Play Euchre Online

How to Play Euchre

The deck and objective

Four players form two partnerships: South with North, and East with West. The 24-card deck contains the 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of each suit. Each player receives five cards; four remain in the kitty, with one turned face up. A hand has five tricks. The first team to 10 points wins; the table also offers a 5-point quick match.

Two rounds of trump bidding

Starting left of the dealer, each player may order up the turned card’s suit or pass. If ordered up, the dealer adds the turned card to their hand and discards one card. If all four pass, a second round lets players name one of the other three suits. This game uses Stick the Dealer, so the dealer must choose a suit if everyone else passes in round two. The maker may also choose to go alone. The dealer rotates each hand.

Right and left bowers

The Jack of trump is the right bower, the highest card. The Jack of the other same-color suit is the left bower, the second-highest card. For example, when hearts are trump, J♥ ranks first and J♦ second. The left bower counts as trump for leading, following suit, and winning tricks, not as its printed suit. The remaining trump ranks are A, K, Q, 10, 9.

Following suit and winning tricks

The active player left of the dealer leads the first trick. Play continues clockwise. You must follow the effective led suit if you can; otherwise you may discard or play trump. The highest trump wins, or, if none is played, the highest card of the led suit. The winner leads the next trick. When a player goes alone, their partner sits out and each trick contains three cards.

Scoring a hand

Going alone

Going alone does not guarantee bonus points. Taking three or four tricks still earns 1 point; taking fewer than three gives the defenders 2. Only a lone sweep of all five tricks earns 4 points.

When should you call trump or go alone?

Example: the turned card is 9♥, and your hand includes J♥, J♦, A♥, 9♣, and A♣. Calling hearts is reasonable: J♥ and J♦ become the two highest trumps, A♥ is another strong trump, and A♣ may win an off-suit trick. Do not call just because you hold one low card of the turned suit; your team still needs at least three of the five tricks.

Consider going alone with a much stronger hand, such as J♥, J♦, A♥, K♥, and A♣ when hearts are trump. The four highest trumps can draw the remaining trumps before you lead A♣. A lone sweep earns 4 points, but if you take only three or four tricks your team gets just 1, so save the solo call for hands with a credible path to all five.

Continue with the beginner Euchre bidding guide, the left bower versus right bower explanation, or our Euchre vs Spades comparison.

About This Euchre Game

Euchre is a four-player partnership trick-taking card game. This browser version lets you play a complete match without an account or other people waiting at the table. You sit South and partner with North against East and West. The dealer rotates each hand, and computer players decide using only their own hands and publicly played cards.

We use the familiar four-player partnership format with Stick the Dealer: if the first three players pass in round two, the dealer must name trump rather than pass and redeal. Some tables allow a redeal instead. Matches normally go to 10 points, with a 5-point quick option.

Frequently Asked Questions