Bid Euchre rules
In Bid Euchre, players bid how many tricks they will take instead of ordering up a card. It is played across the Midwest and in Ontario, and almost every group plays it a little differently.
At a glance
- Usually 4 players in two teams, with partners sitting across from each other.
- In most versions every card is dealt. There is no turned-up card.
- Players bid a number of tricks. The highest bidder names trump, or plays with no trump.
- Make your bid and you score. Fall short and you lose points.
- Games often go to 32 or 52 points.
The deck and the deal
Bid Euchre uses Euchre cards, but how many depends on where you play. These are the common forms:
| Players | Deck | Cards each |
|---|---|---|
| 4, single deck | 24 cards: one Euchre deck, 9 to Ace | 6 |
| 4, double deck | 48 cards: two Euchre decks, 9 to Ace | 12 |
| 6 players | 48 cards: two Euchre decks, 9 to Ace | 8 |
Some double-deck groups take out the 9s (40 cards, 10 each) or the 9s and 10s (32 cards, 8 each). A few versions also set aside a small kitty that the high bidder can pick up.
With a double deck, there are two of every card. When both copies of a card are played to the same trick, the one played first wins.
Bidding
Starting with the player to the dealer’s left, each player bids a number of tricks or passes. Each bid must be higher than the last one. Some tables go around once, others keep bidding until three players pass in a row.
A bid counts the tricks you and your partner will take together. The player who wins the bidding chooses how the hand is played:
- A trump suit. Trump works as in regular Euchre: the Right Bower, then the Left Bower, then the Ace down to the 9.
- High. No trump. In each suit the Ace is highest, and Jacks are just Jacks.
- Low. No trump, and the cards rank upside down: the 9 is highest and the Ace is lowest.
Not every table allows high and low. Many set a minimum bid, often 3. If everyone passes, some tables throw the hand in, and others make the dealer bid, much like stick the dealer.
Shooting the moon
The top bid is to take every trick. It is called shooting the moon, or just a shoot. In many versions the shooter plays alone: their partner passes them one or two of their best cards and sits out the hand, and the shooter discards the same number. Some tables don’t allow passing cards.
A moon is worth far more than a normal bid, and the shooter usually loses the same amount if they miss even one trick. The value varies a lot; in the double-deck game, 24 points is common. Going alone in regular Euchre works in a similar way: see going alone.
Playing the hand
Who leads first depends on the table: often the winning bidder, sometimes the player to the dealer’s left. Everyone must follow suit if they can. The highest trump wins the trick, or the highest card of the suit led. The winner of each trick leads the next.
Scoring
| Result | Points |
|---|---|
| The bidding team makes its bid | 1 point for each trick they take (some tables score only the bid) |
| The bidding team falls short (set) | They lose as many points as they bid |
| The other team | 1 point for each trick they take |
| A moon is made | A large fixed score, such as 24 |
| A moon fails | The same amount is taken away |
Scores can go below zero. The first team to reach the target wins, often 32 or 52. When both teams pass the target on the same hand, some tables let the bidding team win.
Because scoring changes so much from house to house, settle it before the first deal. For how regular Euchre is scored, see scoring.
Pepper and other cousins
Pepper, a game from Iowa, is a kind of Bid Euchre for four players with a 24-card deck and 6 cards each, with its own bidding and scoring rules. Five Hundred is a bigger bidding game built on Euchre, with a Joker and a kitty. And some people play a three-player Bid Euchre with a small kitty, for when the table is short.
Tips for Bid Euchre
- Count your sure tricks. Bowers, high trumps and off-suit Aces are your sure tricks. Add a little for your partner, but don’t bid on hope.
- Listen to the bidding. Your partner’s bid, or their pass, tells you about their hand. So do the opponents’ bids.
- Low can save a weak hand. A hand full of 9s and 10s and no bowers is poor for a trump bid, but it can be strong at low.
- Respect the set. Falling short costs your whole bid. Bidding one trick too many can cost more than the extra trick would have won.
- Shoot when it’s nearly sure. A failed moon can swing the game. Save it for hands that can take every trick, or for when you are far behind.
Want three or two players instead? See three-handed Euchre and two-handed Euchre. For the British game with the Joker, see British Euchre.
Questions and answers
How many cards do you need for Bid Euchre?
A single 24-card Euchre deck works for four players, with 6 cards each. Many groups play with two Euchre decks mixed together, 48 cards, for 12 cards each.
What is low in Bid Euchre?
Low is a bid with no trump where the cards rank upside down: the 9 is highest in each suit and the Ace is lowest.
What happens if you get set in Bid Euchre?
Your team loses as many points as it bid. Scores can go below zero, and the other team still scores for its tricks.
What does shooting the moon mean in Bid Euchre?
It is a bid to take every trick, often alone with one or two cards passed from your partner. It wins or loses a large fixed score.