Euchre Terms: A Plain-English Glossary
Quick answer
The euchre terms you hear most: the bowers are the two jacks of the trump colour, a loner is playing without your partner, a march is winning all 5 tricks, and euchred means the team that called trump won fewer than 3.
Stick the dealer is a house rule: the dealer must name trump if everyone else passes. The first team to 10 points wins.
Every euchre term, A to Z
- Alone (loner)
Playing a hand without your partner. The player who calls trump says “alone,” and their partner lays their cards face down. All 5 tricks score 4 points. A “loner” is also a hand strong enough to go alone.
- Assist
Old term for the dealer's partner ordering up the up-card: “I assist.”
- Benny (best bower)
A joker added to the deck in British and some older games. It is the highest trump of all, above the right bower. Not used in standard North American euchre.
- Bowers
The two jacks of the trump colour. Right bower: the jack of the trump suit is the highest card. Left bower: the jack of the same colour as trump counts as trump. It is second-highest. “Bower” rhymes with “flower.”
Hearts are trump: the J♥ is the right bower, the J♦ the left bower. - Canadian loner
House rule: if the dealer's partner orders up the dealer, they must go alone.
- Crossing (cross)
In round two, naming a suit of the other colour from the turned-down card.
- Defenders
The team that did not call trump. They score 2 points if they euchre the makers.
- Euchre deck
The 24 cards used: 9, 10, J, Q, K and A of each suit.
- Euchred
What happens when the makers win fewer than 3 tricks. The defenders score 2 points. Pronounced “YOO-kerd.”
- Farmer's hand
House rule: a hand of 9s and 10s that may be swapped with the kitty (“going under”) or redealt.
- Follow suit
Play a card of the suit that was led. You must do it if you can. The left bower counts as a trump, not as its printed suit.
- Kitty
The 3 cards left face down after the deal and the up-card. They are not used in the hand.
- Lead
Play the first card of a trick. The player left of the dealer leads the first trick; the winner of each trick leads the next.
- Makers
The team that chose trump. They need at least 3 of the 5 tricks.
- March
The makers win all 5 tricks. It scores 2 points, or 4 for a lone hand.
- Next
In round two, calling the other suit of the same colour as the turned-down card. If the 10♠ was turned down, clubs is “next.”
- Off-suit
Any suit that is not trump. An off-suit ace is a valuable card.
- Order up
In round one, telling the dealer to pick up the up-card, which makes its suit trump. When the dealer does it, it is called “picking it up.”
- Renege
Failing to follow suit when you could. A common penalty is 2 points to the other team, but tables vary.
- Stick the dealer
House rule: no throw-ins. If the first three players pass in round two, the dealer must name trump. Also called “screw the dealer.”
- Trick
One round of play: each player plays one card, and the highest trump (or the highest card of the suit led) takes all of them.
- Trump
The suit chosen for the hand. Any trump beats any card of another suit. There are 7 trumps in all.
- Turn it down
What the dealer does when all four pass in round one: the up-card goes face down, and its suit cannot be trump this hand.
The up-card. If everyone passes, it is turned face down. - Up-card (turn-up)
The card turned face up after the deal. Its suit is the only choice for trump in round one.
The bowers trip up most new players
Pick a trump suit and tap the highest card. The answer comes from the same rules engine as our game.
Try it: which card is highest?
1. Pick a trump suit.
2. Tap the highest card.
Hearts are trump. The highest card here is the left bower (J♦). Left bower: the jack of the same colour as trump (J of diamonds) counts as trump. It is the second-highest card.
Hearts are trump. High to low: J♥ (right bower), J♦ (left bower), A♥, K♥, Q♥, 10♥, 9♥. The other diamonds rank A, K, Q, 10, 9 (no jack).
If you like Euchre, try
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Questions people ask
What are bowers in euchre?
The two jacks of the trump colour. The jack of trump is the right bower, the highest card. The other jack of the same colour is the left bower, the second-highest card, and it counts as a trump.
What does loner mean in euchre?
A loner is a hand played alone: the player who called trump plays without their partner. Winning all 5 tricks alone scores 4 points.
What does stick the dealer mean?
A popular house rule. If everyone else passes in the second round, the dealer must choose trump; the hand cannot be thrown in.
What does euchred mean?
The team that called trump won fewer than 3 tricks. The other team scores 2 points.
What does next mean in euchre?
Calling the suit of the same colour as the card the dealer turned down, in the second round of bidding.
What is a march in euchre?
Winning all 5 tricks. A march scores 2 points for a team, or 4 for a lone hand.