How to play Euchre

Euchre is the quick, cut-throat partnership card game that the American Midwest, Ontario, and the southwest of England have all adopted as their own. It plays with just 24 cards and only five tricks a hand, so a deal is over in a minute — and the tiny deck, the famous "bower" twist, and the dare of ordering up trump make it one of the most addictive trick-taking games there is. Here you partner the player across the table and take on three bots.

Goal

Be the first partnership to reach 10 points. You and your partner (North) try to win at least three of the five tricks each hand once you've named the trump suit.

The deck and the bowers

• Only the 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace of each suit are used — 24 cards.
• The Jack of the trump suit is the "right bower" — the highest card in the game.
• The other Jack of the same colour is the "left bower" — second highest, and it counts as a trump, not as its printed suit. (If hearts are trump, the J♦ becomes a heart.)
• Below the bowers, trumps rank A K Q 10 9; in the other suits, A K Q J 10 9.

Bidding for trump

One card is turned face-up from the undealt cards. In the first round, each player in turn may order it up — making that card's suit trump — or pass. If you order it up, the dealer takes the up-card into hand and discards. If everyone passes, a second round lets each player name any other suit as trump, or pass. To keep hands moving, the dealer is "stuck" and must name a suit if it reaches them — so trump is always chosen and the hand is played.

Playing & scoring

The player left of the dealer leads. Follow the led suit if you can (remember the left bower belongs to trump); otherwise play anything. Highest trump wins the trick, or the highest card of the led suit if no trump was played. The side that called trump are the makers: take 3 or 4 tricks for 1 point, sweep all five (a "march") for 2. But if the makers fail to take three, they are "euchred" — the defenders score 2. That risk is the heart of the game: only order up when your hand is strong in the bowers and top trumps, count the trumps already seen, and lead your long suit to draw out the opponents' winners. First team to 10 takes the match.