Euchre

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.

How to play

1. 1Order 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. 2Or 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. 3Follow 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. 4Trump wins. The highest trump takes the trick, or else the highest card of the suit led. The winner leads next.
5. 5Make it. The team that named trump scores 1 for taking 3 or 4 tricks, and 2 for taking all five.
6. 6Get euchred. Take fewer than three tricks and the other team scores 2.

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.

Scoring

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.

Key terms

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.