Euchre is the fast four-player trick-taking game played with a short 24-card pack — nines up to Aces — so five cards each make a hand that is over in a minute. You sit with a computer partner across the table against two computer opponents, which means a full partnership game is always ready for one player. One card is turned up and two rounds of bidding decide trump: order up the turned suit, or, once all four have passed, name any other suit. The twist that makes Euchre its own game is the bowers. The Jack of trump is the highest card in the deck, and the other Jack of the same colour becomes the second-highest trump, abandoning its printed suit entirely. The side that named trump needs three of the five tricks for 1 point; all five is 2, or 4 for a player who went alone. Fall short and you are euchred, and the defenders take 2. There is no stick-the-dealer: if everyone passes twice, the hand is redealt. Twelve levels run from a 5-point game against loose beginners to 10-point matches against a table that counts bowers and ducks its partner's tricks. No download, no sign-up.
How to play Euchre
- You sit at the bottom of the table with North as your partner; West and East are the opposing pair. All four seats are dealt five cards from a 24-card pack — 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace in every suit — and one card is turned face-up.
- Bidding starts with the player to the dealer's left and goes round the table. In the first round each player either orders up the turned suit as trump or passes. If it is ordered up, the dealer takes that card into hand and throws one away face-down.
- If everyone passes, the card is turned down and its suit is barred. In the second round each player may name any other suit as trump or pass again. If all four pass a second time, the hand is thrown in and the deal moves on.
- Once trump is set, the Jack of trump — the right bower — is the highest card in the game. The other Jack of the same colour is the left bower, the second highest, and it counts as a trump card rather than as its printed suit. Below them trump runs Ace, King, Queen, 10, 9.
- The player to the dealer's left leads the first trick. You must follow the suit that was led if you hold it, remembering that the left bower now belongs to trump. If you cannot follow you may play anything, including trump. The highest trump wins the trick, or the highest card of the suit led if nobody trumps, and the winner leads next.
- The side that named trump — the makers — scores 1 point for three or four tricks and 2 for all five, called a march. If they fail to take three, they are euchred and the other side scores 2.
- When you order up the turned card in round one you may press Alone instead: your partner sits the hand out, and if you take all five tricks by yourself it is worth 4 points instead of 2. Three or four tricks alone still scores 1.
- The deal passes one seat to the left after every hand. First side to the level target — 5, 7 or 10 points — wins the match and unlocks the next level.
Tips
- Count the bowers before you bid. Holding both, plus one more trump, is usually enough to order up; holding neither, a hand of Aces will still lose to a single Jack.
- Be careful ordering up when an opponent is dealing. The dealer picks the turned card into their hand, so you would be handing the other side a guaranteed trump.
- When the card is turned down and you bid first in round two, consider naming "next" — the other suit of the same colour. The dealer's side just turned that colour down, so they are unlikely to hold its two Jacks, which are both bowers in your new suit.
- As dealer, throw away a lone off-suit card when you pick up. Voiding a suit means you can trump it the first time it is led, which is often worth a whole trick.
- Trump cards in your hand are marked with a gold band, which matters most for the left bower — it looks like an off-suit Jack and is actually your second-best card.
- Lead trump when you are strong in it. Pulling the opponents' trump out early protects the Aces you are holding in the other suits. When you are defending, do the opposite: leading trump into the makers only helps them draw yours.
- Do not waste a high card on a trick your partner is already winning. From level 7 the computer ducks in that situation and you will lose ground if you do not.
- Only go alone with a genuinely dominant hand. Three or four tricks alone still scores just 1 point, so the extra 2 points are only worth chasing when all five look certain.
FAQ
How do you play Euchre?
Four players in two partnerships get five cards each from a 24-card pack, and one card is turned up. Players bid to make that suit trump or, if all pass, name another suit. Then five tricks are played: follow suit if you can, highest trump or highest card of the suit led wins. The side that chose trump needs three tricks to score 1 point, or all five for 2. In this version you and a computer partner play two computer opponents.
What are the right bower and left bower in Euchre?
The right bower is the Jack of the trump suit and is the highest card in the game. The left bower is the other Jack of the same colour — with hearts trump, that is the Jack of diamonds — and it is the second-highest card. The left bower becomes a member of the trump suit and stops being a diamond, so you cannot use it to follow a diamond lead and you must play it to follow a heart lead if it is your only heart.
What does ordering up mean in Euchre?
Ordering up is accepting the turned-up card's suit as trump in the first round of bidding. Whoever orders it up makes their side the makers, and the dealer — whichever team they are on — picks that card up and discards one. So ordering up when an opponent deals gives them an extra trump, while ordering up your partner's card helps your own side. The dealer accepting the card for themselves is often called picking it up.
What does it mean to be euchred?
The side that named trump has to win at least three of the five tricks. If they only manage two or fewer, they have been euchred and their opponents score 2 points instead. That risk is the whole tension in the bidding — a hand that looks strong enough to bid on and is not costs you double what making it would have earned.
What does going alone mean in Euchre?
The player who names trump may play the hand alone. Their partner puts their cards down and sits out, so it is one player against both opponents. Taking all five tricks alone scores 4 points rather than 2; three or four still scores just 1, and being euchred still gives the defenders 2. Here you can go alone when ordering up in round one, and the computer players may go alone on a strong hand from level 7.
How many points do you need to win Euchre?
The standard game is played to 10 points. Because a hand is worth only 1, 2 or 4 points, a game to 10 takes several deals and can swing on a single euchre. This version uses a quicker 5-point game on levels 1 and 2, 7 points on levels 3 and 4, and the full 10-point game from level 5 onward.
How many cards are in a Euchre deck?
Twenty-four in the standard North American game: the 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace of each suit. Some regions use 25 with a Joker, or 32 by including the 7s and 8s. This version uses the 24-card pack, so after the deal of twenty and the turned card, three cards stay unseen in the kitty.
What happens if everyone passes twice in Euchre?
In this version the hand is thrown in and redealt with the deal moving on. Many home games instead play "stick the dealer", where the dealer is forced to name a suit rather than pass. That is a popular house rule rather than part of the base game, so it is not used here.
Can you play Euchre against the computer or with two players?
Yes, against the computer: this version is always the four-seat partnership game, with you and a computer partner against two computer opponents, so you can play solo at any time, free and in the browser with no download or account. It works by tap on phones and tablets as well as by mouse. Two-handed Euchre exists as a variant with a smaller deal, but it is not offered here.
What is the difference between Euchre and Spades or Bridge?
All are partnership trick-taking games, but Euchre is much shorter: 24 cards, five tricks a hand, and trump chosen from a turned-up card, with the two bowers on top. Spades and Bridge use the full 52-card deck and thirteen tricks. In Spades, spades are always trump and each side bids an exact number of tricks; Bridge adds an auction for a contract and a dummy hand. Whist has no bidding at all, and Hearts is about avoiding tricks.
Is Five Hundred related to Euchre?
Yes. Five Hundred was developed from Euchre in the United States in the early 1900s. It keeps both bowers and the same-colour rule, adds a Joker as the highest trump, gives the winning bidder a kitty, and replaces ordering up with an auction for a number of tricks, played to 500. If you enjoy Euchre's bowers, Five Hundred is the natural next step; Oh Hell and Pinochle are other trick games worth trying.
How many levels does Euchre have?
Twelve, and what changes is the table rather than the rules. Levels 1 to 3 bid loosely and simply play their highest legal card. From level 4 the computer bids on real trump strength and leads sensibly, and from level 7 it counts the bowers, ducks tricks its partner has already won, and will go alone on a strong hand. Winning a match unlocks the next level.