Euchre (pronounced “yoo-ker”) is a fast trick-taking game for four players in two teams.
The deck
Euchre is played with a 24-card deck: only the Ace through 9 of each suit. Set the rest aside.
Teams
Four players form two teams of two. Partners sit across from each other.
Choosing teams and the first dealer
Choose teams however you like, or even play a round-robin tournament. If you need a quick way to decide, each player draws a card: the two lowest cards play against the two highest, and the lowest card deals first.
Objective
The team that names trump must win at least three of the five tricks. If they fail, they are “euchred.”
The first team to reach 10 points wins. Shorter games to 5 or 7 points are fine if everyone agrees; Euchre Helper’s settings let you change the points needed to win.
Shuffle, cut and deal
The dealer shuffles and offers the player on their right the cut; each part of the cut must have at least four cards.
Cards are dealt clockwise starting with the player on the dealer’s left. Each player gets five cards, dealt in groups of 2 then 3 or 3 then 2.
The dealer places the four remaining cards face down and turns the top card face up. Its suit is the first candidate for trump.
Card rankings
The highest trump is the jack of the trump suit, the “right bower.” The second highest is the other jack of the same color, the “left bower.” The rest rank from Ace (high) down to 9 (low).
Learning? Turn on the trump hierarchy in Euchre Helper’s settings to see the order on screen.
Naming trump
- Starting with the player on the dealer’s left, each player either passes or accepts the turned-up suit as trump (“I order it up,” “I assist,” or “Let’s try it”).
- If the suit is accepted, the dealer adds the turned-up card to their hand and discards one card.
- If everyone passes, the dealer turns the card face down. Going around again, each player may pass or name a different suit as trump.
- If everyone passes a second time, the cards go to the next dealer for a new deal.
Once trump is set, tap its suit at the bottom of Euchre Helper so every player can see it.
Going alone
The player who names trump may “go alone.” Their partner lays their cards face down and sits out the hand, and the lone player tries to win the tricks by themselves for extra points.
Scoring
- Trump-calling team wins 3 or 4 tricks: 1 point (tap 1 in the app).
- Trump-calling team wins all 5 tricks: 2 points (tap 2).
- Lone player wins 3 or 4 tricks: 1 point (tap 1).
- Lone player wins all 5 tricks: 4 points (tap 4).
- Trump-calling team is euchred: the other team scores 2 points (tap 2).
Keeping score with cards
Players without Euchre Helper traditionally keep score with a 6 and a 4, arranged to uncover the right number of spots. If you like that look, turn on card scoring in Euchre Helper’s settings.