How to Play Euchre: Rules, Bowers & Beginner's Guide

Overview & Objective

Euchre is a fast four-player game played in two partnerships, with partners sitting across from each other. Each hand is just five tricks, so games move quickly. One suit becomes trump for the hand, and the side that chooses trump tries to win the majority of tricks. The first partnership to 10 points wins.

The Deck & Deal

Deck: 24 cards — 9, 10, J, Q, K, A in every suit.
Players: 4, in 2 fixed partnerships.
Deal: 5 cards to each player.
The up-card: The next card is turned face-up. Its suit is the candidate for trump in the first bidding round.

Trump & the Bowers

Trump beats every other suit. The two most important cards are the bowers:

Right bower — the Jack of the trump suit. The highest card in the game.
Left bower — the Jack of the other suit of the same color. It becomes a trump card and is the second-highest card.

So if hearts are trump, the trump ranking from the top is: J♥ (right bower), J♦ (left bower), then A, K, Q, 10, 9 of hearts. Remember the left bower is no longer a diamond for the rest of the hand.

Choosing Trump (Bidding)

Round 1: Starting to the dealer's left, each player may order up the up-card's suit as trump, or pass. If ordered up, the dealer adds the up-card to their hand and discards one card.
Round 2: If all four pass, the up-card is turned down. Now each player, again starting left of the dealer, may name any other suit as trump, or pass.
Whichever side names trump becomes the makers and must win at least 3 tricks.

Going Alone

When you name trump you may declare that you are going alone. Your partner sets their cards down and sits out the hand. If you then sweep all 5 tricks by yourself you score 4 points — the single biggest score in Euchre.

Playing the Tricks

The player to the dealer's left leads the first trick.
You must follow the led suit if you can (remember the left bower counts as trump, not its printed suit).
If you can't follow, play anything, including a trump.
The highest trump wins the trick; if no trump was played, the highest card of the led suit wins.
The winner leads the next trick. There are 5 tricks in all.

Scoring

Makers take 3 or 4 tricks: 1 point.
Makers take all 5 (a march): 2 points.
Going alone and taking all 5: 4 points.
Makers euchred (fewer than 3 tricks): opponents score 2 points.

First partnership to 10 points wins the game.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many cards are used in Euchre?

Euchre uses a 24-card deck — the 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of each suit. Each player is dealt 5 cards.

What is the right bower and left bower?

The right bower is the Jack of the trump suit and is the highest card in the game. The left bower is the Jack of the other suit of the same color; it counts as a trump and is the second-highest card.

What does 'ordering up' mean?

In the first bidding round, telling the dealer to pick up the face-up card makes that card's suit trump. The dealer takes the card into hand and discards one card face-down.

What does 'going alone' mean in Euchre?

The player who names trump can choose to play without their partner. If they then take all 5 tricks, they score 4 points instead of 2 — the biggest swing in the game.

What is a euchre?

If the makers (the side that chose trump) fail to win at least 3 of the 5 tricks, they are 'euchred' and the opposing partnership scores 2 points.

How many points do you need to win Euchre?

The first partnership to reach 10 points wins the game.

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