What you need
- A 24-card Euchre deck: the 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace of each of the four suits. You can make one by removing the 2 through 8 from a standard 52-card deck.
- Four players, sitting in two partnerships. Partners sit across from each other.
- Pencil and paper, or the free score keeper
Players and time
4 players in two partnerships. About 20 to 30 minutes a game.
The goal
Be the first partnership to reach the target score. The standard target in North America is 10 points. Some groups play to 5 or 7.
Each hand, one side names the trump suit and tries to win at least three of the five tricks.
Setup
- Draw cards to choose partners and the first dealer, or just agree on them. The deal then passes to the left after every hand.
- The dealer shuffles and the player to the dealer's right cuts.
- Deal five cards to each player, in batches of two and three. Stick to the same pattern for the whole deal.
- Put the rest of the deck in the middle and turn the top card face up. This is the up-card. It stays on the deck for now.
A turn
- Ordering trump, round one. Starting with the player to the dealer's left and going clockwise, each player passes or accepts the up-card's suit as trump. An opponent of the dealer says "I order it up." The dealer's partner may say "I assist" or "I order it up". The dealer accepts by picking up the up-card and discarding one card face down, so the dealer still holds five cards.
- If the dealer passes too, the up-card is turned down and round two begins.
- Ordering trump, round two. Starting on the dealer's left again, each player may pass or name any suit except the one that was turned down. Whoever names a suit becomes the maker. If every player passes, throw in the hands and the next player deals.
- Going alone. The player who names trump may say "alone". Their partner puts their cards face down and sits out the hand. A lone hand scores more if it wins (see Scoring).
- Playing the tricks. The player to the dealer's left leads any card. If that player is sitting out because their partner went alone, the next player to the left leads instead. Each other player must follow the suit led if they can. If they cannot, they may play any card, including a trump.
- The highest trump wins the trick. If no trump was played, the highest card of the suit led wins. The winner of each trick leads the next one.
- After five tricks, count the tricks each side took and score the hand. Then the next player to the left deals.
Special cards and combinations
- Right bower
- The Jack of the trump suit. It is the highest card in the hand.
- Left bower
- The other Jack of the same color as trump. It is the second-highest card, and it counts as a trump, not as the suit printed on it. If hearts are trump, the Jack of diamonds is the left bower and is a heart for the whole hand. It does not count as a diamond when you follow suit, but it does count as a heart.
- Trump order
- From high to low: right bower, left bower, Ace, King, Queen, 10, 9 of the trump suit.
- Other suits
- Rank Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9. In the suit of the left bower, the Jack has moved to trump, so that suit has one fewer card.
- Euchre
- If the makers take fewer than three tricks, they have been "euchred" and the other side scores.
- March
- Taking all five tricks is called a march.
Scoring
Only one side scores each hand. The table shows the points for the standard four-player game.
| Result | Points |
|---|---|
| Makers take 3 or 4 tricks | 1 point to the makers |
| Makers take all 5 tricks (a march) | 2 points to the makers |
| Lone maker takes 3 or 4 tricks | 1 point to the makers |
| Lone maker takes all 5 tricks | 4 points to the makers |
| Makers take fewer than 3 tricks (euchred) | 2 points to the defenders |
Worked example
The score is 5 to 7. Team A names hearts and takes 4 tricks, so Team A scores 1 point: 6 to 7.
In the next hand Team B names clubs but takes only 2 tricks. They are euchred, and Team A scores 2: 8 to 7. In the third hand Team A's Ana goes alone and takes all five tricks. That is 4 points, so Team A reaches 12 and wins the game.
Keep score with the Euchre score keeper
How to win
The first partnership to reach the target score wins. The standard target is 10. Some players use 5, 7 or 11.
Common house rules
These are house rules. They are not part of the official rules, so agree on them before you start.
- Stick the dealer House rule
- If everyone passes in round two until the dealer, the dealer must name a suit rather than pass. This is a house rule, common when time is short. The standard rule is that the hand is thrown in. The score keeper does not track it, since it only changes how often hands are thrown in.
- Lone defender House rule
- Rules differ on whether a defender may go alone. Some groups allow it only against a lone maker. Some score a lone defender who euchres the makers as 4 points, not 2. Both are house rules, so agree on them first. Use the +4 button on the score keeper if your group scores it that way.
- Dealer's partner and ordering up House rule
- In the United States the dealer's partner can order up and play with the dealer. In some other countries, the partner who orders up must play alone. Decide which your group uses.
- Different targets House rule
- Groups play to 5, 7, 10 or 11 points. The score keeper lets you set any target.
- Adding a joker House rule
- Some groups add a joker as the highest trump. This makes a 25-card deck. This is a house rule.
Frequently asked questions
How many points do you need to win Euchre?
The standard North American target is 10 points. Some groups play to 5 or 7 for a shorter game, and the British game is usually played to 11. Agree on the target before you start.
Is the left bower a trump?
Yes. The Jack of the other suit of the same color as trump is the left bower. It is a trump for the whole hand and is the second-highest card after the right bower.
What happens if you go alone and win all five tricks?
A lone hand that takes all five tricks scores 4 points. If the lone hand takes only 3 or 4 tricks, it scores just 1 point, the same as a partnership. If it is euchred, the other side scores 2.
What is stick the dealer?
It is a house rule. If all other players pass in the second round of naming trump, the dealer cannot pass and must name a suit. Without it, the hand is thrown in and the next player deals.
Do you have to follow suit in Euchre?
Yes, if you can. If you hold a card of the suit led, you must play one. If not, you may play any card, including a trump. Remember that the left bower counts as a trump, not as its printed suit.
What does it mean to be euchred?
The makers are euchred if they take fewer than three of the five tricks. The defenders then score 2 points.
Can the dealer's partner order up the up-card?
In North American rules, yes, and the partnership plays together. In some other places, the dealer's partner who orders up has to play alone while the dealer sits out.
What is a march?
A march is the name for winning all five tricks in a hand. The partnership scores 2 points, or 4 if it played the hand alone.
Sources
- Bicycle Playing Cards, How to Play Euchre (Deal, ordering trump, bowers, going alone, scoring (1, 2, 4 and euchre = 2) and a target of 5, 7 or 10.)
- Pagat.com, Euchre (North American 24-card game, target of 10, stick the dealer variant, partner ordering up and lone defenders.)