THE GAME IN A MINUTE
Name trump. Take three tricks. Race to ten.
Four players, two teams, twenty-four cards. One suit becomes trump each hand, and the two jacks of its color become the best cards in the deck. Whoever names trump has to take three of the five tricks.
- 01 / Deal & bid
Five cards each. Turn one face up — order it up, or pass and name a different suit.
- 02 / Play five tricks
Follow suit if you can. The right and left bowers rule every hand.
- 03 / Score
Three or four tricks is 1 point, all five is 2, alone is 4. Fall short and the other side scores 2.
The rules, one page at a time
How to Play Euchre
The complete beginner rules, from the deal to the tenth point
Card Rankings & Trump Order
Every suit’s order when it’s trump, bowers included
Dealing & Bidding
The deal, the up-card, and both rounds of naming trump
Stick the Dealer
What happens when all four players pass twice
Euchre Scoring
Points per hand, loners, euchres — and keeping score with two fives
Reneging & Misdeals
Failing to follow suit, the penalty, and when to redeal
Variations & House Rules
Canadian loners, the joker, defending alone, farmer’s hands and more
Three-Handed Euchre
Cutthroat: every hand, the maker takes on the other two
Two-Handed Euchre
Head-to-head Euchre when it’s just the two of you
Euchre at a glance
| Players | Four, in two partnerships — partners sit across |
|---|---|
| Deck | 24 cards: 9, 10, J, Q, K, A of each suit |
| Hand | Five cards each; four left in the kitty |
| Trump | Seven cards — both bowers, then A, K, Q, 10, 9 |
| To make it | The side that names trump needs 3 of the 5 tricks |
| Game | First side to 10 points |
Settle these before the first deal
Euchre is played a little differently from one kitchen table to the next. These are the questions worth agreeing on before anyone shuffles:
- Is the dealer stuck if everyone passes twice, or is the hand thrown in?
- Does the dealer’s partner have to go alone to order up? (The “Canadian loner.”)
- Can a defender go alone? Is there a joker in the deck?
- What’s the penalty for a renege — 2 points, or 4 against a loner?
- Are you playing to 10, or to 11 or 15?
Every one of these is covered in Euchre variations & house rules.
The rules at our tables
Standard four-player Euchre with the 24-card deck. Stick the dealer is on by default (the table’s host can turn it off), games go to 10 (or 15), the maker can go alone for 4 points, and the Canadian loner is there for tables that play it. The game won’t let anyone renege — cards you can’t legally play are dimmed — and the computer deals, so there are no misdeals.
PULL UP A CHAIR
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.