Three-Handed Euchre (Cutthroat) Rules
No fourth player? Cutthroat Euchre is the three-player game: every hand, whoever names trump takes on the other two.
Updated
What you need
Three players and a standard 24-card Euchre deck — the 9 through the ace of each suit. The cards rank exactly as they do in the four-player game: the jack of trump (the right bower) is highest, then the other jack of the same color (the left bower), then the ace, king, queen, 10 and 9. With spades trump:
Everyone keeps their own score, on paper or with two spare low cards each. Every suit’s order is on the card rankings page.
The deal
- Pick the first dealer at random — cutting for it is fine. After each hand the deal passes to the left.
- Deal five cards to each player, 15 in all.
- Turn the next card face up. That’s the up-card, the first candidate for trump. The rest of the pack stays face down, out of play.
That leaves nine cards undealt, against four in the four-player game. Keep it in mind when you’re wondering where a missing bower went.
Bidding for trump
Bidding works just as it does with four players; it simply goes around three seats instead of four. The four-player version is laid out in dealing and bidding.
Round 1: order it up or pass
Starting at the dealer’s left, each player either orders up, making the up-card’s suit trump, or passes. If anyone orders it up, the dealer adds the up-card to their hand and discards one card face down. The dealer can take it for themselves, too — that’s picking it up.
Round 2: name another suit
If all three pass, the up-card is turned face down. Going around again from the dealer’s left, each player may name any suit except the one turned down, or pass. Whoever names trump is the maker.
If everyone passes twice
Either throw the hand in and pass the deal to the left, or play stick the dealer and make the dealer name a suit. Pick one before you start.
One against two
This is the heart of cutthroat. The maker plays alone. The other two team up as defenders for that hand only, and when the next hand is dealt they’re rivals again. All three hands are played; nobody sits out, and there’s no separate call to go alone, because the maker already is.
The tricks are played as usual. The player to the dealer’s left leads first. Follow the suit led if you can — the left bower counts as trump, not as its printed suit — and play anything if you can’t. The highest trump wins the trick; if no trump was played, the highest card of the suit led wins. The winner leads next.
Scoring
| Result | Who scores | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Maker takes 3 or 4 tricks | Maker | 1 |
| Maker takes all 5 (a march) | Maker | 3 |
| Maker takes 2 or fewer (euchred) | Each defender | 2 |
The game is usually played to 10 points. Two things stand out. A march pays 3 — more than a team march (2) in the four-player game, less than a lone march (4). And a euchre pays both defenders, whoever took the tricks, so one hand can carry them both to 10 together. Agree beforehand how you’ll settle that tie.
How strategy changes
- Every call is a loner. As maker you need three tricks with no help, against two hands that will work together — the same test as a lone hand in the four-player game, so judge it the same way (see when to go alone). A hand you’d happily order up with a partner across the table can be a euchre waiting to happen here. Call more conservatively.
- A euchre costs you twice. Get euchred and both rivals move 2 points closer to 10 while you stand still.
- Defenders share one goal. Both score 2 if the maker is held under three tricks, no matter which of you takes them. Don’t overtrump a trick your ally is already winning; save your trump for the maker’s winners.
- Then the alliance ends. Next hand, your ally is a rival again. Late in a game, remember that a euchre moves them forward as much as you.
- More cards are hidden. With nine cards out of play, a bower you haven’t seen may well be sitting in the pack.
Playing Euchre here
Our tables play the standard four-player partnership game, not three-handed Euchre. If there are three of you, you can still play together: open a table in the lobby and the AI fills the empty seat. On your own, play Euchre against the computer with no account.
Common questions
How do you play Euchre with three players?
Play cutthroat: everyone plays for themselves. Deal five cards each, turn up the next card and bid as usual. Whoever names trump plays alone against the other two, who team up for that hand only.
How is three-handed Euchre scored?
The maker scores 1 point for three or four tricks and 3 for all five. If the maker is euchred — held under three tricks — each of the other two players scores 2. The game is usually played to 10.
Can you go alone in three-handed Euchre?
There is no separate call, because the maker already plays alone against the other two. A march pays 3 here, rather than the 2 a team march or the 4 a lone march earns in the four-player game.
Can I play three-handed Euchre on this site?
Not three-handed: our tables play the standard four-player partnership game. With three people, open a table in the lobby and the AI fills the fourth seat; on your own, you can play against the computer with no account.
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.