Euchre is a fast, punchy partnership game played with just 24 cards. Its signature quirks — a trump suit chosen each hand and two Jacks (the "bowers") that outrank everything — make it feel different from any other trick-taking game. The team that names trump must take at least three of five tricks, and the first side to 10 wins. This page is a complete reference. To learn by doing, you can play Euchre now with a computer partner.
What is Euchre?
Euchre is a four-player game in two partnerships — you and the player across the table against the other two. It uses a stripped-down deck and a trump suit that changes every hand. Each hand is only five tricks long, so games move quickly and the lead can swing fast.
The deck
Euchre uses a 24-card deck: only the 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace of each suit. Everything from the 2 through the 8 is removed. Aces are high (except where the bowers take over in the trump suit, below).
The deal
Each player is dealt five cards. The next card is turned face up on the table — this "up-card" drives the first round of bidding — and the remaining three cards (the "kitty") are set aside face down.
The bowers: trump's special ranks
In the trump suit, two Jacks outrank everything else:
- Right bower: the Jack of the trump suit — the single highest card in the game.
- Left bower: the Jack of the other suit of the same colour (for example, the Jack of diamonds when hearts are trump). It counts as a trump card — not as its printed suit — and ranks just below the right bower.
Below the two bowers, the trump suit runs Ace, King, Queen, 10, 9. Non-trump suits rank normally: Ace high down to the 9.
Choosing trump: ordering up and naming
Bidding happens in up to two rounds, starting to the dealer's left:
- Round one — order it up. Each player may accept the up-card's suit as trump by "ordering it up", or pass. If someone orders up, that suit is trump and the dealer picks up the up-card and discards one card.
- Round two — name a suit. If all four pass, the up-card is turned down and each player may now name a different suit as trump, or pass. (On CardHearth the dealer must name a suit rather than pass it out, so trump is always decided.)
The team that selects trump are the makers; they must take at least three tricks.
Going alone
When you call trump, you may declare that you'll go alone. Your partner sets their cards aside and sits out the hand, leaving you to play one-against-two. The reward is large: taking all five tricks alone scores 4 points.
Playing the tricks
The player to the dealer's left leads the first trick. You must follow the led suit if you can — remembering that the left bower counts as trump, not as its printed suit. If you can't follow, you may play any card, including a trump. The highest trump wins the trick; if no trump is played, the highest card of the led suit wins. The winner leads the next trick.
Scoring
At the end of the hand, score based on the makers' tricks:
- Makers take 3 or 4 tricks: 1 point.
- Makers take all 5 (a "march"): 2 points.
- Makers go alone and take all 5: 4 points.
- Makers take fewer than 3 (they're "euchred"): the other team scores 2 points.
How you win
Hands continue, with the deal rotating, until a team reaches 10 points. Because being euchred hands two points to the opponents and a lone march grabs four, momentum can flip in a single hand — which is exactly what makes Euchre so quick and tense.
Frequently asked questions
What are the bowers in Euchre?
The bowers are the two most powerful trump cards. The right bower is the Jack of the trump suit — the highest card in the game. The left bower is the Jack of the same colour as trump (for example, the Jack of diamonds when hearts are trump); it counts as a trump and ranks just below the right bower.
What does "ordering up" mean in Euchre?
After the deal, one card is turned face up. In the first round of bidding, a player can "order it up", making that card’s suit trump and forcing the dealer to pick the card up and discard one. If everyone passes, a second round lets a player name a different suit as trump.
How does going alone work?
The player who calls trump may choose to go alone. Their partner sits out the hand, so it’s one player against two. Sweeping all five tricks alone scores 4 points — the biggest single hand in Euchre. Taking only 3 or 4 tricks alone still scores just 1, the same as a normal make, so go alone only when you can realistically win them all.
Keep going
Now that you know the rules, play a hand of Euchre with a computer partner. To call trump confidently and stop getting euchred, read our Euchre strategy guide, see how it compares in Euchre vs Spades, try the bigger partnership game in Spades, or browse the guides hub.