How to play Euchre: rules, bowers and going alone

What you need

Four players, partners opposite each other, and 24 cards: the 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace of each suit. Score is traditionally kept with spare fives or with a four and a six.

This is the North American game. In Britain, especially Cornwall and Devon, euchre is usually played with an extra card, the Benny (a joker or the two of spades), which outranks even the right bower. The rest of the game is the same.

The bowers and the rank of cards

Once a suit is trumps, the cards rank like this:

The left bower is the Jack of the other suit of the same colour. It stops belonging to its own suit and becomes a trump for that hand. If hearts are trumps and diamonds are led, you can't follow with the J♦; and if hearts are led and the J♦ is your only trump, you must play it.

Making trumps

Deal five cards each and turn the next card face up. The other three cards are not used.

1. First round. Starting on the dealer's left, each player may pass or order up the turned card. If anyone orders it up, its suit is trumps; the dealer picks the card up and discards one card face down.
2. Second round. If all four pass, the card is turned face down. Each player in turn may now name any other suit as trumps, or pass.
3. All pass again? The cards are thrown in and the next player deals. With the popular stick the dealer rule the dealer is not allowed to pass and must name a suit.

The side that chose trumps are the makers; the other side are the defenders.

Playing a hand

1. The player on the dealer's left leads any card.
2. Follow suit if you can (remembering that the left bower is a trump). Otherwise play any card.
3. The highest trump wins the trick; if no trump is played, the highest card of the suit led wins. The winner leads the next trick.
4. Five tricks are played.

Going alone

When you order up or name trumps you may say "alone". Your partner lays their cards face down and sits out the hand, and you play against both defenders. Take all five tricks alone and your side scores 4 points instead of 2.

Go alone with a hand that would probably win five tricks anyway: both bowers, another high trump and an off-suit ace is the classic.

Scoring

The first side to 10 points wins. Shorter games to 5 or 7 are common.

Strategy for beginners

• You need three tricks. Count the right bower, the left bower and the ace of trumps as likely tricks, plus any off-suit ace. Three trumps including a bower is usually enough to call.
• Remember who gets the turned card. If your partner is the dealer, ordering up gives them a trump. If an opponent is the dealer, it gives them one.
• "Next" is often right. If the turned card is passed round, the dealer's side is probably weak in that colour, so the player on the dealer's left often does well calling the other suit of the same colour.
• Makers lead trumps. Pull the defenders' trumps so your off-suit aces win.
• Dealer's discard: throw a low card that leaves you with no cards in a suit, so you can trump it later.
• Count the trumps. There are only seven. Knowing when they are gone tells you whether your ace is safe.

• Trumping a trick your partner is already winning.
• Forgetting the left bower is a trump and trying to follow suit with it.
• Calling on a hand with two small trumps and no aces.