The rule
Euchre uses 24 cards. Without trump, each suit ranks the way you'd expect: ace high, then king, queen, jack, 10, 9. Once trump is chosen, two jacks jump to the top:
- Right bower: the jack of the trump suit. Highest card in the game.
- Left bower: the jack of the other suit of the same color. Second highest, and it counts as trump.
The word "bower" comes from the German Bauer, meaning farmer or peasant, which was also a name for the jack.
Why trump has seven cards
Because the left bower joins trump, the trump suit has seven cards and the other suit of the same color has only five. The two remaining suits keep all six. That's why players talk about "next" (the same-color suit) being short: with only five cards in it, someone is more likely to be void and able to trump in.
Charts for every suit
When hearts are trump
Trump (7 cards):
Diamonds (5 cards, its jack is now trump):
Spades and clubs (6 cards each):
When diamonds are trump
Trump (7 cards):
Hearts (5 cards, its jack is now trump):
Spades and clubs (6 cards each):
When spades are trump
Trump (7 cards):
Clubs (5 cards, its jack is now trump):
Hearts and diamonds (6 cards each):
When clubs are trump
Trump (7 cards):
Spades (5 cards, its jack is now trump):
Hearts and diamonds (6 cards each):
Common mistakes
- Following suit with the left bower. If hearts are trump and diamonds are led, the jack of diamonds can't be played as a diamond. It's a heart now.
- Forgetting the left bower must follow trump. If hearts are led and your only "heart" is the jack of diamonds, you must play it.
- Counting the jack in the wrong place. In the same-color suit, the order goes A, K, Q, 10, 9. The jack is gone.
- Thinking the ace of trump is highest. It's third, behind both bowers.
The Benny (joker)
Some groups, mostly in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, add a joker to the deck. Called the Benny or best bower, it ranks above the right bower as the highest trump of all. With 25 cards in play, five are left in the kitty instead of four. (Many British tables also play with 7s and 8s, a 32-card deck plus the joker.) If the joker is turned up as the upcard, the dealer usually names the trump suit.
History buffs will like this: the joker was added to playing-card decks in the 1800s for euchre, to serve as this extra-high trump.
Now that you know the order, put it to work with some strategy.