Euchre Card Ranking
Which card wins? The trump suit has seven cards headed by the two bowers; every other suit ranks Ace to 9. Here is the full order for each trump suit, and the one rule that trips up every new player.
Play Euchre NowThe order, top to bottom
- Right bower — the Jack of trump
- Left bower — the Jack of the other suit of the same colour (it becomes a trump)
- Ace of trump
- King of trump
- Queen of trump
- 10 of trump
- 9 of trump
Below all seven trumps, every non-trump suit ranks A, K, Q, J, 10, 9. Any trump beats any off-suit card; an off-suit card can only win a trick if it is the highest card of the suit led and nobody trumped.
Ranking chart for every trump suit
The left bower is what changes from suit to suit. Red suits borrow each other's Jack; black suits borrow each other's Jack.
| Trump | Right bower | Left bower | Then | Suit with only 5 cards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ♥ Hearts | J♥ | J♦ (the Diamonds Jack) | A♥ K♥ Q♥ 10♥ 9♥ | Diamonds: A K Q 10 9 |
| ♦ Diamonds | J♦ | J♥ (the Hearts Jack) | A♦ K♦ Q♦ 10♦ 9♦ | Hearts: A K Q 10 9 |
| ♠ Spades | J♠ | J♣ (the Clubs Jack) | A♠ K♠ Q♠ 10♠ 9♠ | Clubs: A K Q 10 9 |
| ♣ Clubs | J♣ | J♠ (the Spades Jack) | A♣ K♣ Q♣ 10♣ 9♣ | Spades: A K Q 10 9 |
The left bower rule, in plain words
When a suit is named trump, the Jack of the other suit of the same colour leaves its own suit and joins trump as the second-highest card. Three things follow from that:
- It follows trump, not its printed suit. If hearts are trump and a heart is led, the Jack of Diamonds must be played if it is your only trump. If a diamond is led, you may not play the Jack of Diamonds to follow suit; it is a heart now.
- The borrowed suit shrinks. With hearts as trump there are only five diamonds in play: A, K, Q, 10, 9. That makes the diamond Ace easier to cash, because fewer cards can beat it, but also easier to trump, because more people are void.
- It beats the trump Ace. New players regularly play the Ace of trump into a left bower. Count it as the second-best card in the deck, always.
Who wins the trick
- If any trump was played, the highest trump wins.
- If no trump was played, the highest card of the suit led wins.
- A card of any other suit never wins, no matter its rank.
Example with spades as trump: North leads the Ace of Hearts, East plays the King of Hearts, you play the 9 of Spades, West plays the Jack of Clubs. West wins: the Jack of Clubs is the left bower, a spade, and outranks your 9 of Spades. Had West played the Jack of Hearts instead, your 9 of Spades would have won the trick, because a low trump beats any off-suit card, including the Ace that was led.
Counting the trumps
Seven trumps exist and you can see your own, so every hand starts with a known number in the other three hands and the kitty. Keeping a running count is the single most useful habit in Euchre: once the right, left and Ace have gone, your King is the best trump in the game. The leading guide shows how to use that count on tricks three to five.
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest card in Euchre?
The right bower: the Jack of the trump suit. Nothing beats it. The second-highest card is the left bower, the Jack of the other suit of the same colour, which counts as a trump for the whole hand. Then come the Ace, King, Queen, 10 and 9 of trump.
How many trump cards are there in Euchre?
Seven: the right bower, the left bower, and the Ace, King, Queen, 10 and 9 of the trump suit. The left bower's own suit is left with only five cards for the hand (A, K, Q, 10, 9).
Does the left bower count as trump?
Yes. For the whole hand the left bower is a trump card, not a card of its printed suit. If trump is led and the left bower is your only trump, you must play it. If its printed suit is led, you do not have to play it and may not use it to follow suit.
What beats what when no trump is played?
The highest card of the suit that was led wins, ranking Ace (high), King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9. A card of any other non-trump suit cannot win the trick, however high it is.
Which cards are used in Euchre?
Twenty-four cards: the 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace of each suit. The 2s through 8s are removed. Some British games add a joker as the top trump (the benny).
Is the Ace of trump higher than the left bower?
No. The left bower beats the trump Ace. The full trump order from the top is right bower, left bower, Ace, King, Queen, 10, 9.