Euchre is a 4-player trick-taking card game played with a 24-card deck. Trump rankings: Right Bower (Jack of trump) > Left Bower (Jack of same color) > Ace > King > Queen > 10 > 9. Deal 5 cards each, bid for trump, play 5 tricks. Score: 3–4 tricks = 1 pt, all 5 (march) = 2 pts, loner march = 4 pts, euchred = 2 pts to opponents. First team to 10 wins.
This page gives you the complete euchre rules in a clean, print-friendly format. Use Ctrl+P (Windows) or Cmd+P (Mac) to print — or save as PDF to share with your group. For the most condensed single-page version, see the Euchre Cheat Sheet.
The Basics
- Players: 4 (two teams of 2, partners sit across from each other)
- Deck: 24 cards — 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace of each suit
- Goal: First team to reach 10 points wins
Card Rankings
When a Suit Is Trump
| Rank | Card | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jack of trump suit | Right Bower |
| 2nd | Jack of same color as trump | Left Bower |
| 3rd | Ace of trump | |
| 4th | King of trump | |
| 5th | Queen of trump | |
| 6th | 10 of trump | |
| 7th | 9 of trump |
Which Jack is the Left Bower?
| Trump Suit | Right Bower | Left Bower |
|---|---|---|
| Hearts ♥ | Jack of Hearts | Jack of Diamonds |
| Diamonds ♦ | Jack of Diamonds | Jack of Hearts |
| Clubs ♣ | Jack of Clubs | Jack of Spades |
| Spades ♠ | Jack of Spades | Jack of Clubs |
The Left Bower is treated as a trump card for the entire hand — not as a member of its printed suit. If hearts are trump and diamonds are led, you are not required to play the Jack of Diamonds; it is a heart, not a diamond.
Non-Trump Suits
Ace → King → Queen → Jack → 10 → 9
No non-trump card can beat any trump card. Note that the Left Bower’s printed suit has only 5 cards (no Jack) for that hand.
Dealing
- The first dealer is determined by any agreed method (e.g., cut the deck — high card deals; or first black Jack dealt face-up).
- Dealer distributes cards clockwise in rounds of 2 and 3 until each player holds 5 cards.
- The remaining 4 cards form the kitty, placed face-down. The top card is flipped face-up.
- After each hand, the deal passes clockwise to the next player.
Bidding — Round 1
Starting with the player left of the dealer, going clockwise:
- Order it up: Name the face-up card’s suit as trump. The dealer takes that card into their hand and discards one card face-down. The player who ordered it up (and their partner) become the makers.
- Pass: Decline and let the next player decide.
If all four players pass, turn the face-up card face-down and start Round 2.
Bidding — Round 2
Starting again with the player left of the dealer:
- Name a suit: Name any suit except the one turned down. That suit becomes trump. The dealer does not pick up any card.
- Pass: Decline.
If all players pass again: redeal (same dealer), or if playing Stick the Dealer, the dealer must name a suit.
Going Alone
After calling trump, the maker may go alone — their partner sits out with cards face-down. The lone player plays against both opponents.
| Result | Points |
|---|---|
| Lone player wins all 5 tricks | 4 points |
| Lone player wins 3 or 4 tricks | 1 point |
| Lone player wins fewer than 3 (euchred) | Opponents score 2 points |
Playing Tricks
- The player left of the dealer leads the first card (unless they are the one sitting out a loner — if so, the next active player leads).
- Each player must follow the led suit if possible.
- If unable to follow suit, a player may play any card (including trump).
- Highest trump wins the trick. If no trump played, highest card of the led suit wins.
- The winner of each trick leads the next card.
- Play all 5 tricks.
Scoring
| Outcome | Points |
|---|---|
| Makers win 3 or 4 tricks | 1 point to makers |
| Makers win all 5 tricks (march) | 2 points to makers |
| Maker goes alone and wins all 5 | 4 points to makers |
| Makers win fewer than 3 tricks (euchred) | 2 points to defenders |
First team to 10 points wins the game.
Common Rules Clarifications
Can I play trump any time? No. You must follow the suit that was led if you hold any card of that suit. If you are void in the led suit, you may play any card — including trump. Playing trump when you could follow suit is a revoke (rules violation).
Does the Left Bower have to follow suit? The Left Bower is trump. If trump is led, you must play the Left Bower if it is your only trump card. If the Left Bower’s printed suit is led (e.g., diamonds are led and hearts are trump), the Left Bower is not a diamond — you are not required to play it.
What is a march? Winning all 5 tricks in a hand. The making team scores 2 points (4 points if a player went alone).
What is being euchred? When the making team wins fewer than 3 of the 5 tricks. The defending team scores 2 points.
What is Stick the Dealer? A popular rule that prevents a redeal — if all players pass in Round 2, the dealer must name a trump suit regardless of hand strength. Widely used in casual and competitive play.
Quick Score Tracker
| Team | — | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team A | ✓ | ||||||||||
| Team B |
First to reach 10 wins. Print this page and check off each point earned.
For the full rules including edge cases, special situations, and dealer rules, see the Complete Euchre Rules. For a single-card quick reference, see the Euchre Cheat Sheet.