Objective
You and the player opposite are partners. On each deal, one partnership names the trump suit and becomes the makers. The makers need at least three of the five tricks to score. If they fall short, they are euchred and the other side scores instead. Points add up over many quick deals until one side reaches 10.
Setup
Take the 9s through aces from a standard deck to make a 24-card pack. Partners sit across from each other. Deal five cards to each player, in a round of three at a time and a round of two at a time (or two, then three). Place the remaining four cards face down in the middle and turn the top one face up. The deal passes to the left after each hand.
Once trumps are set, the cards rank in an unusual order. The jack of the trump suit, the right bower, is the highest card in the deck. The other jack of the same color, the left bower, is second.
| Rank | Trump suit | Other suits |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (highest) | Jack of trumps (right bower) | Ace |
| 2 | Jack of the same color (left bower) | King |
| 3 | Ace | Queen |
| 4 | King | Jack |
| 5 | Queen | 10 |
| 6 | 10 | 9 |
| 7 (lowest) | 9 | none |
How to play
Making trumps happens in up to two rounds. In the first round, starting left of the dealer, each player may pass or accept the turned-up card’s suit as trumps. If anyone accepts, the dealer adds the turned card to their hand and discards one card face down. If all four pass, the dealer turns the card face down.
In the second round, starting left of the dealer again, each player may pass or name any other suit as trumps. If all four pass again, the cards are thrown in and the next player deals.
The player who makes trumps may announce that they are going alone. Their partner lays their cards face down and sits out the hand.
The player to the dealer’s left leads the first trick. If that player is sitting out, the lead passes to the next player. You must follow suit if you can (remember the left bower counts as a trump). If you cannot, play a trump or any other card. The highest trump wins the trick; if no trump is played, the highest card of the suit led wins. The winner leads next.
- 1Accept the turned-up suit, or pass
- 2If everyone passes, name another suit, or pass again
- 3The maker may choose to go alone
- 4Follow suit if you can; highest trump wins
- 5Makers need three of the five tricks
Scoring
Score at the end of every hand. Only one side scores on any deal.
| Result | Points |
|---|---|
| Makers take 3 or 4 tricks | 1 |
| Makers take all 5 (a march) | 2 |
| Lone hand takes 3 or 4 tricks | 1 |
| Lone hand takes all 5 | 4 |
| Makers take fewer than 3 (euchred) | 2 to the defenders |
Most tables play to 10 points, though games to 5 or 7 are also common. Many players keep score with two spare cards from the unused part of the deck, such as a 6 and a 4, sliding one over the other to show the right number of pips.
Variations
Stick the dealer: if everyone passes in both rounds, the dealer must name trumps. No hand is ever thrown in, and players bid more boldly as a result.
The joker, or best bower: add a joker to the pack as the highest trump of all, above the right bower. Groups handle a turned-up joker in different ways, so agree on it before the first deal.
Bigger packs: some regions play with 28 cards (adding the 8s) or 32 cards (adding the 7s and 8s), which makes it harder to predict where the key cards are.
Defending alone: some tables let a defender go alone against the makers and award 4 points if the lone defender euchres them.
Tips from the table
Count your trumps before you accept. Three trumps, including a bower, plus an off-suit ace is usually enough to make it.
Remember that accepting the turned card hands it to the dealer. If the dealer is on the other team, you are giving them an extra trump.
When your partner made trumps, lead a trump early if you have one. It pulls trumps out of the opponents’ hands and protects your partner’s aces.
Go alone when your hand can win all five tricks without help, such as both bowers, the ace of trumps and a strong off-suit ace.
Video Guides Are on the Way
We’re filming Game Guides that walk through full hands at the table, from the deal to the score.
Frequently asked
Is the left bower a trump or part of its printed suit?
A trump. For that hand it is the second-highest trump and does not count as a card of its own suit at all.
Can the dealer accept the turned-up card?
Yes. The dealer accepts by picking it up and discarding a card face down. The dealer’s partner can also accept, which hands the card to the dealer.
What happens if nobody makes trumps?
The cards are thrown in and the deal moves to the next player. If you play stick the dealer, the dealer must name a suit instead.
Who leads when someone goes alone?
The player to the dealer’s left, unless that player is the partner sitting out. In that case the next active player leads.
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