When you play Euchre online, you sense why it has earned its longevity and high esteem worldwide, and you can play here completely for free. Just to let you know, the version above is known as Knock Euchre, meaning there is no bidding at any point in this card game.

Being the predecessor to games like Hearts and Spades, Euchre is similar in many ways. This is a trick-taking card game played by teams working together to score the most points to win the game. Fortunately, this is a relatively easy game to learn how to play. One grows better with time and practice, learning strategies, and knowing the best decisions to make with the hand they’re dealt.

How to Play Euchre

There are two teams, each with two players. Teammates are positioned across from one another. The following is a rundown of how our version of the game is played.

  • 5 Cards are dealt to each player, and one card is turned face up at the top of the deck.
  • You will be asked if you want the suit of the overturned card to be a trump suit. You can select yes or no. If you’ve chosen yes, that suit will trump all other suits, and you will also keep the card that was face up in the deck, but you’ll have to dispose of a card. If you select no, each player will be asked. If the others pass, you must select a suit to work as a trump.
    The team that selects the trump suit is then considered “Makers,” and the team that does not is called “Defenders.”
  • Next, you’ll be asked whether or not you wish to play alone, effectively kicking your partner out of the game for that hand. You’ll be asked this at the beginning of each round. In Euchre, it is possible to play with all four players down to 2, with the 2 players representing one player from each team. However, when playing against the computer, this is a rare occurrence.
  • Each player selects a card to place face up into the trick. The player who plays the most valuable card wins the trick. Each trick taken counts as one point.
  • Rounds continue until a team reaches a combined score of ten points. The first team to reach ten wins the game.

How Many Cards in Euchre?

In total, 24 cards are at play. Aces, Kings, Queens, Jacks, 10s, and 9s of each suit are pulled from a 52-card deck and used for the game. 9s are the least valuable, and Aces are generally the most valuable, with a few exceptions that include the most valuable cards in the game.

The Right Bower

Those exceptions are the Jack of whatever the trump suit is (the Right Bower). Of all the cards, this is the most valuable card in the game.

The Left Bower

The Left Bower is a Jack of the same color as whatever suit began the trick. For example, if someone plays a 10 of diamonds, a Jack of hearts can be played to trump the trick. A jack of diamonds could do the same thing in this scenario, but because diamonds and hearts are both red, the Jack of hearts can be played.

How the Cards are Dealt

For the first round, the dealer is chosen at random. For every round following, the player to the previous dealer’s left becomes the next dealer.

Each player is dealt five cards in two rounds. This means that the dealer takes two or three off the top of the deck at once and deals it to a player for the first round and the remainder for the following. For example, the first round of dealing is three cards at once to every player, followed by 2 cards per player in the second round.

After dealing, the remaining 4 cards are placed down, with the top card flipped face up.

How Scoring Works in Euchre

The following assumes that all four players are active during a round and is broken down between Makers and Defenders.

Makers Team

  • When a team of Makers wins 3 or 4 tricks between the two, the team scores one point.
  • When the “Makers” team winds up winning all 5 tricks, that gives them two points total.

Makers Playing Alone

  • When the player who opted to play alone wins all 5 tricks, four points will be rewarded rather than two. With that one exception, scoring isn’t differentiated between teams or an alone player.

Defenders Team

  • If fewer than 3 tricks are won by the Maker team, they score no points, but the Defenders team scores two points. In this scenario, the Makers team has been what has been coined “Euchred.”

Defenders Playing Alone

If a defending player opts to play alone and wins three tricks, the defending team is rewarded four points rather than two for “Euchring” the Maker team.

10 Rules to Follow Playing Euchre

The following are the instructions for playing the game from start to finish.

  1. The correct cards need to be pulled from a deck before gameplay (this is done for you when you play Euchre online).
  2. The cards are dealt, and the remaining cards are placed face-down in the middle of the table. The dealer flips up the top card with the option to claim it to set the trump suit or to pass for another player to decide.
  3. Players at no point in the game are to reveal their hand.
  4. Players must continue playing with a suit led by the opening player.
  5. If a player has no cards that match the suit being played, they can break in with a different suit but will likely lose the trick unless they’re breaking in with a trump card.
  6. The player who wins the trick collects the 4 cards that were at play in the trick.
  7. Tricks continue to be played until all players have run out of cards. There are five tricks per hand.
  8. Players tally up the scores per team after all five tricks have been taken.
  9. The cards are shuffled and redealt by the person to the previous dealer’s left.
  10. Hands continue to be played until a team reaches a score of ten.

Euchre Game Strategy

Try Not to Play Against your Teammate

Remember to reserve your competitive nature toward your opponents and not your partner. A team needs to collectively achieve benchmarks, so it’s okay to allow your partner to take in a trick or two to avoid losing points. If you have a hand that you feel ensures you a couple of tricks, play down to your partner’s cards with lower cards in hopes that he wins.

Don’t be Hasty

Rounds come and go relatively quickly, and mistakes can be made just as quickly. Take your time to make the best decision possible, hoping to win a trick. Look at your cards carefully and try to plan a move or two ahead.

The Best Way to Lead a Trick

Sometimes, being unsure how to start a trick can get the best of us. However, a good rule of thumb is to begin a trick with your highest-ranking card. Aces would be a great choice if possible.

Remember the Played Cards

If possible, it is good practice to get into remembering the cards that have already come and gone. This will allow you to better assess your chances of whether or not the card you play will be at risk or a winner.

Use the Left Bower Wisely

If you begin a trick using your left bower, there is a chance that someone can beat it with a card from the chosen trump suit or with the right bower. If possible, play it more safely using the left bower after a few cards have entered the trick, increasing your chances of winning the trick, or depending on the cards being played before your turn, you’ve saved it for a better opportunity.