Euchre
Card Track with Paper ScoreCall trump, take tricks, reach ten.
Who goes first?
Settle it before the Euchre argument starts. Pick how many players, add names if you like, and spin.
Keeping score too? Doodle Score remembers your players and tallies every round.
Game Identity
- Name: Euchre
- Player Count: 4 players (fixed). Two teams of two.
- Teams: Yes — 2 teams of 2. Partners sit across from each other.
- Theme: Classic trick-taking card game popular in the American Midwest and Canada.
Scoring Mechanics
- Scoring Variant: Accumulative — team scores grow toward a target.
- Target Score: 10 points (standard). First team to 10 wins.
- Unit of Scoring: Points per hand (1–4 per hand).
- Lower vs. Higher: Higher team score wins.
Rules & Validation
Per-Hand Logic
- Points per Hand: 1–4 points awarded to one team per hand.
- Makers win 3 or 4 tricks: 1 point.
- Makers win all 5 tricks (March): 2 points.
- Makers go alone and win 3 or 4 tricks: 1 point.
- Makers go alone and win all 5 tricks: 4 points.
- Euchre (defenders win 3+ tricks): 2 points to defending team.
- Validation Rules:
- Exactly one team scores per hand.
- Points per hand must be 1, 2, or 4.
- The app records which team made trump and how many tricks they took.
Special Actions / Bonuses
- Going Alone: The maker sends their partner out and plays solo. Win all 5 = 4 pts; win 3–4 = 1 pt.
- Euchre: Defenders prevent the making team from winning 3 tricks. Defenders score 2 points.
- March: Makers win all 5 tricks (not going alone). Score 2 points.
Win Conditions
- Condition: First team to reach 10 cumulative points wins.
- Tie-Breaker: Ties cannot occur in Euchre — one team always scores each hand. First to 10 wins immediately.
Set Up in Doodle Score
Euchre doesn't have a dedicated scorecard yet — track it for free using a general scorecard:
- Tap New Scorecard and choose Paper Score (tracks all players each round in a grid)
- Add 4 players (adjust as needed)
- Set Target Score to 10 points (or skip for open-ended play)
Score type: Ascending — highest score wins.
Common Euchre rules questions
The arguments that come up at the table, answered from the official rules. Where house rules differ, we say so.
What is stick the dealer?
If all four players pass twice, the dealer must name trump. Under standard rules the hand is thrown in and redealt instead.
House rule Stick the dealer is a very common house rule. Agree on it before you deal.
Which suit is the left bower?
The Jack of the other suit of the same color as trump. If hearts are trump, the Jack of diamonds is the left bower and counts as a heart.
How many points is a loner worth?
If you go alone and take all 5 tricks, your team scores 4. Taking 3 or 4 tricks scores 1, and getting euchred gives the other team 2.
What happens if the makers are euchred?
If the team that named trump takes fewer than 3 tricks, the other team scores 2 points.
Do you have to follow suit with the left bower?
The left bower is part of trump. If trump is led and the left bower is your only trump, you must play it.
As an Amazon Associate, Doodle Score earns from qualifying purchases.