Euchre FAQ
Straight answers to the rules questions that come up at every table — and the ones people argue about.
Updated
The basics
How many players does Euchre need?
Four, in two teams of two, with partners sitting across from each other. There are also three-handed (cutthroat) and two-handed versions. Three-handed Euchre →
How many cards are in a Euchre deck?
Twenty-four: the 9, 10, jack, queen, king and ace of each suit. Some groups play with 32 cards (adding the 7s and 8s) or add a joker. Euchre variations →
How many cards does each player get?
Five, dealt in packets of two and three. The four cards left over are the kitty, and the top one is turned face up to start the bidding. Dealing and bidding →
What is the highest card in Euchre?
The right bower — the jack of the trump suit. Next is the left bower, the other jack of the same color, then the ace, king, queen, 10 and 9 of trump. Card rankings for every suit →
Is the left bower trump?
Yes. For the whole hand the left bower counts as a trump, not as the suit printed on it. With hearts trump, the jack of diamonds follows heart leads and cannot follow a diamond lead.
Bidding
What does “order it up” mean?
Accepting the face-up card’s suit as trump in the first round of bidding. The dealer then adds that card to their hand and discards one card face down.
What does “I assist” mean?
It is what the dealer’s partner traditionally says when ordering the card up into their own partner’s hand. In some places, including Canada, the dealer’s partner may only order it up by going alone.
What happens if everyone passes?
The face-up card is turned down and a second round starts, in which players can name any other suit. If everyone passes again, either the hand is thrown in and the deal moves left, or — under stick the dealer — the dealer has to name trump. Stick the dealer →
Can you call the suit that was turned down?
No. In the second round of bidding you may name any suit except the one that was turned down.
Who can go alone?
Under the most common rules, the player who names trump, and they say so when they name it — that includes the dealer. Some tables also let a defender go alone. When to go alone →
Playing the hand
Who leads first?
The player to the dealer’s left. If that player is sitting out because their partner is going alone, the next player leads. Some tables have the player to the left of the lone player lead instead.
Do you have to follow suit?
Yes, whenever you can. Remember the left bower belongs to the trump suit, so it follows trump leads, not its printed suit.
Do you have to trump if you can’t follow suit?
No. If you can’t follow suit you may play any card — a trump to try to win the trick, or any other card as a discard.
Can you lead trump?
Yes. Whoever is on lead may lead any card, trump included. Whether you should is a strategy question, not a rule. Leading and playing →
What is a renege?
Failing to follow suit when you could have. It is usually claimed at the end of the hand. The common penalty is 2 points to the other team, and many tables make it 4 if it happened against a loner. Reneging and misdeals →
Scoring
How does scoring work?
If the team that named trump takes 3 or 4 tricks, it scores 1 point; all 5 tricks is a march, worth 2. A player who went alone scores 4 for taking all 5. If the makers take fewer than 3, they are euchred and the other team scores 2. Euchre scoring →
How many points is a euchre?
Two points, to the defending team.
What do you play to?
Ten points is standard. Some groups play to 5, 7, 11 or 15 — agree before you start.
Why do people keep score with a 6 and a 4?
They are left over from stripping a full deck down to Euchre’s 24 cards. Each team uses two of them — a 6 and a 4, two 5s, or a 2 and a 3 — sliding one over the other to show their score.
Playing here
Can I play Euchre online for free?
Yes. You can play against the computer right away with no account, or open a table in the lobby and play with friends. Empty seats are filled by the computer.
Is the game rigged?
No, and you can check. Each hand’s shuffle is locked with a SHA-256 fingerprint before the cards are shown and revealed when the hand ends; the table checks the two match and re-creates the whole deal from the seed. How to check a deal →
Which rules do your tables use?
Standard four-player Euchre with the 24-card deck. Stick the dealer is on by default and can be turned off, games go to 10 (or 5, 7, 11 or 15), the maker can go alone, and the Canadian loner is an optional setting. The game won’t let you play a card that breaks the follow-suit rule, so nobody can renege.
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Play a hand of Euchre
Free in your browser — no download, no signup. Partner with the computer and play right now, or open a table in the lobby and deal in your friends.