Bid Euchre: How to Play, Bid and Score
Quick answer
Bid euchre is euchre with bidding: instead of ordering up a turned card, players bid how many tricks their side will take and name trump or no trump. The usual game is four players in two teams, a 48-card double deck and 12 cards each.
Make your bid and both sides score their tricks. Fall short and you lose the amount you bid.
Bid euchre swaps the up-card for an auction
Regular euchre gives you one choice: take the turned-up suit, or name another. Bid euchre is a big family of games, popular in the American Midwest and Ontario, where you bid a number of tricks and the highest bid sets trump. There is no up-card and, in most versions, no kitty: every card is dealt.
Partners still sit across from each other, and the bowers still rule when a suit is trump.
Two euchre decks, 12 cards each
Shuffle two euchre decks together: two of each 9, 10, J, Q, K and A, 48 cards in all. Deal them all out, 12 to each of the 4 players.
- You12 cards
- Left opponent12 cards
- Partner12 cards
- Right opponent12 cards
Bid tricks plus a trump suit or no trump
- Starting left of the dealer, each player bids or passes. A bid is a number of tricks your side will win, plus the trump suit or “no trump.”
- Each bid must be higher than the last. In the simplest rules everyone bids once and the dealer bids last; many versions let bidding go round until three players pass.
- The highest bid wins. Its suit, or no trump, is what the hand is played in. Who leads first depends on the version.
Some versions let the high bidder go alone, and some let partners swap a card or two first. Bidding to win every trick is called shooting the moon.
Trump ranks like euchre; no trump ranks A down to 9
With a trump suit, the right and left bowers lead the trumps just as in regular euchre. In no trump there are no bowers: every suit ranks A, K, Q, J, 10, 9. Some versions add “low no trump,” where the order is reversed and the 9 is high.
Follow suit if you can; otherwise play anything. Highest trump wins, or the highest card of the suit led.
Make your bid and score every trick; miss it and lose the bid
Under the common rules, each hand has 12 tricks:
| Bid | Bidders took | Result | Bidders | Defenders |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 7 | Made it | +7 | +5 |
| 6 | 6 | Made it | +6 | +6 |
| 8 | 7 | Set | -8 | +5 |
| 4 | 2 | Set | -4 | +10 |
Scores can go below zero. A side wins by reaching the target at the end of a hand where it made its bid or set the other side.
Popular versions differ in deck, bids and target
| Version | Cards | Hand | Bids | Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana double deck | 48 | 12 | Minimum 3; bidding goes round until three players pass in a row | 50 |
| Hoosier (Indiana) | 40 | 10 | 1 to 10; a bid of 10 is "shooting the moon" | 32 |
| Kitty bid euchre | 48 | 11, plus 4 in a kitty | 1 to 11; no trump high or low allowed | 52 |
| Barrie, Ontario | 32 | 8 | Up to 8, with lone bids | 52 |
There are many more. Before you sit down, ask: how many cards, minimum bid, can you go alone, and what is game? Our online game plays standard four-player euchre, a good way to learn trump and the bowers before you try bidding.
If you like Euchre, try
Pinochle
2–4 players · 45 min · Rewards practice
Bid, meld and take tricks with the 48-card deck. Partners or two players.
Canasta
2–6 players · 60 min · Learn in a game or two
Meld sevens of a kind with your partner. Red threes are a bonus.
Cribbage
2–4 players · 20 min · Learn in a game or two
Race your pegs to 121. Count fifteens, pairs and runs.
Questions people ask
What is bid euchre?
A family of euchre games where players bid how many tricks they will take, instead of ordering up a turned card. The usual game is for four players in two partnerships with a 48-card double deck, 12 cards each.
How many cards are in a bid euchre deck?
Usually 48: two of each 9, 10, jack, queen, king and ace, which is two euchre decks shuffled together. Some versions drop the 9s (40 cards) or the 9s and 10s (32 cards).
How do you score bid euchre?
In the common rules, if your side makes its bid, both sides score one point per trick they won. If your side falls short, you lose points equal to your bid, and the other side still scores its tricks. Scores can go below zero.
What is shooting the moon in bid euchre?
Bidding to win every trick, often with your partner passing you their best cards or sitting out. It scores a big bonus if made and costs the same if it fails. The exact value depends on the version.
Is bid euchre the same as Buck euchre?
No. Buck euchre (dirty clubs) is a single-deck game where everyone plays for themselves and counts down from 15. Bid euchre is played in partnerships with a double deck.