What Euchre Is
Euchre is a trick-taking card game for four players in two partnerships. Partners sit across from each other. Each hand, one side names the trump suit and then tries to win at least three of the five tricks. If that side fails, it has been “euchred” and the other side scores.
The game is especially popular in parts of the American Midwest, and it looks complicated mostly because of its vocabulary: bowers, kitty, ordering up, going alone. Once you have played a few hands, the flow is quick. A hand takes only a few minutes.
If you have played Spades, Hearts or Whist, you already know the core idea of following suit and winning tricks. If you want a simpler or more social trick-taking game afterwards, you could also try Twenty-Five, which shares the idea of a special trump order.
What You Need
- Players: Four, in two teams of two. There are variants for other numbers, but four is the standard.
- Deck: The most common version uses 24 cards: 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace in each of the four suits. Some groups use a 32-card deck that adds the 7s and 8s, and some add a joker as the top trump.
- Score keeping: Pencil and paper, a phone, or the traditional method of using low cards (such as a 3 and 4) as markers.
- Target score: Games are commonly played to 10 points. Some groups play to 5 or 7. Agree on it before you start.
Card Ranking and the Bowers
In a plain (non-trump) suit, cards rank from high to low: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9.
Trump works differently. The two top trump cards are the Jacks called bowers:
- Right bower: the Jack of the trump suit. It is the highest card in the game.
- Left bower: the Jack of the other suit of the same color. It is the second-highest card, and for that hand it counts as a member of the trump suit, not its printed suit.
The rest of the trump suit follows in the usual order. With 24 cards, the full trump ranking is:
Right bower, left bower, Ace, King, Queen, 10, 9.
For example, if hearts are trump, the Jack of hearts is the right bower and the Jack of diamonds is the left bower. The Jack of diamonds is now a heart for all purposes that hand. This matters for following suit: if hearts are led and you hold the Jack of diamonds as your only “heart,” you must play it. That is the single most common mistake for new players, so it is worth saying aloud at the table.
With that, the trump suit holds seven cards and the suit of the same color as trump (the one that lost its Jack) holds only five. The other two suits hold six each.
Dealing and Naming Trump
The deal
The dealer shuffles, and the player on the dealer’s right cuts. Each player is dealt five cards, usually in a batch of two and then three (or three and then two). Stick to whichever pattern you start with. The four leftover cards form the kitty. The top card of the kitty is turned face up. The deal then passes to the left after every hand.
Round one: the turned-up card
Starting with the player to the dealer’s left, each player either passes or accepts the turned-up card’s suit as trump. Accepting is usually called “ordering it up.” If it is ordered up, the dealer picks up the turned-up card and discards one card from their hand face down. That means the dealer gains a strong trump card, which is why it can be useful to order up when your partner is the dealer, and risky when an opponent is.
Round two: naming another suit
If all four players pass, the turned-up card is turned down. Going around again from the dealer’s left, each player can now pass or name a different suit as trump. The suit that was turned down may not be named.
If everyone passes a second time, most commonly the hand is thrown in and the deal passes. In many casual groups the dealer is instead forced to name a suit. That house rule is often called “stick the dealer.” It guarantees every hand is played, but it makes the dealer’s position tougher. Decide which version you are using before the game.
Going alone
A player who names trump may announce they are “going alone.” Their partner then puts their cards face down and sits out. The lone player is trying to win the hand by themselves, taking on more risk in exchange for a larger reward.
How to Play a Hand
- The player to the dealer’s left leads the first trick with any card. If that player’s partner is sitting out because of a lone hand, play simply moves clockwise to the next active player.
- Each other player must follow suit if they can. Remember that the left bower counts as trump, not as its printed suit.
- A player who cannot follow suit may play any card, including trump.
- The highest trump wins the trick. If no trump is played, the highest card of the suit that was led wins.
- The winner of each trick leads the next one.
- After five tricks, count how many each side won and score the hand.
Scoring
Scoring is straightforward. The side that named trump is called the makers.
| Result | Points |
|---|---|
| Makers win 3 or 4 tricks | 1 point |
| Makers win all 5 tricks (a “march”) | 2 points |
| Lone player wins 3 or 4 tricks | 1 point |
| Lone player wins all 5 tricks | 4 points |
| Makers fail to win 3 tricks (euchred) | 2 points to the defenders |
Keep in mind that going alone and failing to take all five only earns the usual single point for three or four tricks, so the 4-point payoff is a bonus for a sweep, not a guarantee.
The first side to reach the agreed target wins. In a 10-point game, a large lead can evaporate quickly because a euchre is worth 2 points to the defenders.
Basic Strategy
Euchre strategy depends on your hand and the score, so treat these as guidelines rather than rules.
Deciding whether to order it up
A hand with several trump cards, especially one or both bowers or the Ace, is usually a good reason to name trump. A hand with only one or two weak trump cards is usually better passed. Because only five tricks are played and the makers need three, a few high trump plus an off-suit Ace is often enough, while a hand of scattered low cards is risky.
Position also matters. The dealer gets to pick up the turned card, so it is generally safer to order up when you or your partner is the dealer. Ordering it up for the dealer on your opponents’ team hands them a strong card.
Leading as the makers
If you have a strong trump holding, leading trump early is a common way to pull out the opponents’ trump. This protects your off-suit Aces later. Lead your highest trump when you are confident and your partner may also have some, and then follow with your off-suit Aces.
Leading as the defenders
When you are defending, leading an off-suit Ace is a widely used option because Aces can win a trick before trump gets played on them. Leading low trump is usually less useful when the opponents named trump with a long holding, as it may simply help them.
Playing with a partner
- Do not trump your partner’s winning trick. If your partner is already winning, play a low card.
- Pay attention to what was ordered up and by whom. If your partner passed twice, they likely have few trump.
- Keep a mental count of trump. There are only seven trump cards, so tracking the right bower, left bower and Ace is manageable and helps you know when a lower trump will win.
- When you cannot win a trick, discard from a short suit so you can trump in later. “Voiding” a suit gives you chances to trump in with a small trump card.
Going alone
Going alone makes sense when you hold a very strong hand, usually both bowers and extra trump, or a hand in which your partner’s help is unlikely to matter. It is also a tool when the score is close and you need a quick jump. Do not do it with a middling hand, because a failed lone hand is a euchre worth 2 points to your opponents.
Common Questions
What should you not do in Euchre?
A few mistakes come up often:
- Giving away information to your partner with signals or table talk. Euchre is played without coaching.
- Forgetting that the left bower is a trump, and failing to follow the led suit with it (or following with it when you should not).
- Ordering up trump on a weak hand just because you want to play it.
- Trumping your partner’s trick when they are already winning.
What is the best card to lead?
It depends on your role. If you are the makers with a strong trump hand, lead high trump to draw out opposing trump. If you are defending, an off-suit Ace is a popular lead. If you hold a lone hand with both bowers, lead them to take control right away.
Is there a mercy rule in Euchre?
There is no mercy rule in the standard rules. Some groups add one as a house rule, such as ending a game when one side has a very large lead. If you want to use one, agree on it before you start so nobody feels the rules changed halfway through.
What does “milk the cow” mean in Euchre?
This is table slang and it is not part of the standard rules. Terms like this vary between groups and regions, so if you hear it at a game, ask the people you are playing with what they mean by it.
Can you play with a standard 52-card deck?
Yes. Remove the 2s through 8s to leave a 24-card deck, or keep the 7s and 8s if you want a 32-card deck. A dedicated Euchre deck is convenient but not required.
Tips for Learning Quickly
- Play a few open practice hands, with cards face up, to see the bowers in action.
- Use a quick cheat sheet with the trump order next to the table. Many new players find that the trump ranking is the main thing to memorize.
- Start with the “no stick the dealer” version so you can learn the bidding rounds without the dealer being forced.
- Play a short game to 5 points first, then move up to 10 once the rhythm feels natural.
If you enjoy the partnership and signaling side of card games, you might also like the faster, noisier Kemps, which is a very different kind of partner game. For a general look at how card games can sharpen attention and recall, see our guide to card games for memory improvement.