Euchre is a popular trick-taking card game. It is an excellent social game and very well known in America, Canada, and some parts of Britain. Here is the guide on How to Play Euchre. The game is played in teams and it is best played with four players(2 teams with 2 players each).
Four-Player or Four-Hand version of Euchre
What are the requirements to play Euchre?
24 card deck(9, 10, J, Q, K, A of all suits) is required. Also, four players are required.
The ranks of the cards in Euchre:
Before selecting the Trump suit, the ranks of the cards from the highest to the lowest are A, K, Q, J, 10, 9.
After selecting the Trump suit, Jack(J) of the trump suit is the highest card. The second-highest card is the Jack of the other suit of the same color as Trump’s suit. Example: If Clubs is the Trump suit then Jack of Clubs is the Highest card and Jack of Spades is the second-highest card.
A Trump-suited card outranks any other card of any other suit.
The Objective in Euchre
The main objective in Euchre is to win tricks and score points. The first team to reach 10 points wins the game.
Deciding Partners and Determining the Dealer for the First Game
A random player from the four players deals 1 card to each player, face-up. The 2 players with the lowest cards are partners and the 2 players with the highest cards are partners. The player with the lowest card deals the first trick. After the first round, the dealership passes in a clockwise manner.
Dealing the Cards
The dealer deals 5 cards to each player in two groups. The first group of 3 cards and the other of 2 cards. The cards are dealt in a clockwise manner starting from the player on the left of the dealer. After dealing the cards, the dealer places the remaining cards on the center of the table face-down in a pile. Then, the dealer turns the top card from that pile face-up.
How to select The Trump Suit in Euchre
The chance to select the trump suit moves clockwise starting from the player on the left of the dealer. The first option is the suit of that turned-up card. The players have two options. Either make that suit Trump or Pass. If all the player passes then that suit cannot be selected as Trump anymore.
Again the chance to select the Trump suit starts with the player on the left of the dealer. The player has two options. Either name a suit to be selected as Trump or pass. Remember, in this second round of selecting a Trump suit, the suit of that Turned-up card cannot be named to make it the Trump suit.
If no one names the Trump suit, then the dealer has to select a suit as the Trump suit.
How to Play Euchre
The player on the left of the dealer starts and leads the first trick by playing a card. Then the next player takes his turn. The players take their turns in a clockwise manner. A player has to follow the suit led, if possible. If not possible then he can play a card of any other suit.
The highest-ranking of the suit led wins the trick. If a player plays a card of Trump suit(When Trump suit is not Led) then the highest-ranking Trump suited card played during the trick wins the trick(Led suited card does not win in this case). The player who won the last trick leads the next trick.
Playing Alone
If the player who selected the Trump suit believes that he can win the game without the help of his partner then he may decide to play alone. The partner of this player then turns his cards face-down and does not participate in the play.
Scoring and Winning
Each time after completing 5 tricks, the teams are awarded scores on the basis of their winnings. The following are some situations and scores:
| Situation | Score |
|---|---|
| Team that Selected Trump suit wins 3 or 4 Tricks | 1 Point |
| Team that Selected Trump suit wins all 5 Tricks | 2 Points |
| The team that did not select the Trump Suit wins 3 or 4 Tricks | 2 Points |
| The team that did not select the Trump Suit wins all 5 Tricks | 3 Points |
| Team that Selected Trump suit wins less than 3 Tricks | Opponent Team scores 2 Points |
This gameplay is valid for any number of players but the number of players should be even. The players just have to increase the cards by adding 8s, 7s, 6s, and so on, of all the suits as per the requirements.
For an odd number of players, the solution is as follows:
Five-Player or Five-Hand version of Euchre
All the above rules are the same, change is only in selecting partners. The player who selected the Trump suit stats a card and the player having that card becomes the partner of that player who selected the Trump suit. The other 3 players will be on the opponent team. This is the only change. All the other rules are the same as mentioned above.
This is How to play Euchre. Play with friends and family and enjoy!
Also, check-out some other fun games like 31 and Solitaire.
Thank you.