Euchre
Two Jacks. One trump suit.
The fast partnership card game with a short deck and two special Jacks. Name trump, take three tricks, and don’t get euchred. Here is everything you need to know before you sit down.
- Free practice
- No sign-up
- Play in your browser
Join a Game Room
EuchreGot a room code?
- Players
- 4, in two teams
- You need
- 24 cards (9 to Ace)
- Style
- Trump and tricks
- Goal
- 10 points
What is Euchre?
A short deck. A big swing.
Euchre is a trick-taking game for four players in two teams of partners, played with just 24 cards. Each hand, one team names the trump suit and promises to take at least three of the five tricks.
The Jacks change everything: the Jack of trump is the highest card in the game, and the other Jack of the same color is next. Take fewer than three tricks and you are euchred: the other team scores 2.
The practice table
Try itLearn it with the cards in your hand.
Play with a bot partner against two bots, with our Classic rules. The coach works out whether to order up by dealing the hidden cards a few hundred times, and explains every play.
- Easy, Normal, or Sharp bots. Sharp bots count the cards played and bid by simulation.
- Quick game plays to 5. Full game goes to 10.
- No account, no host, nothing saved.
Scoring chart
| Result | Points |
|---|---|
| Makers take 3 or 4 tricks | 1 |
| Makers take all 5 tricks | 2 |
| Makers take fewer than 3 (a euchre) | 2 to the other team |
A little history
Older than you’d think.
Euchre came to North America with European settlers and was hugely popular in the 1800s, especially in the Midwest. The extra-high Jack is thought to be the origin of the Joker in a modern deck.
Like most table classics, it travels with house rules: going alone, stick the dealer, how many points to play to. These are our Classic rules.
Fun facts
- The Jack of trump is the highest card in the game, and the other Jack of the same color is next.
- Take fewer than three tricks after naming trump and you are euchred: the other team scores 2.
- The deck is just 24 cards, and every hand is five tricks.
- Only one team scores each hand.
Why people love it
Quick hands. Constant drama.
A hand takes a minute.
Five cards each, five tricks. You can play a dozen hands in an evening.
The Jacks are everything.
Two Jacks beat the Ace of trump. Holding both is the best feeling in the game.
Ordering up is a gamble.
You decide with a handful of cards, and the dealer picks up the turned-up card. Guess wrong and you are euchred.
Partners talk without talking.
Every card played is a message. A good partner reads it.
How to play
Name trump. Take three.
Setup
- Players: four, in two teams. Partners sit across from each other.
- Cards: 24 cards: 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace of each suit.
- The deal: five cards each. The next card is turned face up.
- Dealer: moves one seat to the left each hand.
Winning
The first team to 10 points wins (our Quick game goes to 5). If nobody makes a bid and the hand is thrown in, the next dealer deals again.
- 1
Order it up, or pass
Starting left of the dealer, each player may order the turned-up suit as trump, or pass. The dealer then picks it up and discards a card.
- 2
Or name your own
If everyone passes, the card is turned down. Each player may name a different suit as trump, or pass again. If nobody does, the hand is thrown in.
- 3
Follow suit
The player left of the dealer leads. You must follow suit if you can. The left bower counts as a trump, not as its own suit.
- 4
Trump wins
The highest trump takes the trick, or else the highest card of the suit led. The winner leads next.
- 5
Make it
The team that named trump scores 1 for taking 3 or 4 tricks, and 2 for taking all five.
- 6
Get euchred
Take fewer than three tricks and the other team scores 2.
These are our Classic rules, and they'll be shown in every room before the game starts. Printable rules card →
Lessons
Learn it in a few minutes.
6 quick lessons, one idea each. Make the call, see why it works, and move on. Your progress is saved in this browser.
The bowers
Hearts are trump. Which of these is the highest card in the game?
Your hand
Scoring
Make it, or get euchred.
Scores are by team. Only one team scores each hand: the makers if they take three tricks, or the other team if they do not.
| Result | Points | |
|---|---|---|
| Makers take 3 or 4 tricks | 1 | |
| Makers take all 5 tricks | 2 | |
| Makers take fewer than 3 (a euchre) | 2 to the other team |
Our Classic rules: no going alone, and no “stick the dealer”: if everyone passes twice, the hand is thrown in. Some tables score 4 points for going alone and taking all five tricks; those are house rules.
Strategy
Play it smart. Then play it feral.
Tip 1
Count your trumps.
The bowers and the Ace of trump are your tricks. Three trumps with a bower is a hand worth ordering up.
Tip 2
Mind who deals.
The dealer picks up the turned-up card. Ordering up helps the dealer’s side, so be bolder when your partner deals and more careful when an opponent does.
Tip 3
Draw their trumps.
If you named trump and hold a bower, lead trump early to pull the other side’s trumps out of their hands.
Tip 4
Cash your Aces.
An off-suit Ace is a sure trick until someone trumps it. Play it early.
Tip 5
Don’t spend a high card on a won trick.
If your partner is winning, play low and save your strength.
What would you do?
One decision. Every day.
A new Euchre puzzle every day, the same for everyone. Solve it, then send it to the group chat and see who gets it right.
Want more? See today's puzzles for every game →
Your path to game night
Learn it here. Play it with friends.
Finish the lessons or win a practice game and you're ready to sit down at a real Euchre table with your people.
The Feral Worlds community
Play-testing Euchre? Tell us in Discord.
Found a bug, a rule that feels off, or a house rule your family swears by? Our Discord is where we collect play-test feedback, and where game nights are starting to happen.
Glossary
Talk like a regular.
- Trump
- The suit that beats all the others this hand.
- Right bower
- The Jack of the trump suit: the highest card.
- Left bower
- The other Jack of the same color. It is second highest, and counts as a trump.
- Order up
- Choose the turned-up card’s suit as trump. The dealer picks it up.
- Maker
- The player whose team named trump.
- Euchre
- Taking fewer than three tricks as the makers. The other team scores 2.
- Trump in
- Winning a trick with a trump when you cannot follow suit.
The Feral twist
Still under the hat.
Every game can be played Classic. In Feral mode, the host writes the house rules: going alone, stick the dealer, the target score. We'll show you what Euchre can do when it's ready.
In the Card Games pack
Euchre is on the ballot.
Backers vote on which card games join the Card Games pack. Owning the pack means every one that joins is yours too.
$9.95, one time, to host every game in it. Playing is always free. Packs go on sale when the full game launches.
Euchre is on the ballot
Save me a seat.
Hear when the Kickstarter opens so you can vote Euchre into the Card Games pack, and when you can host it with friends.