Standard 4 player rules

Euchre is a fast-paced trick-taking game played with 4 players in two fixed partnerships (partners sit across from each other).

In every hand, one team chooses a "Trump" suit (the power suit). That team becomes the Makers and must win at least 3 out of 5 tricks. The other team acts as the Defenders trying to stop them.

Card Rank

A 24-card deck is used (9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace). In non-trump suits, the Ace is high.

The Exception (The Bauers):

When a suit is named Trump, the ranking changes. The Jacks of that color become the two most powerful cards.

• Right Bauer: The Jack of the Trump suit (The very best card).
• Left Bauer: The Jack of the other suit of the same color. (This card is now considered a Trump card, not its original suit).

Example: If Hearts (♥) are Trump, the rank is:

1. Right Bauer (♥ Jack)
2. Left Bauer (♦ Jack) — Treat this exactly like a Heart.
3. Ace (♥)
4. King (♥)
5. Queen (♥)
6. 10 (♥)
7. 9 (♥)

Making Trump

After 5 cards are dealt to each player, the Dealer flips the top card of the remaining deck face-up. Players then have two chances to decide the Trump suit.

Round 1 (The Face-Up Suit)

Going clockwise from the dealer's left, players can either Pass or "Order Up":

• Order Up: If a player says "Pick it up," the suit of the face-up card becomes Trump. The Dealer must pick that card up and discard one card from their hand.
• Pass: If all 3 players and the Dealer pass, the face-up card is turned face-down.

Round 2 (Any Other Suit)

If everyone passed in Round 1, players go around again. They can call any suit as Trump except the one that was just turned down.

• Stick the Dealer: If everyone passes a second time, the Dealer is forced to call a Trump suit.

Going Alone:

If you have a very strong hand, you can announce you are "Going Alone." Your partner places their cards face-down and sits out. You must try to win all 5 tricks by yourself for bonus points.

Gameplay

1. 1. The player to the Dealer's left leads the first card.
2. 2. The Golden Rule: You must follow suit if you have it. Note: If the Trump is Hearts, the Jack of Diamonds is a Heart. You must play it if Hearts are led and you have no other Hearts.
3. 3. If you cannot follow suit, you may play any card (a Trump card to win, or a junk card to discard).
4. 4. Winning the Trick: The highest Trump played wins. If no Trump was played, the highest card of the suit led wins.
5. 5. The winner of the trick leads the next one.

Scoring

The team that chose Trump (The Makers) must win at least 3 tricks.

• Makers win 3 or 4 tricks: 1 Point.
• Makers win all 5 tricks: 2 Points.
• Makers fail ("Euchred"): If the Makers get fewer than 3 tricks, the Defenders get 2 Points.
• Loner Hand:
  • If a player goes "Alone" and wins all 5 tricks: 4 Points.
  • If they win 3 or 4: 1 Point.
  • If they fail: Defenders get 2 Points.

Variants

These are optional rules you can toggle on or off:

• Stick the Dealer: (Default: On) Forces the dealer to pick a suit if everyone passes twice. This keeps the game moving so hands are never re-dealt.
• No-trump call: Allows players to call "No Trump" in Round 2. Aces are high, and there are no Bauers (Jacks are just Jacks).
• Loner starts last: If a player goes alone, the Defender to their left leads the first card (even if the Loner would normally have the lead).
• Canadian Loner: The Dealer's partner is restricted: they cannot "Order Up" the face-up card unless they also choose to go alone.
• Lone Defender: Allows a Defender to say "I'll defend alone." If they stop the Makers, they get 4 points instead of 2.
• Benny: Adds a Joker to the deck. The Joker becomes the highest Trump card (above the Right Bauer) and is considered part of the Trump suit.