How to Play Euchre

New to Euchre? Here’s an easy explanation of the rules, gameplay, and what you need to get started.

Euchre is a fast-paced, trick-taking card game played with four players in two teams. It’s especially popular in the Midwest and parts of Canada. If you’ve never played before, don’t worry—this guide will walk you through the basics so you can sit down and play with confidence.

You don’t need to memorize complicated rules or strategies to have fun. Once you understand the basic flow of the game and how the cards are ranked, you’ll be playing like a pro in no time.

What You Need to Play:

  • 4 players, split into 2 teams of partners

  • A 24-card deck (A, K, Q, J, 10, 9 of each suit)

  • Score sheet or counters to track points

Goal of the Game:
Your team’s goal is to win at least three of the five tricks in a hand. If your team calls the trump suit and wins all five tricks, you score extra.

Basic Terminology:

  • Trick – One round of play where each player puts down one card

  • Trump – A suit that beats all other suits for that hand

  • Left Bower – The Jack of the same color as trump (also considered a trump card)

  • Right Bower – The Jack of the trump suit (the highest-ranking card)

Setting Up the Game:

  1. Shuffle the 24 cards and deal five to each player.

  2. Place the remaining four cards in the center, flip one card face-up.

  3. The suit of the face-up card is an option to become trump.

Making Trump:
Starting with the player to the dealer’s left, each player can “order up” the face-up card
(make it trump), or pass. If no one orders it up, players get a second chance to choose any
other suit as trump.

  • If someone orders it up, the dealer takes the face-up card into their hand and discards
    a different one.

  • If no one chooses a trump suit in the second round, the hand is tossed and a new
    dealer begins.

Card Rankings:
Once a trump suit is chosen, the order of card strength changes.

Trump Suit Ranking (Highest to Lowest):
[Insert image: Trump card ranking – J (trump), J (same color), A, K, Q, 10, 9]

Non-Trump Suit Ranking:
[Insert image: Non-trump card ranking – A, K, Q, J, 10, 9]

Playing the Hand:

  1. The player to the dealer’s left leads the first trick.

  2. Each player must follow suit if they can.

  3. If you don’t have the suit, you may play any card, including a trump.

  4. The highest card in the suit led wins the trick, unless a trump is played. If trump is
    played, the highest trump card wins.

  5. The player who wins the trick leads the next one.

Scoring:

  • If the team that called trump wins 3 or 4 tricks: 1 point

  • If they win all 5 tricks: 2 points

  • If they fail to win at least 3 tricks: opponents score 2 points (this is called a "set")

  • If a player decides to “go alone” and wins all 5 tricks: 4 points

Winning the Game:
Games are usually played to 10 points. Keep track with a score sheet or with 5s and 6s from an extra deck of cards.

Conclusion:
That’s it! Euchre may sound confusing at first, but after a few hands, the game becomes second nature. It’s social, fast, and full of friendly competition. So grab three friends, a deck of cards, and get started!