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Free Online British & American Euchre Video Game

Play Euchre Online for Free

Game Features

Try to win a Euchre game in a team against computer opponents. You need to win three tricks, or more. Your options are North American or British, with the latter using a joker. 

The help button explains the rules, the high score button shows previous best scores and you can toggle the sound on and off in the game. You can also pause and enlarge the playing screen.

Players play hands until a team reaches 10 or more with that team winning the game.

Game Scoring

Guide To Euchre

If you've played traditional Contract Bridge and Spades, and you're looking for a new challenge, you might want to take a look at some of the other trick taking games. Euchre is a card game where the object is to win at least three of the five tricks and is typically played by four players, two on each team. 

In this article, we'll look at: 

The History Of Euchre

The origins of Euchre are hazy. 

Euchre may have been introduced to the US by immigrants from southwest England, where it remains a very popular game today. Euchre was, in turn,  introduced to England by the French around 1800. 

Alternatively, The American Hoyle, a “Gentleman's hand-book of games”, published in 1874, traces the game to Pennsylvania. It suggests that it was based loosely on Écarté, which, in turn, developed into Euchre.

Whatever the origins, the game was regarded as the national card game of the United States in the late 19th century. The game remains popular in Canada. It has subsequently declined in popularity in the US, but remains a  widely played game amongst trick-game enthusiasts.  

How To Play Euchre

This game is typically played by four players in two teams. 

Euchre is played with only 24 cards consisting of the ace through the 9 of each suit. 

Deal the cards clockwise in sets of two or three so that each player ends up with five cards. There will be four cards remaining in the deck. Turn the top card of the remaining deck face-up. 

The object of euchre is to win more tricks than the opposing team.  A trick is created by each player taking turns playing a card. The winner of the trick is the player who played the highest ranking card. 

Ace is the highest and 9 is the lowest in suits which are not the same color as trump. The card rankings change based on the trump suit.

Both jacks in the color of trump become the two most powerful cards, then the remaining cards are ordered in descending order.

For example, if hearts  becomes the trump suit then the jack of hearts becomes the highest ranking card. The offsuit jack of the same color, in this case the jack of diamonds, becomes the second highest ranking card.

The player to the left of the dealer has the first option to establish the trump suit. The first potential trump suit is the suit of the card that is flipped from the deal.  The player can call trumps or pass. If the player passes, then the option moves to the next player. If every player passes on calling , the option returns to the player to the left of the dealer to pick any other suit than the one that was previously passed on. 

When the trump is established as the suit that was flipped up from the deck the dealer gets to pick up the cards showing and discard one from his and the discard is placed facedown.  If the suit that was flipped up from the deck is passed, no discard takes place. 

Let's say a player has called diamonds as the trump suit. The player to the  left of the dealer plays the first card with the goal of winning the trick. The player leads her highest card, or the card which they think gives them the best advantage. Typically if the opposing team calls trump you usually will not lead it, though their are rare circumstances where you might.

Each player must follow suit of the lead card, if possible. If a player can not follow suit but has a trump card they can lay it & if nobody else lays a trump they will win the trick. The player with the highest ranking card that was played wins the trick. The winner of the trick then leads the next card.  

How To Score Euchre

The team that determined the trump suit is referred to as the attackers and get one point for winning three or four tricks, two points for winning all five tricks. 

The team that did not determine the trump is referred to as the defenders and will get two points for winning three or more tricks. 

When the defenders get three or more tricks in a hand it is known as a Euchre.

The first team to ten points wins the game. You can score more than 10 and win - you are not required to land exactly on 10.

Going Alone

There is another option. The player who names trump can play a hand without his or her partner. In this situation the players partner would put his or her cards down and the round would be played with only three players. This is called “going alone.”

If the player who goes alone wins three or four tricks the attackers are awarded one point. If the lone player is able to win all five tricks the attackers are awarded four points. The defending team will get two points for winning three or more tricks. 

The Rules Of Euchre

Players must play the same suit that was led whenever possible.

The dealer deals five cards to each player in sets of two or three the top card of the remaining deck is flipped up. 

No card exchange takes place for the dealer if everyone passes in the first round. Once the first suit is passed on, it cannot be called as trump in the second round. If everyone passes in the second round, the dealer is forced to determine the trump.

The offsuit jack of the same color is considered trump and is the second highest ranking card. 

Game Variations

These are features or options which exist in some games, but do not exist in this video game.

Euchre Strategy

1.Take tricks early.

Rather than save a bower or an ace until the end, play it early to take pressure off your partner. The bowers are the highest-ranking cards in Euchre, namely the jack of the trump suit and the other jack of the same color. The cards are ranked, in descending order, J (of trump suit), J (same colour as trump suit), A, K, Q, 10, and 9 of the trump suit.

2. Take a bid if you have two cards of the trump

There are 5 tricks, and you'll need to get three to win. If you believe you can get two of them, you count on your partner to catch a third. If that's the case, take the bid. The odds will run in your favor. 

3. Don't get in your partner's way. 

Don't prevent your partner from taking a trick. If your partner has already played a card that you can see they will win the trick, don't trump them. Hold your card to the next round, if possible. 

4. Lead big. 

Playing an ace early is the best chance you have of taking the trick with that card and drawing out their high cards.

However, do not lead with an ace if you have many cards in that same suit. Your opponents can trump your ace if they are void. Void is when a player has no cards in a particular suit and can't follow.

5. Go alone, with care. 

I'd you can take all of the tricks by yourself, go for it. 

If you don't think you have a guaranteed 3 tricks, then it's probably not worth the risk. You could most likely go alone as a dealer, as you will be getting a guaranteed trump card and getting rid of your worst card. You also know your partner wasn't confident of the trump as they passed (though in some cases confident partners avoid ordering up the Jack to leave their partner the option to go alone). 

Careful, because the person to the dealers left controls the first hand.

6. Discard off-suit singles.

When possible, create a void if you can't open a hand with a trump or off-suit ace. You can't possibly take a trick with such cards, like an off-suit 9, so you may as well get rid of them. 

FAQs

How many cards are used in Euchre? 

Euchre uses a deck of 24, 28, or 32 standard playing cards.

Are Aces high in Euchre? 

In Euchre, aces are high and 9's are low. The jack of the trump suit is called the “Right Bower” and it is the highest ranking card. The jack of the off suit, which is the suit of the same color, is called the “Left Bower” and it becomes the jack of the trump suit.

In British Euchre Jokers are used, which are more powerful than any other card in the game.

What Are the Chances Of Winning Euchre?

You should expect to lose 1/3 of your games., winning around 67% of the time. And that's if you're a good player with a strong partner!

Who calls trumps most often? 

According to a study by worldofcardgames.com, the person who is most likely to call trump is the dealer, who ordered the up card in 30% of the hands recorded. This is unsurprising as it's a strategic advantage to do so. 

The dealer's partner called trump in 17% of the hands during the first round of choosing. 

It is highly unusual for third chair or the dealer to call trump in the second round of choosing.  In 86% of the hands, trump has been called before the choice gets to those players in round two.

What are alternative versions of Euchre?

There are many different ways to play Euchre. Variations include: 

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