How to Play Euchre

As far as popular card games go, Euchre may not be as well-known to some people as Rummy or Solitaire might be. It’s a great game that is social in its context but also commands a high degree of subtlety in its play.

According to Wikipedia, the game was played by German settlers in the United States. It was derived from a game called Juckerspiel. It grew in popularity in the Midwest, and soon spread to European countries such as England and Oceanic countries such as Australia. Today the game rests on the same principle, but it grew into a fully-fledged popular card game.

If you are not familiar with Euchre being played in your country, don’t stress about it! We’re going to show you an easy way of playing Euchre so that you can teach it to your friends and families.

Euchre Requirements

You will need four players who will be split up into teams of two players each, as well as a standard deck of 52 cards. For this game you will need to take out the ace to the 9 suits, leaving only 24 cards in the deck.

Playing Time

25 minutes on average

How to Play Euchre

1. Each player is dealt 5 cards and the top card of the deck is placed face-up in front of the player.
2. After the cards are dealt players must then decide what the trump suit must be. The card that has been placed face-up on the table will be the potential trump suit. Players can either say ‘pass’ meaning they want another suit to be the trump, or they can keep it as it is. The players who vote for this suit are called the ‘makers’ when the other team will be called the ‘defenders’.
3. When a trump is named, players have a choice of going alone or going in a team. This will also influence your scoring so make sure you and your partner are on the same level.
4. The play is easy: you have to match the trump suit that has been played. The trump suit will obviously rank higher than other suits, with the Jack in the trump suit being the highest. The next best card will then be the Jack of the same colour suit, with the rest of the cards following. The hierarchy works like this:
   • The jack of the same suit (also called the right bower)
   • The jack of a same colour suit (called the left bower)
   • The ace of the trump suit
   • The king of the trump suit
   • The queen of the trump suit
   • The 10 of the trump suit
   • The 9 of the trump suit.
5. Scoring can get tricky, but Euchre-cardgame.com gives a nice breakdown for you:
   • Makers win 3/4 tricks – 1 point
   • Makers win 5 tricks – 2 points
   • Maker goes alone and wins 3/4 tricks – 1 point
   • Maker goes alone and wins 5 tricks – 4 points
   • Defender wins 3 or more tricks – 2 points
   • Defender goes alone and wins 3 or more tricks – 4 points.
6. The play will go on until a team has reached 10 and is leading with two points.

Euchre Video Tutorial