Going alone in euchre

Going alone scores 4 points only if you take all five tricks. Which hands qualify, which ones look good and are not, and how to play the loner out.

Going alone means playing the hand without your partner after naming trump. It scores 4 points if you take all five tricks and only 1 point for three or four, so it is worth doing only on a hand that can sweep. You must hold at least one trump card to declare it.

Last updated 2026-09-06

Going alone means naming trump, setting your partner's hand face down, and playing all five tricks by yourself against two opponents.

Sweep all five and you score 4 points, nearly half the game. Take three or four and you score 1 point, exactly what you would have scored with your partner helping. Take two or fewer and you are euchred for 2.

That gap is the whole decision. Going alone is a bet on taking every trick, since merely winning the hand pays the same as it would with your partner in. The rest of the bidding math is in euchre strategy.

One rule before the strategy: you must hold at least one trump card to declare a loner. The left bower counts, and the dealer can count the up card they are about to pick up. In practice any hand worth playing alone has several.

The hands that are worth it

Both bowers and the ace of trump. These are the top three cards in the game. Lead them in order and only two cards remain unaccounted for. This is a loner every time.

Both bowers, one more trump, one outside ace. Pull both bowers, your third trump wins or forces theirs, and the ace covers the fifth.

Right bower, ace and king of trump, plus an ace. Missing the left bower is a real risk, but you have length above it. Reasonable at most scores.

Right bower, left bower, and two cards in one green suit with the ace. The void matters. After two rounds of trump you can trump anything they lead in the suit you are out of.

The hands that look like loners and are not

Both bowers and three small off suit cards. You take two tricks and hand them the rest. This is the classic euchre-yourself hand.

Right bower plus four trump. Plenty of trump, and none of it high enough. The left bower is out there and it beats everything you hold except the right.

Left bower, ace, king of trump. The right bower is missing, and it is the one card that ends your hand. Play this with your partner.

Any loner where you hold no ace outside trump and no void. The fifth trick has to come from somewhere.

Playing the loner out

Lead your highest trump first. Both opponents must follow if they can, and two rounds of trump usually strips them. Then lead your off suit ace, while they still have to follow suit.

Save one trump for last if you can. The most common way a loner dies is running out of trump holding one off suit loser.

Count trump the whole way. Seven exist, so if you hold four and two more have appeared, one is still out. Decide whether you can afford to draw it.

The score changes the answer

At 8 or 9 points, stop going alone on marginal hands. You need 1 or 2 points, and a partnered march gets you there with far less risk.

Behind by 5 or more, loosen up. A 4 point hand is the only realistic way back, and a euchre costs you less than slowly losing.

When they are one point from winning, never go alone on a marginal hand. Take the safe point or defend.

Going alone here

Whoever names trump gets the option before the first card is led. The game enforces the trump requirement, so the Go alone toggle is unavailable on a hand that cannot legally declare one. Your partner's cards go face down and their video tile stays up, because watching your partner sweat through a loner is most of the fun.

The Canadian loner, where the lone player uses their partner's cards, is deliberately not implemented. If you want the 4 points you play the hand. How this site works covers the rest of the table.

FAQ

How many points is going alone worth in euchre?

Four points if you take all five tricks. One point if you take three or four. If you take fewer than three, the other team scores two.

Can you go alone if you did not call trump?

Not in the standard game. Only the maker may go alone. Some house rules allow a defensive loner against a lone maker, but you have to agree on it beforehand.

Can you go alone without a trump card?

No. The rules require the lone player to hold at least one trump card. The left bower counts as trump for this, and a dealer ordering it up can count the up card they are picking up.

Do you need both bowers to go alone?

Not strictly, but hands without the right bower rarely sweep all five tricks, and a loner that does not sweep scores the same as playing with your partner. Both bowers plus one more high card is the reliable threshold.

What happens to your partner when you go alone?

They place their five cards face down and take no part in the hand. If they would have led, the lead passes to the next active player.

Is it worth going alone for just one point?

No. Taking three or four tricks alone scores exactly the same as taking three or four with your partner, and you gave up their help to do it. Only go alone when you can see all five.