The history of Euchre
Euchre began as a farmhouse game in Alsace, became one of America’s favorite card games in the 1800s, and gave the world the Joker. Here is how it got from there to your kitchen table.
An old game from Alsace
Card-game historians, including David Parlett, trace Euchre to Juckerspiel, a game played in Alsace, the region on the border of France and Germany. Like Euchre, it was a game of tricks and trumps played with a short deck, where the Jacks were the most powerful cards.
Two of Euchre’s words seem to come from there. The top trump in Juckerspiel was a Jack called the Jucker, which is the likely root of the name Euchre. In German, the Jack is also called the Bauer, meaning farmer, and English speakers turned that into “bower”. That is why the two top cards in Euchre are still called the Right and Left Bower.
Some writers have also linked Euchre to Écarté, a French game for two players with a similar deck. That link is debated, and nobody knows the full family tree for sure. Old card games were played long before anyone wrote their rules down.
Coming to North America
Euchre is thought to have reached North America with German-speaking settlers in the late 1700s or early 1800s. The Pennsylvania Dutch are the group most often named. From there it spread west and north with the people who played it.
By the middle of the 1800s, Euchre was in American rule books, and the game had settled into the form most people still play: four players in two teams, a short deck from 9 to Ace, trump chosen by ordering up the turned card, and points for taking 3, 4 or 5 tricks.
America’s card game of the 1800s
For much of the 1800s, Euchre was one of the most popular card games in the United States. It was quick to learn, it needed only four players and a deck, and the bidding gave every hand a bit of drama. People played it at home, in clubs and in soldiers’ camps during the Civil War.
Players also invented their own versions. Some were for fewer players, such as two-handed and three-handed Euchre. Others added bidding for the number of tricks, which led to Bid Euchre.
How Euchre gave us the Joker
Some Euchre players wanted an even higher trump than the Right Bower. They added an extra card, called the Best Bower, that beat every other card. Around the 1860s, American card makers began to print a special card for it, and one early design was sold as the Imperial Bower.
Over time this extra card came to be called the Joker. Many historians think the name grew out of “Jucker” or “Euchre” itself. Today the Joker is used in hundreds of games, but it started as a Euchre card. It still plays its old role in British Euchre, where it is called the Benny.
Why Euchre faded
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, other games took Euchre’s place as the national favorite. Whist and then bridge became the game of clubs and card parties, and Five Hundred, a cousin of Euchre with bidding, grew popular too.
Euchre never went away, though. In some regions it stayed the game families played after dinner, and it is still passed down from parents to children there.
Where Euchre is played today
Euchre is strongest in a few places, where it is a big part of social life. Clubs, bars and churches hold weekly games and tournaments.
| Region | Where |
|---|---|
| US Midwest | Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and nearby states |
| Canada | Ontario, and Atlantic Canada, especially Nova Scotia |
| Britain | Cornwall and the West Country, and the Channel Islands |
| Australia and New Zealand | Played by some, while its cousin Five Hundred is far more common |
In Britain, Euchre is often played in pubs, and the Joker is part of the deck. In Ontario and the Midwest, house rules like stick the dealer are common. If you learned Euchre from your grandparents in one of these places, you are part of a very long line.
Games in the Euchre family
| Game | How it relates to Euchre |
|---|---|
| Juckerspiel | The Alsatian game Euchre is thought to come from |
| Écarté | A French two-player game sometimes linked to Euchre; the link is debated |
| Five Hundred | Euchre with bidding, a 10-card hand and the Joker, popular in Australia and New Zealand |
| Bid Euchre | Players bid how many tricks they will take, in place of ordering up |
| Pepper | A bidding version of Euchre with all 24 cards dealt out, played mostly in Iowa and nearby |
| British Euchre | Euchre with the Joker as the Benny, the highest trump |
Euchre today
Euchre is now also played online, which lets families and old friends play together from different towns. On Go Euchre you can play the traditional game against computer players or at a private table with friends. The How to play page explains the game as it is played today, and the glossary explains the words that came along with it.
Questions and answers
Where did Euchre come from?
Euchre most likely grew out of Juckerspiel, a card game from Alsace. German-speaking settlers are thought to have brought it to North America around 1800.
Was the Joker invented for Euchre?
Yes. Around the 1860s, American card makers added an extra card for Euchre players to use as the highest trump, the Best Bower. That card became the Joker.
Why is the Jack called a bower?
“Bower” comes from the German word Bauer, meaning farmer, which is also a name for the Jack in German card games.
Where is Euchre most popular?
Euchre is most popular in the US Midwest, especially Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, and in Ontario and Atlantic Canada. It is also played in Cornwall and the Channel Islands in Britain.