Euchre rules

The rules of euchre in order: the 24 card deck, dealing, bidding, following suit, renege penalties and winning. Then play euchre online with friends.

Euchre uses 24 cards and no joker. The jack of trump is the highest card, the other jack of the same color is second and counts as trump, five cards are dealt to each player, and the team that names trump must take three of five tricks. Following suit is compulsory.

Last updated 2026-09-06

This is the rule set, written to be looked up rather than read start to finish. It follows the Official Rules of Common North American Euchre published by the World Euchre Federation. If you are learning the game, start with how to play euchre instead.

The deck

Twenty four cards: 9, 10, J, Q, K, A in spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs. No joker. British Euchre uses one; the North American game does not.

Players and partners

Four players in two fixed partnerships. Partners sit opposite one another. Play and dealing move clockwise.

Card ranking

In the trump suit, high to low: right bower (jack of trump), left bower (other jack of the same color), ace, king, queen, ten, nine.

In every other suit, high to low: ace, king, queen, jack, ten, nine.

The left bower belongs to the trump suit for the entire hand. Its printed suit is irrelevant for following suit, for leading, and for winning tricks. The suit that lost its jack has only five cards that hand.

The deal

1. Choose a first dealer by any method. Dealing passes clockwise after each hand.
2. Deal five cards to each player, clockwise, in packets: two to each player then three, or three then two. The dealer must use the same method for the whole hand, and no other dealing method is allowed.
3. Place the remaining four cards face down. This is the kitty.
4. Turn the top card of the kitty face up.

If a player ends up with the wrong number of cards and it is caught before anyone plays, the hand is void and the cards are reshuffled for a new deal. If play has already started, the hand stands as dealt.

Bidding

Round one. Starting to the dealer's left, each player in turn either passes or orders up the face up card, making its suit trump. If ordered up, the dealer adds that card to their hand and discards one card face down. Bidding ends immediately.

Round two. If all four pass, the face up card is turned down and its suit may not be named this hand. Starting again to the dealer's left, each player either passes or names one of the other three suits as trump. The dealer does not exchange any card in this round. Passing in round one does not stop you naming a suit in round two.

All pass twice. The hand is a misdeal: reshuffle, and the next player in rotation deals. Under the widespread regional rule stick the dealer, the dealer may not pass in round two and must name a suit.

The player who names trump, and their partner, are the makers. The other team are the defenders.

Going alone

The maker may declare going alone before the first card is led. Their partner's hand is placed face down and takes no part in the hand.

The maker must hold at least one trump card to declare a loner. The left bower counts, and a dealer ordering it up in round one can count the up card they are about to take. Only the maker's team can go alone in the standard game.

Play of the hand

1. The player to the dealer's left leads the first trick. If that player is sitting out because their partner is going alone, the lead passes to the next active player clockwise.
2. Play proceeds clockwise, one card each.
3. Following suit is compulsory. A player holding a card of the led suit must play one.
4. A player with no card of the led suit may play any card, including trump.
5. The trick is won by the highest trump played, or, if none was played, by the highest card of the led suit.
6. The winner of a trick leads the next.

You may lead trump on the first trick or at any other time. The rules place no restriction on it; whether to do it is a strategy question.

Reneging

Failing to follow suit when able is a renege, also called a revoke. The opposing team is awarded 2 points, whether the mistake was deliberate or not.

Online, following suit is enforced automatically and a renege cannot happen.

Scoring

The defenders never score for taking three or four tricks as such. They score only by euchring the makers. There are no rubbers or bonus structures; the game runs purely on these points.

Full detail and edge cases: euchre scoring.

Winning

First team to 10 points, or to 11 in the regions that play it that way. Agree on the target before the first deal. Tie breakers do not apply in a single game.

Common house rules

These are not part of the standard rules, but they are widespread enough that you should agree on them before the first deal:

• Stick the dealer, where the dealer must call in round two
• Farmer's hand, where a player dealt a hopeless hand may swap cards or force a redeal
• No ace no face, a redeal for a hand with no ace and no face card
• Regional dealing and scorekeeping habits, covered in euchre variations

FAQ

Do you have to follow suit in euchre?

Yes. If you hold a card of the suit that was led, you must play one. The only exception people trip over is the left bower, which counts as trump and not as its printed suit.

What happens if you cannot follow suit?

You may play any card, including a trump card. Playing trump when you cannot follow suit is called trumping in or ruffing, and it wins the trick unless someone plays a higher trump.

Can the defending team go alone in euchre?

Not under standard rules. Only the maker may go alone. Some house rules allow a defender to go alone against a lone maker, sometimes called a defensive loner. Agree on it before you play.

What is the penalty for reneging in euchre?

The opposing team is awarded 2 points. It applies whether the renege was an honest lapse or an attempt to deceive.

How many tricks do you need to win in euchre?

The makers need three of the five tricks to score. Fewer than three and they are euchred, which gives two points to the other team.

Can you lead with trump on the first trick?

Yes. Leading trump early is a common way for the maker to pull trump out of the opponents' hands, though it also tells them something about your hand.