Call trump and take tricks in this beloved Midwest card game
Euchre is a classic four-player partnership trick-taking card game that uses a short 24-card deck (9 through Ace in each suit). Teams of two compete to be the first to reach 10 points by winning tricks after calling (or defending) the trump suit. The game features a unique bower system where the jacks become the most powerful cards.
Each hand begins with the dealer turning up a card to propose as trump. Players take turns deciding whether to "order it up" (accept that suit as trump) or pass. If all four players pass, a second round begins where any player can name a different suit as trump. Once trump is established, five tricks are played. The team that called trump must win at least 3 tricks to score. The right bower (jack of trump) is the highest card, followed by the left bower (jack of the same color). Going alone lets a confident player attempt all five tricks without their partner for bonus points.
The right bower is the jack of the trump suit and is the highest card in the game. For example, if hearts are trump, the jack of hearts is the right bower. The left bower is the jack of the same color (jack of diamonds in this case) and is the second highest card. Both bowers are considered trump cards and must be played when trump is led.
Going alone means your partner sits out and you try to win all 5 tricks by yourself. You should go alone when you have a very strong hand — typically both bowers plus additional trump, or a hand with the right bower and aces in off-suits. A successful lone march scores 4 points instead of the usual 2, making it a powerful way to close out a game quickly.
Trump calling happens in two rounds. First, the dealer turns up a card from the remaining deck. Starting left of the dealer, each player can "order it up" (making that suit trump) or pass. If ordered up, the dealer picks up the turned-up card and discards one from their hand. If everyone passes in the first round, a second round begins where players can name any suit except the turned-up suit. If everyone passes again, the cards are re-dealt with the next dealer.