Double Deck Euchre: This option is used in several of the Euchre variation. In the event that two players play the same card in a trick, the first player to play that card has higher rank (No cheating on the last trick by throwing your card in out of order!).
Deck Variations: Depending on where you are at in the world, you may be thinking "24-card Euchre deck?!?". The fact of the matter is many regions have different standards regarding what cards a Euchre deck consists of. Listed here are some of the more common "decks" used in Euchre.
-24 cards: Single deck of Ace through Nine of each suit (used as the basis of this page).
-28 cards: Single deck of Ace through Eight of each suit.
-32 cards: Single deck of Ace through Seven of each suit.
-32 cards: Double deck of Ace through Jack of each suit.
-40 cards: Double deck of Ace through Ten of each suit.
-48 cards: Double deck of Ace through Nine of each suit.
-Any deck can be increased by 1 or 2 cards by inserting the Joker(s). In Euchre, the Joker is considered to be the highest card with the second highest being the Right Bower, etc.
-In a few areas of the world (such as Almonte, Ontario), 3 Pseudo-Jokers (represented by the 2, 3 & 4 of spades) are used in the deck. Cards rank 4 of spades, 3 of spades, 2 of spades, Right Bower, Left Bower, and so on.
Though these "decks" don't have technical names by which they are referred, veteran Euchre players have been known to recognize abbreviated descriptions of the deck (like "32 double" or "24 single") as their unofficial names.
Screw the dealer: In this variation, should all players pass in the first and second round of bidding, the dealer has to make trump. They can choose any suit but no card swap with the Kitty is offered. The dealer can also bid no-trump if this is a table option.
Lone Defender: (Sounds like a Fifties spaghetti western, doesn't it?) If a player has decided to make trump going alone, either of the defending players can also go alone, if they so choose. The only big difference in this type of hand lies in scoring; if the defender euchres the trumpmaker, the defender scores double the points they normally would have (i.e. instead of 2 points for a euchre, they would get 4).
Lone Defender - Part Two: (The sequel to a Fifties spaghetti western?!?) Defending players can choose to go alone, even if their opponents are not. Scoring is the same as part one for a euchre with this option: if the trumpmaker's team takes at least three tricks, they scores double the points they normally would (i.e. instead of 1 point for taking 3 or 4 tricks, they would get 2 -or- instead of 2 points for a march, they would get 4).
No-Trump: This is a bidding option in which no suit is made trump and tricks are taken strictly in accordance with the Ace of each suit being the highest ranked card and the lead suit for each trick prevailing. For example, if the King of hearts was lead, no Ace other than the Ace of hearts would be ranked higher. As an extension of this, HiLo No-Trump can be made a bidding option. See Bid Euchre options for more details of this variation.
Peuchre: (Yes, it's pronounced just as you think it is...yuck!) 4 out of 5 college students recommend this variation, only 'cause the fifth guy was passed out. The game is the same. It's the SCORING that's different. If you give up a point to your opponent, you take 1 drink. If you get euchred, you take 5 drinks plus the drinks for each point you give up. If you march going alone, your opponents take 10 drinks plus 1 for each point you take. When a partner unnecessarily over trumps a player, the partner takes 2 drinks. If you're caught reneging, you have to drink the entire beer (or whatever your poison happens to be). If you win the game, have a few cold ones to celebrate. Of course the specific number of drinks can be adjusted depending on the players' preferences. Handicapping is also allowed, depending on body weight, metabolism, etc. The winner can be decided in 1 of 2 ways: One team reaches a game-winning score -or- A player on the other team passes out (See, I told you we'd get back to that)!
Misdeal: The worst possible hand to get (except in HiLo No-Trump) is a hand which contains only nines and tens. With this rule, any player receiving such a hand can declair a misdeal, at which point the cards are collected and the next dealer in the rotation deals a new hand. This option is best used by novice players who could use a confidence builder. It can be just downright annoying if used by veterans of the game.
Ace-No Face: Similar to the Misdeal rule, if a player is dealt a hand which contains one Ace and no face cards, that player has the option to call for a redeal.
Farmer's hand: Yet another Misdeal variation, before the bidding starts, if a player is dealt a hand which contains 3 nines or 3 tens (or as an additional option a combination of 3 nines & tens), that player has the option to call out "Farmer's hand!" The remedy for this type of hand is that the recipient may exchange the nines or tens for the three face down cards in the Kitty. If multiple players have Farmer's hands (more common when using a double deck), the first to bellow gets the Kitty cards. This option is not all that popular with serious players, but it can be fun once in a while to spice up a game.
No First Blood (nothing to do with Rambo): This option disallows the leader of the first trick to lead off with a trump card. This option probably evolved from the rule in "Hearts" (a heart is not allowed to be played on the first trick).
Five Point Euchre: Same as regular Euchre but only played to 5 points.
Eleven Point Euchre: Same as regular Euchre but played to 11 points. This is actual a standard used in several areas of the world.
Any Point Euchre: It's your game! Play to whatever number of points you like. Just make sure you decide what the goal is BEFORE the game starts!
Railroading (also called "Partner's Best"): The partner of a player going alone can offer their highest card to the player face down. The player can either discard one from their hand and take the card or play with what they were dealt. This decision must be made before the card offered is picked up. As an extention of this option, defenders going alone may utilize this option as well.
Canadian Loner: In this variation, if the dealer's partner wishes to make the turned-up card trump, they must go alone.
Loner's Left: When a player makes trump alone, the first trick is lead by the player to the loner's left.
Natural Trump: This is when a player is not permitted to make the turned-up card trump unless their hand already contains at least one card of that suit (the Left Bower doesn't count however). Some tables apply this rule only to the dealer while others make it true for all players.
Cutthroat: This is a general format of Euchre in which no partnerships are in place and every player plays for themselves. Any of a number of other variations can be used in the game. The major difference between this and partnership Euchre is when points are scored by a player, only they get those points. Conversely, when points are given up by a player (say when having been euchred), all opposing players earn those points equally.
Variable Player Number: Euchre was originally designed for 4 players, but with a little imagination you can have as many or as few players as you like. Below are a few examples of Player Number styles used around the world. Though you won't find a Euchre solitaire variation, I'm working on tracking one down. Check back a little later.
Bid Euchre: Being that Bid Euchre is more or less a different game with similar rules as regular Euchre, it is quite a bit of information to put on this page. Click here to go to the Bid Euchre page.
The styles defined here are merely terms I have encountered and are not meant to be strict and universal constraints placed upon the regions mentioned. As such, I put the names of these styles in quotations.
"North American Euchre" - The deck consists of 24 cards, Ace through Nine of each suit (Jokers are not used). Defenders (generally) are not permitted to go alone. The dealer's partner is permitted to make the turned-up card trump without going alone (except in Canada). Games are played to 10 points. "Northeastern US" players keep score with a two and a three. "Midwestern US" players keep score with a six and a four. "Canadian" players keep score with 2 fives (sometimes a two and a three).
"Canadian Euchre" - A cut of the cards is not usually offered. Often, the Natural Trump and Canadian Loner rules are in effect.
"New Zealand Euchre" - A 32-single deck is used, with 1 Joker optional.
"Cornwall Six-Player Euchre" - A 32-single deck with 1 Joker or a 48-double deck with 2 Jokers is used. Partnership consist of 3 players per team and each player receives 5 cards. Railroading rules permit a lone bidder to ask one of their two partners for a card. A march is worth 3 points, a lone march is worth 6 points and euchring is worth 3 points. All other standard scoring remains the same.
"Almonte Euchre" - A 16-single deck with the 10 of hearts and spades added, plus 3 Jokers, represented by the four, three, and two of spades (ranking from high to low). Players are in a partnership and each receive 5 cards. The remaining card acts as the turned-up card. If the turned-up card is a Joker, 1) the dealer assigns a suit to it before looking at their hand, and 2) the dealer must, at the end of the first round of bidding, make trump of the called suit if the other players all pass (no second round of bidding). A march is worth 3 points, a lone march is worth 6 points and euchring is worth 3 points. All other standard scoring remains the same. The game is won at 15 points.
"Almonte Six-Player Euchre" - A 28-single deck with 3 Jokers, represented by the four, three, and two of spades (ranking from high to low). Partnership consist of 3 players per team and each player receives 5 cards. The remaining card acts as the turned-up card. If the turned-up card is a Joker, 1) the dealer assigns a suit to it before looking at their hand, and 2) the dealer must, at the end of the first round of bidding, make trump of the called suit if the other players all pass (no second round of bidding). A march is worth 3 points, a lone march is worth 6 points and euchring is worth 3 points. All other standard scoring remains the same. The game is won at 15 points.
Like any other card game, the number of ways to play is limitless (Strip Euchre, anyone?). If you have a way to play not listed here (one you played, dreamt about or even made up), E-mail me and I will list it in this section whenever I update this site. Remember, Be Creative! The only rules are the ones you WANT to play by.