1Object of the game
Be the first partnership to score 10 points. Your team scores when it names trump and wins at least 3 of the 5 tricks, or when the other team names trump and you stop them from getting 3, which is called euchring them.
2Setup
- Take the 9s, 10s, jacks, queens, kings, and aces out of a standard deck to make a 24-card pack.
- Four players form two teams, with partners sitting across from each other.
- Pick a dealer. The dealer deals 5 cards to each player, clockwise, in two rounds: a batch of 3 then 2, or 2 then 3. The deal passes to the left after each hand.
- The dealer places the remaining 4 cards face down in the middle and turns the top one face up. This turned-up card proposes the trump suit for the first round of bidding.
- Each team keeps score with a pair of low cards, such as a 4 and a 6, sliding one over the other to show 1 to 10 points, or on paper.
3The play
- Bidding round one: starting left of the dealer, each player either passes or accepts the turned-up suit as trump. Opponents say 'I order it up,' the dealer's partner says 'I assist,' and the dealer says 'I pick it up.'
- When trump is accepted, the dealer adds the turned-up card to their hand and discards one card face down. The team that accepted is now the makers and needs 3 tricks.
- Bidding round two: if all four players pass, the dealer turns the card face down. Starting left of the dealer, each player may name any other suit as trump or pass. If everyone passes again, throw in the hand and the next player deals.
- The player who makes trump can say 'alone.' Their partner lays their cards face down and sits out the hand, and the lone player plays against both opponents.
- Play: the player to the dealer's left leads the first trick (or, if someone is going alone, the player to that person's left). You must follow the suit led if you can; if not, you may trump or play any card. The highest trump wins, or the highest card of the suit led if no trump was played. The winner leads next.
- Trump ranks: right bower (jack of trump), left bower (jack of the same color), then A, K, Q, 10, 9. The left bower counts as a trump card, not as its printed suit. Other suits rank A, K, Q, J, 10, 9.
4End of a hand
A hand ends after all 5 tricks are played. Count tricks: the makers score if they won 3 or more, and the defenders score if the makers won 2 or fewer. Record the points, the deal moves one seat to the left, and a new hand begins.
5Scoring
Only one team scores each hand. How many points depends on who made trump, how many tricks they won, and whether they went alone.
| For | Points |
|---|---|
| Makers win 3 or 4 tricks | 1 |
| Makers win all 5 tricks (march) | 2 |
| Lone player wins 3 or 4 tricks | 1 |
| Lone player wins all 5 tricks | 4 |
| Makers euchred (win 2 or fewer): defenders score | 2 |
| Game target | 10 points |
Winning all 5 tricks is called a march. Being euchred means the team that named trump failed to take 3 tricks. Bicycle's rules allow games to 5, 7, or 10 points by agreement; 10 is standard in North America.
The euchre score keeper will do the adding up at the table.
6Winning
The first team to reach 10 points wins. Because a hand scores at most 4, a team at 9 can still be caught, so play every hand as if it matters. There are no ties, since only one team scores on any hand.
7A worked hand
Hearts are trump, so the jack of hearts is the right bower and the jack of diamonds is the left bower. Hearts has 7 trumps in all: J♥, J♦, A♥, K♥, Q♥, 10♥, 9♥. Your team leads 7 to 5. You hold J♥, J♦, A♥, K♥, and A♣, you called hearts, and you say 'alone,' so your partner sits out. The opponent on your left leads the A♠. You have no spades, so you trump it with the K♥; the other opponent plays the 10♠, and you win trick 1. You lead the right bower. The left opponent plays 9♥, the right opponent plays Q♥, and you win trick 2. You lead the left bower, J♦. It counts as a heart, so opponents must follow with hearts if they can. The left opponent is out of hearts and throws the 9♠, the right opponent plays 10♥, and you win trick 3. Six of the 7 trumps are now gone and you hold the seventh, the A♥, which wins trick 4. Your A♣ is the highest club and wins trick 5. You took all 5 tricks alone, worth 4 points: 7 + 4 = 11, and your team wins. If an opponent had taken even one trick, you would have scored just 1 point and moved to 8.
8House rules
The rules above are the version most US players use. These are the variations you are most likely to run into; settle them before the first deal.
- Stick the dealer
- If the first three players pass in the second round, the dealer must name trump instead of throwing in the hand. Very common in Midwestern home games and on pagat.com.
- Canadian loner
- If the dealer's partner orders up the turned card, they must play alone. Pagat.com lists this as a regional rule.
- Farmer's hand
- A player dealt no face cards or aces (all 9s and 10s) may swap cards with the kitty. Rules vary by table, so agree on it first.
- Joker (benny) as top trump
- Add a joker, making a 25-card deck. The joker is the highest trump, above the right bower. Pagat.com describes it as the older original form of the game.
- Defending alone
- A defender may also go alone against a lone maker, scoring 4 points for a euchre. Pagat.com lists this, but many home games don't allow it.
- Shorter games
- Play to 5 or 7 points instead of 10 for a quick game, as Bicycle's rules allow.
9Mistakes people make
- The left bower is part of the trump suit for every purpose, including following suit. If spades are trump and clubs are led, you can't play the jack of clubs as a club.
- In the second round of bidding, you can't name the suit of the card that was turned down.
- The dealer only picks up the turned card when someone accepts that suit in the first round. The dealer then discards one card so they still hold 5.
- A euchre scores 2 points for the defenders; it doesn't subtract points from the makers.
10Playing better
- Count your trumps before you order up. Three trumps, especially including a bower, plus an off-suit ace usually makes a good hand.
- Remember the left bower belongs to the trump suit. A jack of diamonds is a heart when hearts are trump, and it cannot be used to follow a diamond lead.
- As dealer, you get the turned-up card. Be more willing to pick it up when it's a bower or when it gives you three trumps.
- Lead trump when your side made trump and you hold the top ones. Pulling trump protects your off-suit aces.
- Go alone when you hold the right and left bowers plus another high trump and an off-suit ace. The 4-point march can swing the game.
- Don't trump your partner's winning card. If your partner's ace is already winning the trick, throw a low card instead.
Euchre: questions people ask
- What are the right and left bowers in Euchre?
- The right bower is the jack of the trump suit, the highest card in the game. The left bower is the other jack of the same color, the second-highest card. If diamonds are trump, the jack of diamonds is the right bower and the jack of hearts is the left bower, and it counts as a diamond for that hand.
- How many cards do you deal in Euchre?
- Deal 5 cards to each of the four players from a 24-card deck. The dealer gives out a batch of 3 then 2, or 2 then 3, going around twice. The last 4 cards form the kitty, and the top card is turned face up to start the trump bidding.
- How does going alone work in Euchre?
- The player who names trump can announce 'alone.' Their partner puts their cards face down and doesn't play. If the lone player takes all 5 tricks, their team scores 4 points; if they take 3 or 4, it scores 1. If they take 2 or fewer, the opponents score 2 for the euchre.
- What does it mean to get euchred?
- Your team is euchred when you named trump but won only 0, 1, or 2 of the 5 tricks. The other team scores 2 points. It doesn't cost your team any points directly, but a 2-point swing to the opponents makes careless calls expensive.
- What is stick the dealer in Euchre?
- Stick the dealer is a popular house rule. If all four players pass in the first round and the first three pass in the second round, the dealer must name a trump suit instead of passing. Without it, the hand is thrown in and the deal moves on.
- How many points do you play to in Euchre?
- Standard North American Euchre is played to 10 points. Many players keep score with a 4 and a 6 (or a 3 and a 4 for games to 5) from the unused cards. Shorter games to 5 or 7 are also common when time is short.
- Does the left bower count as trump when following suit?
- Yes. The left bower is a trump card for the whole hand. If hearts are trump and someone leads diamonds, you can't follow with the jack of diamonds. If trump is led and you hold the left bower, you must play it (or another trump) to follow suit.
Sources
Checked by Morgan Hale against the sources below. Last reviewed September 28, 2026.
- Euchre, pagat.com. Read September 28, 2026.
- How to Play Euchre, Bicycle Cards. Read September 28, 2026.