Euchre

Five cards each, a trump suit somebody has to call, and two jacks that outrank every ace.

Logic

Play

How to play

  1. Each player gets five cards from a 24-card deck — the nines up to the aces. One more card is turned face up in the middle.
  2. Going round the table, each player may order that card up, which makes its suit trump and gives the card to the dealer, or pass.
  3. If everyone passes, the card is turned down and each player may name any other suit as trump, or pass again. If nobody names one, the cards are dealt again.
  4. The jack of trump is the highest card. The other jack of the same colour counts as a trump for the hand and is the second highest.
  5. Follow the suit that was led if you can. The highest trump wins the trick, or the highest card of the suit led if no trump was played.
  6. The side that chose trump needs three of the five tricks: 1 point, or 2 for all five. Take fewer and the other side scores 2.

What it trains

  • Partnership play: reading what your partner’s lead says about the cards they hold
  • Judging a hand quickly — five cards and one decision about trump before a single trick is played
  • Short hands with a clear finish, against computer opponents, with no account and no clock

Full rules

The table and the deck

You sit south. North, across from you, is your partner, and West and East are the other side. Euchre uses 24 cards — the nine, ten, jack, queen, king and ace of each suit — and each player holds five. The four cards left over stay in the middle with the top one turned face up. The deal moves one seat to the left after every hand.

Making trump

Starting at the dealer’s left, each player in turn can order up the turned card or pass. Ordering it up makes that suit trump for the hand, and the dealer takes the card and puts another one away face down. If all four pass, the card is turned over and the round goes again, except that now a player names any suit other than the one just turned down. If everyone passes a second time, the hand is thrown in and the next player deals.

The two bowers

Once trump is chosen, the jack of that suit becomes the right bower, the highest card in the game. The jack of the other suit of the same colour becomes the left bower: it is a trump for the whole hand, ranked second, and it no longer belongs to its printed suit. With hearts as trump the order is jack of hearts, jack of diamonds, then the ace, king, queen, ten and nine of hearts — and a player holding the jack of diamonds cannot use it to follow a diamond lead.

Following suit and winning tricks

The player to the dealer’s left leads the first trick. Everyone else must play a card of the suit led if they have one; only when they have none may they play anything, a trump included. The highest trump in the trick wins it, or if there is none, the highest card of the suit led. The winner leads the next trick.

Scoring

The side that made trump needs at least three of the five tricks. Three or four is worth 1 point, and all five — a march — is worth 2. If they take fewer than three they are euchred, and the other side scores 2 instead.

Going alone

A player who makes trump can choose to go alone: their partner sits the hand out and they play against both opponents by themselves. Take all five tricks alone and the side scores 4 points; three or four still scores 1, and being euchred still gives the other side 2.

How long a game lasts

A hand of five tricks takes about a minute. The traditional game is played to 10 points; a game to 5 is here too, and it is the one selected until you choose otherwise. The score and the seats carry over from hand to hand, and your game is saved if you close the tab.

Play Euchre free online in full screen, with no download and no sign-up. You sit south with a computer partner across the table and two computer opponents on the flanks. Five cards each from a 24-card deck and one card turned up: order it up to make that suit trump, or pass — and if all four pass, name another suit instead. The jack of trump is the highest card, and the other jack of the same colour becomes a trump too, second only to it. Take three of the five tricks and your side scores a point, all five for two, or four if you went alone — fall short and you are euchred. Play to 5 or to the traditional 10, and your first hand is walked through step by step.

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