practice free against Pro bots that read the bidding, then play friends with a four-letter table code, all under the rules above.
Euchre rules FAQ
Is the left bower a trump card?
Yes. Once trump is named, the left bower (the jack of the same color as trump) belongs to the trump suit for the whole hand. It is the second-highest card, and if trump is led you must follow with it when it is your only trump.
What happens if everyone passes?
If all four players pass in both rounds of bidding, the hand is thrown in and the next player deals. With stick the dealer, the dealer may not pass in the second round and must name a trump suit.
How many points do you play to in euchre?
Most home games play to 10 points. Euchre Player’s Network lets the table choose 5, 7, 10 or 15.
How many points is a loner worth?
A player who goes alone and takes all five tricks scores 4 points. Taking three or four tricks alone scores 1 point, and being euchred alone gives the other team 2.
What is a renege?
A renege is failing to follow suit when you could have. In home games it costs the offending team 2 points. Euchre Player’s Network only lets you play legal cards, so a renege can’t happen.
Can you play euchre with fewer than four people?
Classic euchre is a four-player partnership game. In Euchre Player’s Network you can play alone against three Pro bots, or open a friendly table and let bots fill any empty seats.