Euchre is a trick-taking card game for four players in two partnerships, played with a short deck (24 cards, 9 up to ace, is the common one) where the jack of trumps and the other jack of the same colour are the two highest trumps. The side that names trump has to win at least three of the five tricks, and if it doesn't, it's euchred and the other side scores 2 points.
This page follows the Learn to Play: Euchre rules page published by Bicycle, the playing card brand of the United States Playing Card Company, as of November 2026. Bicycle says the game is best for four, playing two against two, and gives the four-hand rules first, so that's the version written up here. It lists ages 10 and up.
One bit of history from the same page is worth knowing: Euchre is the reason modern decks were first packaged with jokers. The joker started life as the bowers, the high trumps.
The deck, the bowers and how partners are drawn
You don't need a special deck. Bicycle's page says you can strip a standard 52-card pack down to 32 cards (A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7 of each suit), 28 cards (take out the 7s) or 24 cards (take out the 7s and 8s). Some games add a joker, and if you do, it's the highest trump of all.
Card order is where new players trip up. Here's the trump ranking with spades as trumps, as an example:
| Rank | Card | With spades as trumps |
|---|---|---|
| Top (only if you've added one) | Joker | Joker |
| Highest trump | Right bower: jack of the trump suit | Jack of spades |
| Second-highest trump | Left bower: the other jack of the same colour | Jack of clubs |
| Then | Ace, king, queen, 10, 9 of trumps (plus 8 and 7 if your deck has them) | Ace of spades down to the 9 |
The plain suits run ace (high), king, queen, jack, 10, 9, 8, 7. The left bower isn't part of its own suit for that hand: it's a trump. So with spades as trumps, the jack of clubs counts as a spade, and clubs is a suit with no jack at all.
To pick partners, spread the shuffled pack face down and everyone draws. The two lowest cards play against the two highest, and the lowest card deals first. The draw has its own ranking: king high, then queen, jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, and ace LOW. Equal cards draw again. Partners sit opposite each other.
Shuffling, cutting and dealing, step by step
- The dealer has the right to shuffle last.
- The player on the dealer's right cuts. The cut can't leave fewer than four cards in either packet.
- Deal clockwise, starting with the player on the dealer's left, until everyone has five cards.
- Deal in a round of three then a round of two, or two then three. The dealer can pick either plan but has to stick with it for the whole deal.
- Put the rest of the pack in the centre and turn the top card face up. That's the turn-up, the first offer of trump.
- After the hand, the deal passes to the player on the dealer's left.
Naming trump: order it up, assist, or turn it down
Bidding goes round at most twice, starting each time with the player on the dealer's left.
First round: the turn-up
Each player either passes or accepts the turned-up card's suit as trump. Who's speaking decides the words. An opponent of the dealer says "I order it up". The dealer's partner says "I assist". The dealer accepts by making a discard, which is called taking it up.
Once anyone accepts, the dealer gets the right to swap the turn-up for a card in their hand. In practice the dealer leaves the turn-up sitting on the pack until it's played and slides the discard face down underneath the pack. That's the catch with ordering it up as an opponent: you're handing the dealer an extra trump.
If the dealer doesn't want it, they turn it down by taking the card off the top and placing it face up, partly under the pack.
Second round: naming a suit
If all four pass, each player in turn can pass again or name a trump suit. The suit that was turned down can't be named. Naming the other suit of the same colour is called making it next; naming a suit of the opposite colour is crossing it. If all four pass a second time, the cards are gathered and shuffled and the next dealer deals.
Going alone
The player who fixes trump can declare "alone", clearly, at the moment of making trump. Their partner turns their cards face down and sits out the hand. You can't decide to go alone halfway through.
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Playing the five tricks
The player on the dealer's left leads first. There's one exception: if that player's partner is going alone, the player on the left sits out, so the lead comes from the player across from the dealer instead.
You must follow suit if you can. If you can't, you can trump or throw away any card. A trick goes to the highest card of the suit led, or, if anyone played a trump, to the highest trump. Whoever wins a trick leads the next one.
For example, the turn-up is the 10 of hearts. The player on the dealer's left passes, the dealer's partner passes, and the player on the dealer's right says "I order it up". The dealer takes it up with a discard. Hearts are trumps, so the jack of hearts is the right bower and the jack of diamonds is the left bower. The opening lead is the ace of clubs, and anyone holding a club has to play one. A player with no clubs can play the left bower, which counts as a heart, and wins the trick unless someone puts on the right bower. If the side that ordered it up takes three or four tricks, it scores 1 point. If it takes two or fewer, it's euchred and the dealer's side scores 2.
Scoring a hand and winning the game
| What happened | Points |
|---|---|
| Partnership that made trump wins 3 or 4 tricks | 1 to them |
| Partnership that made trump wins all 5 (a march) | 2 to them |
| Lone hand wins 3 or 4 tricks | 1 to them |
| Lone hand wins all 5 | 4 to them |
| Partnership or lone hand is euchred | 2 to the opponents |
Game is 5, 7 or 10 points, and you agree which before you start. In a 5-point game, a side is "at the bridge" when it has 4 and the opponents have 2 or less.
Bicycle describes a neat way to keep score in a 5-point game using two low cards per side, a three and a four:
- Score of 1: the four face down on the three, with one pip showing.
- Score of 2: the three face down on the four, with two pips showing.
- Score of 3: the three face up on the four.
- Score of 4: the four face up on the three.
Many groups score in rubbers, as in Whist. The first side to win two games takes the rubber. Each game is worth 3 rubber points if the losers scored 0 or fewer in it, 2 if they scored 1 or 2, and 1 if they scored 3 or more. The winners' margin for the rubber is a 2-point bonus plus their rubber points minus the losers' rubber points.
Arguments to settle before the first deal
- What you're playing to. It's 5, 7 or 10, and it has to be agreed beforehand.
- Which jack is which. The left bower is a trump, not a card of its own suit, for the whole hand.
- The turned-down suit. Nobody can name it in the second round.
- Ordering it up. It's an opponent's call, and it gives the dealer the turn-up.
- Going alone. It's declared when trump is made, not after you've seen a trick or two.
- The draw for partners. Ace is low when you're drawing, even though it's high in play.
My verdict on learning euchre
I'd teach the bowers first, with the cards face up on the table, because that's the rule that makes everything else click. Then the two bidding rounds, then the scoring table. I'd play to 5 points the first evening and use the three-and-four markers, since they're quick to read. I'd skip going alone and rubber scoring until everyone's comfortable naming trump without asking. If your group already plays Spades as partners, the following and trumping will feel familiar; my guide to trick-taking card games has more in the same family, and there are offline card games for your phone if you want a solo warm-up.
Frequently asked questions
How many points do you need to win euchre?
The first side to 5, 7 or 10 points wins, as agreed before play starts.
What is the left bower in euchre?
The left bower is the jack of the other suit of the same colour as trumps. It's the second-highest trump and counts as a trump for the whole hand.
What does euchred mean?
The side that named trump failed to win at least three of the five tricks, so the opponents score 2 points.
How do you score a lone hand in euchre?
A lone hand scores 1 point for winning 3 or 4 tricks and 4 points for winning all 5. If it's euchred, the opponents score 2.
