Summary
Euchre is a 4 player "trick taking" game. There are two teams of two, with partners sitting across from each other.
Cards are ranked from Ace (high) down to 9 (low) except for cards in the trump suit which are ranked:
- Jack of Trump Suit
- Jack of the suit with same color as trump suit
- Ace of Trump Suit
- King of Trump Suit
- Queen of Trump Suit
- 10 of Trump Suit
- 9 of Trump Suit
Objective
The objective is to be the first team to reach 10 points.
Deal
A random player is chosen to be the dealer.
Each player is dealt a hand of 5 cards from a deck of cards containing only A K Q J 10 9 of each suit.
The player to the dealer's left goes first.
Consider Up Card
A card is dealt from the deck face up for all to see.
Starting with the start player and proceeding clockwise around the table, each player has the option to "Accept" the up card as the trump suit or "Pass".
If the Up Card is accepted by any player, that card is given to the dealer who must then discard a different card and then normal play begins.
If all 4 players choose to "Pass", then we move to the Consider Suit phase.
Consider Suit
Starting with the start player and proceeding clockwise around the table, each player has the option to choose any suit to become the trump suit or they can "Pass".
If 3 players pass, the dealer is then forced to choose a suit to become the trump suit. This is known as "Sticking the Dealer".
"Stick the Dealer" is the default option for Euchre at the site. You may choose to uncheck this Option, in which case the dealer may pass instead of being forced to make a choice for trump suit. Passing has no penalty; new cards are redealt and the choosing phase begins again.
Play
The start player starts the trick by playing any card from their hand. The other players then each play a card in clockwise order until all 4 players have played a card. Whichever player played the highest card with the same suit as the lead card, takes the cards. This is known as "winning a trick".
The trick winner starts the next trick.
Players must play a card with the same suit as the lead card. If they do not have a card with that suit, they may play any card.
Normally the highest card with the same suit as the lead card wins the trick. However, if a card in the trump suit is played on the trick, then the highest trump suit card will win the trick instead.
Score
After each hand, scores are calculated for each team.
The player that chose the trump suit is part of the "Maker" team.
The other team is the "Defending" team.
If the "Maker" team takes 3 or 4 tricks, they will receive 1 point.
If the "Maker" team manages to take all 5 tricks, they will receive 2 points.
If the "Defending" team manages to take 3 or more tricks, then they will receive 2 points.
Going Alone
When considering the up card and suit, the players can also choose to "Go Alone".
When choosing this option, your teammate will discard their cards and will not play this hand.
Instead you are all on your own when it comes to taking tricks.
If you manage to take 3 or 4 tricks when "Going Alone" your team will receive the standard 1 point.
If you take all 5 tricks, your team will receive 4 points!
If the "Defending" team manages to stop you by taking at least 3 tricks, they will receive the standard 2 points.
Game End
The first team to reach 10 points wins!
Strategy
Selecting Suit:
- If you or your teammate are the dealer, remember that the dealer receives the face up card if it is chosen as trump.
- In general you should not "Accept" unless you have at least 2 of the suit being considered.
- Going Alone is risky, only do this if you are certain you can take at least 3 tricks.
Playing:
- If you chose the trump suit, it is generally good to lead with your highest trump. This will force your opponents to play their trump cards.
- You can usually count on your partner for at least 1 trick.
- If your opponent is Going Alone, best to lead a card with a suit that you have several of. This gives your partner the chance to trump over your opponent.
- Make sure you keep track of which cards are played, especially the two Jacks.
History
Euchre was first known to exist around 1850. Euchre was the game responsible for introducing the Joker. The version of Euchrehere on World of Card Games is the USA version of the game, which does not use the joker.
Welcome! I'm Marya. In June of 2013, Robert entrusted me with "World of Card Games."