Euchre terms and slang

Bower, kitty, march, next, green suit, donation, farmer's hand. Every euchre term you will hear at a table, defined in one place.

Last updated 2026-09-06

Euchre has more slang per minute than any other card game, and most of it is never explained to you. Here it is.

The cards

Bower. A jack that is trump. From the German Bauer, meaning farmer or peasant, which is also where the jack's role in the deck comes from.

Right bower. The jack of the trump suit. The highest card in the game.

Left bower. The other jack of the same color as trump. It becomes trump for the hand and is the second highest card. If hearts are trump, the jack of diamonds is a heart.

Off suit. Any suit that is not trump.

Green suits. The two suits of the opposite color to trump. Called green because on a felt table they are the "safe" suits, the ones with no bower connection to trump.

Next. The other suit of the same color as the turned down card. If the upcard was a heart and it got turned down, diamonds are next. Calling next is a real strategy: the bowers of the next suit are far more likely to be live, because nobody ordered up the first one.

The deal

Kitty. The four undealt cards. Also called the blind, the widow or the talon.

Upcard. The top card of the kitty, turned face up as the round one proposal.

Turned down. What happens to the upcard when all four players pass in round one. Its suit cannot be trump that hand.

Packets. The two and three, or three and two, groups a euchre hand is dealt in. Dealing one card at a time is considered wrong at most tables and will get you told off.

The bidding

Order it up. Tell the dealer to pick up the upcard, making its suit trump. Said by anyone other than the dealer.

Take it up / pick it up. What the dealer says when they make the upcard trump themselves.

Assist. Ordering it up when the dealer is your partner, so you are handing them a card rather than an opponent.

Maker. The player who names trump. Their team is the makers and owes three tricks.

Pass. Decline to name trump. Also "I'm out" or a knuckle rap on the table.

Stick the dealer. The house rule that the dealer may not pass in round two. See stick the dealer.

Donation. Ordering up trump on a bad hand on purpose, usually when the other team sits at 9 points, accepting a 2 point euchre instead of letting them win.

Playing

Trick. One round of four cards, one from each player. Five tricks per hand.

Follow suit. Play a card of the suit that was led, which you must do if you can.

Trumping in / ruffing. Playing trump when you cannot follow suit.

Overtrump. Playing a higher trump than one already in the trick.

Void. Having no cards left in a suit, which is what lets you trump in.

Lead trump. Playing a trump card to the trick, usually done by the maker to pull trump out of the opponents' hands.

Renege / revoke. Failing to follow suit when you could have. Costs your team 2 points.

The result

March. Taking all five tricks. Two points, or four alone.

Euchre. Taking fewer than three tricks as the maker. The defenders score 2. The verb is to be euchred, and it is the worst thing that can happen to you at a card table.

Loner / going alone. Playing the hand without your partner, for four points if you sweep it.

Defensive loner. A house rule where a defender may also go alone against a lone maker.

House rules you will hear named

Farmer's hand. A hand with no ace and no face card, sometimes defined precisely as three nines and two tens. Depending on the house, the holder may swap three cards with the kitty or force a redeal.

Bogus / benny / no ace no face. Regional names for the same idea.

Canadian loner. A variant where the lone player takes their partner's best card, or plays the partner's hand as a dummy. Not standard, and not universally welcome.

Screw the dealer. Another name for stick the dealer, more common in some regions.

Luke Deal. A house dealing mode where the first round gives the dealer's team four cards each and the opponents one, and the second round reverses it. Available as a switch in the lobby here.

FAQ

Why are jacks called bowers in euchre?

From the German Bauer, meaning farmer or peasant, the name for the jack in German card games. Euchre came to the United States through German speaking immigrant communities in the 1800s and the word came with it.

What is the next suit in euchre?

The suit of the same color as the card that was turned down. If a diamond was turned down, hearts are next. Calling next in round two is a strong play because the bowers of that suit are likely still out.

What are green suits in euchre?

The two suits of the opposite color to the turned down card. Calling green is generally weaker than calling next, because you have less information about where those bowers are.

What does it mean to donate in euchre?

To order up trump on a hand you know you will lose, giving away 2 points on purpose, because the alternative is letting an opponent at 9 points call a suit and win the game.