Shuffling across America

Team wins 3 or 4 tricks - 1 point

Team wins all 5 tricks - 2 points

Lone hand wins 3 or 4 tricks - 1 point

Lone hand wins 5 tricks - 4 points

Team or lone hand is “euchred” or chose trump and failed to win at least three tricks - opposing team scores 2 points

The first team to score 5 or 10 points, as agreed upon beforehand, wins the game.

Dealing:

There are many ways to choose the first dealer, but they all begin by shuffling the 24-card deck and passing them out clockwise. Some say the first to receive a black jack becomes the dealer, others say the lowest card deals. Either work as long as the decision is made before the cards are passed out. This can also be used to choose partners if they aren’t already established as the two who receive the lowest cards play against the two who receive the highest cards. The first dealer deals five cards to each player including themself in a clockwise pattern. 

Choosing trump:

1. After five cards are delt to each player, the dealer places the remaining cards in the center of the table face down and turns the top card face up to suggest the trump suit.

2. The player to the left of the dealer can tell the dealer to “pick up” the face-up card or pass. If they pass, the decision moves to the next player in a clockwise rotation. If they tell the dealer to “pick it up,” the suit of that card becomes trump, and the dealer puts that card in their hand in exchange for another card that they discard into the face down pile. Set the pile aside.

3. If each player passes on the suit of the face-up card, the dealer flips the card face down and each player in the same order has the chance to name a trump suit or pass. They cannot name the suit that they have already passed on and if everyone passes, the dealer is stuck naming the trump suit.

Going alone:

If the player who names the trump suit (either by telling the dealer to “pick it up” or by choosing trump) is extremely confident in their hand, they can declare they are “going alone” at the time they choose trump. Their partner then turns their hand face down and does not participate in play.

Playing the game:

1. Once trump is chosen, players throw in cards clockwise led by the player left of the dealer, trying to win tricks. You must follow suit of the first card led if possible. If unable to follow suit, you may trump or throw any other card on your turn. Remember, the left bower (the jack of the same color as the trump suit) is considered part of the trump suit.

2. The player who laid the highest card of the suit led, wins the trick unless trump has been laid. In that case, the highest trump takes the trick.

3. The winner of the trick leads next.

4. After everyone's cards have been played, points are marked, the deal is passed to the left, and the game is repeated starting by choosing a new trump.

5. The first team to reach the winning point value, as decided upon beforehand, wins the game.

Pro tips:

• Many avid Euchre players will deal in a specific pattern. If you want to look cool, you can deal three cards to each player, then deal two cards to each player or vice versa. The dealer must adhere to whichever distribution pattern they begin with.

• You can use two low cards that are not included in the 24-card deck to keep score. Many teams will use two fives for scoring. One five is placed face up and another five is placed face down on top of it. As points accumulate, the team will uncover each of the five spots on the bottom card. If you’re playing to 10, the top card will be flipped over at five and used to uncover the five spots on the card underneath.

Each player takes a single card, and the player with the highest card deals first. The dealer then deals three cards at a time clockwise, beginning to their left, until each player has six cards. After each hand, the deal passes to the left.

Bidding:

The player on the dealer’s left bids first, and each proceeding player can either bid or pass. Players can bid two, three, or four and every bid that follows must be higher than the previous except for the dealer who can take a bid from the previous player if they so choose. If a player bids four, that is a “smudge” which is a special bid a player makes when they believe they’ll win all possible points in a single hand. This bid cannot be taken away from that player. If every player passes, the dealer must bid.

Playing the game:

1. The pitcher (the player with the highest bid) will lead with a card. The suit of the card pitched/played indicates the trump suit. Trump can be played at any time.

2. Players play in a clockwise pattern. On a trump lead, each player must follow suit if possible. On any other lead, a player may follow suit or trump. When unable to follow suit, a player can play any card.

3. The player of the highest trump, or the highest card of the suit led if no trump is played, wins the trick. They take the cards played, place them face down near them, and lead the next hand.

4. Each hand will follow this same step until all six tricks have been played. 

Scoring:

After six tricks, it’s time to count the score. Each round will have either two, three, or four points available. They are listed below.

Highest trump played is worth one point. Ace of trump is always the highest, but it may be buried in the unused portion of the deck. Look through all the played cards to determine the highest trump played.

Lowest trump played is worth one point. Two is always the lowest, but it may be buried in the unused portion of the deck. Look through all the played cards to determine the lowest trump played.

Jack of trump is worth one point but not always available since it could be buried in the unused portion of the deck.

The “Game” point is determined by game play and worth one point. The game point is determined by adding up card values based on the tricks that each team collected. 10s are worth 10 points, Jacks are worth one point, queens are worth two points, kings are worth three points, and aces are worth four points. Whatever team has the most points once these are added up, earns the game point. If there is a tie, neither team gets this point.

Set back: If the pitcher does not make their bid they are “set back” and must subtract their bid from their current points, making it possible for teams to have a negative point value or be “in the hole.”

Reneg: When you fail to follow suit even if you could have (this does not include playing a trump when trump is not led), the game immediately stops, and your team loses four points. The opposite team will also gain the number of points bid in that round.

Winning the game:

The first player to seven wins the game. The Pitcher’s score is always counted first, making them the winner if they have reached 7 points regardless of a higher score by anyone else. A player who smudges and makes the bid by winning all 4 points wins the game immediately — unless they were in the hole, then they just receive their four points.

Take out your game board pack of cards, remove the four jacks, keep the jokers, and cut each card in half. Then, arrange them like the photo shown above. You will end up with a 10x10 grid with 100 spaces. The four joker halves should be placed in each of the four corners designating them as “free” spaces. Other than the jokers, the exact arrangement of the cards within the grid is not critical.

Choosing the dealer:

A dealer can be chosen by group consensus. The dealer shuffles the 104-card deck and deals clockwise. With two players, deal seven cards each. With three or four players, deal 6 cards each. With six players, deal five cards each. The dealer role rotates clockwise each round.

Playing the game:

1. Player to left of the dealer goes first. They play one card from their hand and place a marker on one of the corresponding spaces on the board. You cannot mark a space that another player or team is on.

2. The player then discards the played card to the face-up pile and draws a replacement card from the draw pile.  

3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for each player moving clockwise.  

4. Players may remove an opponent’s marker from the board (but not from completed sequences) by playing a one-eyed jack. By playing a two-eyed jack, a player can place a marker on any open space.  

Winning the game:

• With 2 players or 2 teams: the first to complete two sequences of five in a row wins. 

• With 3 teams: the first team to complete one sequence of five in a row wins. 

• Sequences can overlap, but a single marker may only count toward one sequence.

Pro tips:

• Corner jokers are freebies and belong to all players throughout. Therefore, a row of five can be made using only four chips combined with a corner square.  

• Block and remove. Don’t just build your sequence — watch where your opponents are heading and use your one-eyed jacks to break them up. 

• Manage your hand. Since each card only appears twice on the board, hold onto valuable plays if you suspect your opponents are aiming for the same line.

Whether there’s a sudden rainstorm or you’re winding down under a blanket of stars, a deck of cards can turn strangers into friends and a quiet campsite into a lively gathering. From coast to coast, these games prove that adventure can happen anywhere. Remember no matter where the road takes you, Progressive is in your corner so you can focus on the fun, the friends, and the next hand you’re delt.