The right bower is the Jack of trump and the highest card in Euchre. The left bower is the Jack of the other same-color suit and ranks second. Here is the part that catches new players: the left bower becomes trump for the whole hand. Its printed suit no longer counts.
So if Hearts are trump, the Jack of Diamonds is a Heart. That one suit change decides whether a play is legal and who wins the trick. You can see the rule enforced at the Euchre table and full rules page.
Which Jack is the right bower?
The right bower always matches trump exactly:
- Clubs trump: Jack of Clubs is the right bower.
- Spades trump: Jack of Spades is the right bower.
- Hearts trump: Jack of Hearts is the right bower.
- Diamonds trump: Jack of Diamonds is the right bower.
It outranks every other card, including the Ace of trump. If Clubs is trump and a trick contains the Jack of Clubs, no later card can beat it.
Which Jack is the left bower?
The left bower is the Jack of the same-color suit as trump:
- Clubs trump: Jack of Spades is the left bower.
- Spades trump: Jack of Clubs is the left bower.
- Hearts trump: Jack of Diamonds is the left bower.
- Diamonds trump: Jack of Hearts is the left bower.
The black suits pair with each other, and the red suits pair with each other. The left bower ranks immediately below the right bower and above the Ace of trump.
Complete trump ranking with bowers
The seven trump cards rank in this order:
- Right bower: Jack of trump
- Left bower: Jack of the other same-color suit
- Ace of trump
- King of trump
- Queen of trump
- 10 of trump
- 9 of trump
All non-trump suits use the normal order Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, except that the suit supplying the left bower now has only five cards. For example, with Hearts trump, Diamonds rank Ace, King, Queen, 10, 9 because the Jack of Diamonds has moved into trump.
How does the left bower affect following suit?
You must follow the suit that was led whenever you can. For the left bower, use its new trump suit, not the symbol printed in the corner.
Example 1: Diamonds are led while Hearts are trump
You hold the Jack of Diamonds, 9 of Clubs, 10 of Clubs, Queen of Spades, and King of Spades. An opponent leads the Ace of Diamonds.
You do not have a Diamond. The Jack of Diamonds is now a Heart, so you may play any card. Playing the left bower would trump the trick.
Example 2: You also hold a real Diamond
Hearts are still trump, but now your hand includes both the Jack of Diamonds and 9 of Diamonds. An opponent leads the Ace of Diamonds.
You must play the 9 of Diamonds. The left bower does not satisfy a Diamond lead because it is trump, while the 9 is still a Diamond.
Example 3: Trump is led
Hearts are trump, and an opponent leads the 9 of Hearts. Your only effective Heart is the Jack of Diamonds.
You must play the Jack of Diamonds. It follows the trump suit and will win unless the Jack of Hearts, the right bower, is played.
Example 4: The left bower leads the trick
Hearts are trump, and the first player leads the Jack of Diamonds.
That is a trump lead, not a Diamond lead. Anyone holding a Heart must follow with a Heart. A player with ordinary Diamonds but no Heart may play anything.
Which bower wins the trick?
The right bower always beats the left bower. The left bower always beats the Ace of trump. Consider Hearts as trump:
- Jack of Hearts beats Jack of Diamonds.
- Jack of Diamonds beats Ace of Hearts.
- Any Heart trump beats a non-trump Ace when trump is legally played.
- If no trump appears, the highest card of the suit originally led wins.
Suppose Clubs are led and the trick contains Ace of Clubs, 9 of Hearts, Jack of Diamonds, and Jack of Hearts. With Hearts trump, the Jack of Hearts wins. The Club Ace cannot beat trump, and the two bowers follow their special ranking.
Bidding with one or both bowers
Count the bowers before deciding whether to call. If you leave the left bower in its printed suit, you will underrate one suit and overrate another before the hand even starts.
- Both bowers: You control the two highest trump. Add another trump or a side ace and the hand may be strong enough to call aggressively or consider going alone.
- Right bower only: This is one certain trump trick, but you still need a path to two more partnership tricks.
- Left bower only: It is almost as strong as the right bower, but the unseen right bower can beat it. Plan whether to lead it, protect it, or use it after the right bower appears.
- A same-color Jack before trump is chosen: Its value depends on the called suit. The Jack of Diamonds becomes the right bower for Diamonds, the left bower for Hearts, and an ordinary Jack for Clubs or Spades.
For complete first- and second-round decisions, including six sample hands, see the Euchre bidding strategy for beginners.
Common illegal-play mistakes
Playing the left bower as its printed suit
With Hearts trump and Diamonds led, a player may incorrectly think the Jack of Diamonds must be played. It must not be played to follow Diamonds; it is a Heart. If the player has another Diamond, that actual Diamond must be played.
Refusing to play the left bower when trump is led
With Hearts trump and Hearts led, the Jack of Diamonds must be played if it is the player’s only effective Heart. Keeping it because the card is printed as a Diamond would break the follow-suit rule.
Ranking the Ace above the bowers
The Ace is normally high, but trump has two cards above it. The right bower is first, the left bower second, and the Ace of trump third.
Forgetting the left bower during bidding
If Hearts are being considered, the Jack of Diamonds is not a side-suit card. Failing to count it as trump can turn a clear call into an unnecessary pass.
How can you check a bower play quickly?
Run through these six checks before you play:
- Name the trump suit.
- Identify the Jack that matches it: that is the right bower.
- Identify the same-color Jack: that is the left bower.
- Move the left bower mentally into trump.
- Check whether you can follow the effective led suit.
- Rank the trick with right bower, left bower, then Ace of trump at the top.
Make the suit change as soon as trump is called. After a few hands, the left bower stops looking like an exception and starts looking like what it is: the second-highest trump.