Euchre

Players: 4, in 2 teams of 2. Partners sit across from each other.

Goal: Win at least 3 of 5 tricks each hand. First team to 10 points wins.

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The Bowers (trump suite)

Once trump is set, the two Jacks become the most powerful cards:

Card	Name	Rank
Jack of trump suit	Right Bower	Highest trump
Jack of same-color suit	Left Bower	2nd highest trump

Example: trump is ♥️ → J♥️ is right bower, J♦️ is left bower (and it counts as a heart, not a diamond!).

Trump ranking (high → low): Right Bower › Left Bower › A › K › Q › 10 › 9

Other suits: A › K › Q › J › 10 › 9

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Choosing Trump

Round	What happens
1	Starting left of dealer, each player may "order up" the flipped suit as trump, or pass. If ordered up, dealer adds that card and discards one.
2	If all pass, flip the card down. Players may now name any other suit as trump (not the turned-down one).

Going alone: Whoever calls trump may play solo — their partner sits out for bigger points.

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Playing

Follow suit if you can. Highest trump wins the trick; if no trump, highest card of the led suit wins. Winner leads the next trick.

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Scoring

Result	Points
Calling team wins 3–4 tricks	1
Calling team wins all 5 (a "march")	2
Alone + all 5 tricks	4
Calling team fails to get 3 ("euchred")	2 to the other team

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The bowers are the one rule new players trip on — keep that left bower straight and you're set. ♠️ ♥️ ♦️ ♣️

This is a house rule, not part of standard euchre — agree on it before you deal. ♠️ ♥️ ♦️ ♣️

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The Basic Rule

If you're dealt a hopeless hand of three 9s (a "farmer's hand"), you may swap them for the kitty/blind:

Step	What to do
1	Declare it before bidding — you can't wait to see how the round goes.
2	Show the three cards to prove the hand is weak.
3	Exchange them for the three face-down cards in the blind (kitty) — and you must take all three, even if they turn out worse.

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Common Variations

Variation	What changes
Clean	Requires three of a kind — e.g. three 9s.
Mixed	Allows any three cards that are 9s and/or 10s.
Turn-card rule	None of the swapped cards may match the suit of the turned-up kitty card.
Redeal instead	Rather than swapping, the player calls for a fresh redeal (a.k.a. a "McEvoy").

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Tip: settle "clean vs. mixed" up front — it's the variation most likely to start an argument mid-game. ♠️ ♥️ ♦️ ♣️

This is a house rule, not part of standard euchre — agree on it before you deal. ♠️ ♥️ ♦️ ♣️

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The Basic Rule

After the first round of bidding ends and the turn-up card is turned down, a player may declare "No Trump" instead of naming a suit.

When No Trump is called:

What happens	Detail
No trump suit	No suit beats another — there are no bowers and no ruffing.
Cards rank normally	Each suit runs A › K › Q › J › 10 › 9 (Jacks are just Jacks).
Winning a trick	Highest card of the led suit takes it. Follow suit if you can.
Scoring	Same as a normal call — the caller's team must win 3+ tricks or get euchred.

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Why Call It

No Trump is a strong play when you hold lots of Aces and Kings spread across suits — cards that win on their own without needing a trump suit to back them up.

It's risky: with no trump to ruff in, a single weak suit can be picked apart by opponents leading it repeatedly.

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Common Variations

Variation	What changes
Worth more points	Some tables score a successful No Trump as 2 points (like a march) to reward the difficulty.
Only second round	No Trump can only be declared after the turn-up is turned down, never in round one.
Going alone	The caller may still play alone under No Trump for bonus points.

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Tip: agree on the point value before playing — that's the detail tables most often disagree on. ♠️ ♥️ ♦️ ♣️