How to play Euchre

Partners, deck, and deal

Partners sit opposite one another, so North and South play East and West. The deck keeps only the 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of each suit. The dealer gives each player five cards in two packets and places the remaining four cards face down as the kitty, then turns the top card of that kitty face up. Big Mike deals two cards and then three to each player, which is one of the two packet patterns Bicycle describes.

Sources: Bicycle: Euchre; Pagat: Euchre.

Making trump: two rounds

1. Round one starts left of the dealer. Each player either accepts the turned-up suit as trump or passes.
2. Accepting orders the dealer up. The dealer adds the up-card to their hand and discards one card face down. The turned suit is trump.
3. Round two follows four passes. Starting again left of the dealer, a player may name any suit except the suit that was turned down.
4. The maker then chooses whether to go alone. After an order-up this comes once the dealer has discarded.
5. All eight passes throw the hand in. Big Mike's default redeals with no score. Stick the dealer is an option, not the default.

Whoever fixes trump becomes the maker, and their partnership carries the obligation to win three tricks.

Sources: Bicycle: Euchre; Pagat: Euchre.

The bowers change the deck

With hearts as trump, the Jack of diamonds is a heart. It must be played to a heart lead if it is your only heart, and it may not be played to a diamond lead while you still hold a real diamond. That is also why the printed suit that lends its Jack has only five cards left in play.

Sources: Bicycle: Euchre; Pagat: Euchre.

Going alone

Once trump is settled the maker may declare a lone hand. Their partner's cards are set aside for the hand, so each trick contains three cards instead of four. A lone maker who sweeps all five tricks scores 4 instead of 2.

The timing differs slightly between the two rounds. A maker who names a suit in the second round decides immediately. When the up-card is ordered up instead, the dealer first takes it and discards, and only then does the maker declare, so the dealer chooses that discard without yet knowing whether anyone is going alone.

Sources: Bicycle: Euchre; Pagat: Euchre.

Playing the tricks

The player to the dealer's left leads first, skipping a partner who has been set aside for a lone hand. The winner of each trick leads the next.

• You must follow the led suit if you hold it, counting the left bower as trump rather than as its printed suit.
• If you cannot follow, you may play any card, including a trump.
• The highest trump wins the trick. With no trump played, the highest card of the led suit wins.

Completed tricks stay face up at the Big Mike table until you press Next trick, so you can check every card and see which one won before the cards collect to the winning seat.

Sources: Bicycle: Euchre; Pagat: Euchre.

Scoring the hand

Missing the three-trick obligation is called being euchred, and at this table it is the only way the defending team scores. Declaring a lone hand does not multiply an ordinary one-point make.

Sources: Bicycle: Euchre; Pagat: Euchre.

Table options Big Mike supports

Sources: Bicycle: Euchre; Pagat: Euchre.

What this version does not mix in

British 25-card Euchre with a Benny, 28- and 32-card packs, defender loners, railroading, the farmer's hand, ace-no-face redeals, and the six-player and cut-throat versions are all real Euchre traditions. They change the deck, the information available, or the pre-play decision tree enough that Big Mike treats them as separate games rather than as switches on this one.