How to Play Euchre: Card Game Rules for 4 Players

Euchre is the great Midwestern card game: four players, two partnerships, five cards each, and hands that last two minutes. The odd part is the trumps, where two Jacks outrank the Ace.

The deck

Euchre uses 24 cards: the 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace of each suit. Take them out of a standard deck and set the rest aside. (Many players keep a 5 and 6 of different colours for scoring.)

The deal

Partners sit opposite each other. The dealer gives five cards to each player, usually in batches of three then two. The four left over form the kitty; turn its top card face up.

The trumps — the bowers

When a suit is trump, its cards rank from highest:

1. Right bower — the Jack of the trump suit.
2. Left bower — the other Jack of the same colour. It counts as a trump, not as its own suit. If hearts are trump, the Jack of diamonds is a heart.
3. Ace, King, Queen, 10, 9 of trumps.

In the other suits, Ace is high down to 9.

Making trump

Round one. Starting left of the dealer, each player can pass or order up the face-up card, which makes its suit trump. If someone orders it up — even the dealer's own partner — the dealer adds that card to their hand and discards one face down.

Round two. If all four pass, turn the card face down. Each player in turn may now name any other suit as trump, or pass. If all pass again, the hand is thrown in and the deal moves left. (Many groups play stick the dealer: the dealer must name a suit.)

The partnership that chose trump are the makers.

Playing

The player left of the dealer leads. Everyone must follow suit if they can — remembering the left bower belongs to the trump suit. The highest trump wins; otherwise the highest card of the suit led. The winner leads next.

Scoring

• Makers take 3 or 4 tricks: 1 point.
• Makers take all 5 (a march): 2 points.
• Makers take fewer than 3 (euchred): the defenders score 2 points.

Going alone

A maker who thinks their hand is strong enough can go alone: their partner lays their cards down and sits out. Take all five tricks alone and score 4 points; take three or four and score 1.

The first partnership to 10 points wins.

Tips

• Count trumps before ordering up. Three trumps, including a bower, is usually enough.
• Lead trump when your side made it, to pull the defenders' trumps.
• Never order up your opponent as dealer lightly — you hand them a trump.

Euchre with 2 or 3 players

Euchre is a four-player game. Two- and three-handed versions exist, with each player on their own, but they vary a great deal from house to house. If you are two, gin rummy or cribbage gives you the same quick hands.

Euchre is played fast and slapped down hard. A plastic deck survives a winter of it.