Euchre is the fast partnership trick game played with just 24 cards. Each hand lasts five tricks, trumps are chosen from a turned-up card, and the jacks of the trump colour, the bowers, outrank everything. You sit at the bottom with your partner across the table.
How to play
The deal. The deck holds the 9, 10, jack, queen, king and ace of each suit. Everyone gets five cards; the remaining four form the kitty and the top one is turned face up.
Choosing trumps. Starting left of the dealer, each player may order it up, making the turned suit trumps, or pass. If someone orders it up, the dealer takes the turned card into hand and discards one. If all four pass, the card is turned down and each player in turn may name any other suit as trumps or pass. If it comes back around to the dealer, the dealer must name a suit.
Going alone. Whoever makes trumps may tick Go alone: their partner sits out and the maker plays the hand single-handed for a bigger reward.
Bowers. The jack of the trump suit is the right bower, the highest card. The jack of the other suit of the same colour is the left bower, second highest, and it counts as a trump, not as its own suit. The rest of the trumps rank ace, king, queen, ten, nine. Other suits rank ace down to nine.
Play. The player left of the dealer leads (skipping a partner who sits out). You must follow the suit led when you can, remembering that the left bower belongs to the trump suit. The highest trump wins the trick, otherwise the highest card of the suit led. The winner leads next.
Scoring. The makers take three or four tricks: 1 point. All five, a march: 2 points, or 4 when going alone. Fewer than three: the makers are euchred and the other team scores 2. First team to 10 wins.
Strategy
Count the bowers. A hand with both bowers and another trump almost always makes it; with a side ace as well, consider going alone.
Order up for your partner. When your partner is the dealer, ordering up gives their hand the turned card. Order a little lighter in that seat and a little heavier when the dealer is an opponent.
Lead trumps as the maker. Pull the opponents’ trumps early so your side aces win later. As a defender, lead your short suit and hope to ruff.
Stick the dealer means pick carefully. If the bidding reaches the dealer in the second round, the dealer has to name a suit. Count which colour holds your jacks and choose that.
If you enjoy Euchre, try Fifty-One or Forty Thieves Solitaire next.
