Card Game 101 #7: Euchre

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Introduction

Euchre is a popular, fast-paced, trick-taking card game primarily played by four players. Score game points by taking as many tricks as you can in order to win! Read on to learn the basics of the card game Euchre. Note: this blog covers the four-player version only.

Needed

✔ A 24-card deck (Aces down to the 9s in each suit)

✔ 4 players

Setup

First of all, choose the dealer. The dealer can be selected by the players themselves, or using the following method:

- Each player draws one card from the deck. The player who draws the highest number gets to deal (for this purpose, count aces as 1, jacks as 11, queens as 12, and kings as 13). If two or more players tie for the highest number drawn, have the tying players re-draw from the deck.

Next, the dealer will deal out five cards to each player in two passes, clockwise, starting with the player to their left, and following the pattern 2-3-2-3-3-2-3-2.

Then, the dealer will flip up the top card of the remaining deck. The suit of this card is the proposed trump suit for the round.

Object of the Game

In Euchre, players are organized into two opposing teams, and teammates sit across from each other. The objective is to be the first team to reach 10 points. Points are awarded if your team ends up winning more tricks than the opposing team.

Gameplay

Before the game begins, each player, starting with the player to the dealer's left, will either accept the suit of the flipped-up card as trump, or pass. If a player accepts the proposed suit as trump, the dealer will add the flipped-up card to their hand, and then discard another card from their hand without showing it to other players.

If all players pass, players will go around again to either name any suit as trump or pass. If all players pass again, the dealer will be forced to name a trump suit. This is known as "sticking the dealer".

Once a trump suit is established, the jack of that suit becomes the highest ranking card of the round, and the other jack in the suit of the same color (which is also a trump card) becomes the second-highest card of the round. For example, if hearts are trump, the jack of hearts will be the highest card and the jack of diamonds will be the second-highest card of the round. Other trump cards are ranked A>K>Q>10>9, and non-trump cards are ranked A>K>Q>J>10>9. Trump cards will beat all other cards.

Play starts with the player to the left of the dealer leading any card to the first trick. A trick is created by each player playing a card into the middle. In each trick, all players must follow the lead suit whenever possible. If a player does not have a card in the lead suit, that player can play any card.

The player with the highest ranking trump card wins the trick. If no trump cards were played, the player with the highest ranking card in the lead suit will win the trick. The player who wins the trick will lead the next trick with any card. Play continues this way until all cards have been played.

Scoring and Winning

At the end of a round, teams score points based on the number of tricks won and whether they named trump:

✔ If the team who named trump wins three or four tricks, they receive 1 point.

✔ If the team who named trump wins all five tricks, they receive 2 points.

✔ If the team who did not name trump wins three or four tricks, they receive 2 points.

✔ If the team who did not name trump wins all five tricks, they receive 4 points.

- Note: if the team who did not name trump wins three or more tricks, it is called "getting Euchred".

The first team to 10 points wins the game.

Rules

✔ All players must follow the lead suit whenever possible, even if they have a card in the trump suit.

✔ If the proposed trump suit is passed on by every player, that suit can no longer be named trump for the round.

✔ If you are dealt a hand consisting of only 9s and 10s, it is called a "farmer's hand". In such a situation, you may announce that you have a farmer's hand and all cards will be reshuffled and redealt.

✔ If the player who named the trump suit is confident that they can play without the help of their partner, they can choose to "go alone" after naming the suit. Their partner must then remove their cards from the table, and the round will be played with three players instead of four. If the player who goes alone wins all five tricks, their team is awarded 4 points. Otherwise, regular scoring rules apply.

Up Next

The next blog in this series will be about the card game Fight the Landlord. Expect it to come within a week.

Thanks for reading!

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Level 50
Jan 26, 2022
Some more details regarding how to deal: the dealer first deals two cards to the player to their left, and then three to the next player, then two, then three, then three, two, three, and two cards to the next player in clockwise order. That is what's meant by "2-3-2-3-3-2-3-2".
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Level 59
Jan 26, 2022
A few things you missed that I found:

You can also give out cards with 3-2-3-2-2-3-2-3, it doesn't really matter which way you do it though.

You use the 5 cards to do scoring, both teams get two 5 cards. When you win a point for example, you show one of the designs on the 5 card, such as a heart, and you keep doing this until you win. This is also not mandatory though lol

In some versions of euchre, like what I play, you don't "stick the dealer", but instead you just call it a misdeal and redraw the cards.

When a round is over, the person to the left of the previous dealer is now the dealer

After the trump is decided, the person to the right of the dealer starts the round.

A farmer's hand is also called a misdeal.

That's all the stuff I found rn lol

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Level 48
Jan 26, 2022
My family does something similar for keeping score, except each team uses 1 4 card and 1 6 card instead of 2 5s. Basically the same, just wanted to say it.
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Level 48
Jan 26, 2022
I absolutely love Euchre. My dad and I play with my grandparents whenever they visit. It has been our tradition for at least 5 years and so it will always be my favorite card game. Great blog! Thanks for covering this game.
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Level 59
Jan 26, 2022
ye i agre