Card Rankings in Euchre

Home Academy Basics Card rankings in Euchre

1. The Euchre Deck

• Aces, Kings, Queens, Jacks, 10s, and 9s
• From each of the four suits: Spades (♠), Hearts (♥), Diamonds (♦), and Clubs (♣)

There are no 2s through 8s.

2. The Standard Card Ranking (Non-Trump Suits)

So if Hearts are not trump, the ♥A is the highest Heart, followed by ♥K, and so on.

3. The Trump Suit

But Euchre adds a twist: the two highest cards in the entire game are always the two Jacks related to the trump suit. These are called the Bowers.

The Bowers: Jack Is King

• Right Bower

– The Jack of the trump suit is the highest card in the game.

• Left Bower

– The Jack of the same color as the trump suit becomes the second highest card. It is considered part of the trump suit for that hand.

Full Trump Suit Ranking

Let’s break it down clearly:

If Hearts (♥) are trump, the ranking (from highest to lowest) is:
Jack of Hearts (♥J) – Right Bower
Jack of Diamonds (♦J) – Left Bower (same color)
Ace of Hearts (♥A)
King of Hearts (♥K)
Queen of Hearts (♥Q)
10 of Hearts (♥10)
9 of Hearts (♥9)

All trump cards beat any card from non-trump suits, no matter their rank.

4. Why It Matters

• You might think your Ace will win the trick – but if someone plays a trump, you lose.
• If you forget that the Left Bower counts as trump, you might lead the wrong suit or fail to follow suit, which is against the rules.
• Knowing which cards are likely to win tricks helps you decide when to bid, defend, or go alone.

5. Quick Tips for Beginners

• Always remember: Jacks are tricky! One of them can change suits.
• Trump always beats everything else – even Aces.
• Know which suits are the same color (Spades & Clubs = black; Hearts & Diamonds = red) to identify the Left Bower quickly.
• When someone leads a suit, if the Left Bower belongs to that suit in name but not in function, it does not count as following suit.