4 players in 2 teams. Use only 24 cards (9 through Ace). A trump suit is called each round. The team that calls trump must win at least 3 of the 5 tricks or get "euchred." The two highest cards are always the bowers: the Jack of trump (right bower) and the Jack of the same color (left bower). First team to 10 points wins.
1 Setup
Remove all cards below 9 from a standard deck (keep 9, 10, J, Q, K, A of all 4 suits = 24 cards). 4 players sit in two teams: partners sit across from each other. Deal 5 cards to each player in batches (2-3 or 3-2). Flip the top remaining card face-up -- this is the potential trump suit.
2 The Bower System
This is the most important rule in Euchre. When a trump suit is chosen:
- Right Bower: Jack of the trump suit. Highest card in the game.
- Left Bower: Jack of the same COLOR as trump (not the same suit). Second highest card. Counts as a trump card, not as its original suit.
Example: Hearts are trump. The Jack of Hearts (right bower) and Jack of Diamonds (left bower) are the two highest cards. The Jack of Diamonds is now considered a heart for all purposes.
3 Calling Trump
Starting with the player left of the dealer, each player may "order up" the flipped card (making its suit trump) or pass. If ordered up, the dealer adds it to their hand and discards one card.
If all players pass, the flipped card is turned down. A second round of bidding begins: each player can name any OTHER suit as trump, or pass. If no one calls trump in the second round, the hand is re-dealt.
Going alone: When calling trump, a player can declare "going alone" -- their partner sits out the hand. If successful (winning all 5 tricks), the team scores 4 points instead of 1.
4 Playing Tricks
The player left of the dealer leads the first trick. Players must follow suit if they can. Remember: the left bower's original suit does not exist for following suit purposes -- it is now trump. If you cannot follow suit, you may play any card (including trump). Highest trump wins; if no trump, highest card of the led suit wins.
5 Scoring
- Making trump (3-4 tricks): 1 point for the calling team
- March (all 5 tricks): 2 points for the calling team
- Euchred (calling team wins only 1-2 tricks): 2 points for the OPPOSING team
- Going alone and winning all 5: 4 points
First team to 10 points wins. Games are typically scored with a 5 and 6 card face-down to track points (flip edge visible for each point).
š² House Rules
Play Euchre your way?
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