Euchre Strategy and How to win tips

Being a very fast-paced game, Euchre pushes you to make decisions pretty quickly. Planning ahead of every move could make the difference between winning 2 or 3 tricks. At the end of the day, having a good strategy is always beneficial for the final victory.

There is no doubt that if you play regularly, you will understand the game in detail. Learning the Euchre rules is one thing, but knowing what to do in a specific situation takes time and a certain amount of experience.

But you don’t have to start at ground zero. We are here to help with some Euchre tips about how to win the game.

1. Bid smart

When playing Euchre online, there are potentially 2 rounds of bidding. You have to assess your cards carefully and decide what to do. The first option is to tell the dealer to “pick up” the face-up card, meaning you choose the suit as trump. Remember, the dealer will get that card and add it to his hand. If your partner is the dealer that round, your team will have one more trump card. The second option is to pass.

If there is a second round of bidding, you can name whatever suit you want as trump. When you have 3 high-value cards of the same suit and one Ace from another, it is safe to say that this is a good hand. You can go ahead and call trump.

The bidding concludes when any player chooses to name the trump suit. So there isn’t a lot of time to make a decision.

2. Don’t be afraid to make trump

Your team needs to win at least 3 tricks to score points. So if you got 3 cards in which you are confident, call trump. Even if something happens not according to plan, you still have your partner to rely on.

You need to gain points to win, so don’t hesitate for too long. It is always better to play the game on your terms. And even if you get only 1 point, it’s 1 point closer to the final victory.

3. Be careful with the Left Bower

Left Bower is the Jack of the same color as the trump suit. For example, if hearts are trumps, the Jack of diamonds will be the Left Bower. When you make the trump, always look for it. This is the second card in the rankings. Only the Right Bower has a higher rank.

If someone leads with the Left Bower, players have to answer with a card of the trump suit. Don’t forget it when thinking of your strategy for the game.

4. Try to count the cards

The traditional Euchre deck consists of only 24 cards. When playing the game, the cards in use are 20. So it isn’t that hard to pay attention and know which are played and which are not.

This can be very helpful with the trump suit, especially when you and your partner are the Makers. Trump cards are 7 – 6 of the regular plus the Left Bower. There is a chance that not all trumps are in the game. So it’s practical to be aware of the game flow.

5. Go alone when it makes sense

Going alone is not an easy decision. Knowing when to play without a partner is definitely an advanced Euchre strategy. It’s a high-risk, high-reward situation.

If you win all 5 tricks, your team will score 4 points. But this is just it. You must win every single trick for this strategy to succeed. So you should be very confident in your hand. Sometimes going alone can be logical when trying to score more points and catch up to your opponents.

6. Lead with higher-ranked cards

If possible, try to lead with your Aces or other cards that can win the trick. There are only 5 tricks at stake, so you want to capture as much as possible in the early stages of the round.

When your partner is the Maker and you don’t have Aces, lead with a trump. Thus 4 trumps will be out of the way early, and there will be less pressure for the later tricks.

These tips won’t guarantee a win on every occasion but will help, especially when you are a rookie. Euchre has many variations but knowing basic game strategies is always convenient. You can practice it for free – the more you play, the better you will become.