Euchre Card Rankings — Trump Order, Bowers, and Suit Hierarchy

Why Card Rankings Matter in Euchre

Unlike most card games, euchre has a dynamic ranking system that changes every hand. When a trump suit is called, two Jacks jump to the top of the hierarchy and one of them even changes suit. Understanding this system is the foundation for every decision you make — from calling trump to knowing which tricks you can win.

If you are brand new, start with the rules for beginners first. This guide assumes you know the basics of dealing and trick play.

The Euchre Deck

Euchre uses 24 cards pulled from a standard 52-card deck:

• 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace in each of four suits (♠ ♥ ♦ ♣)

All cards ranked 2 through 8 are removed. This compact deck means every card matters — there are only 5 cards in each player’s hand and 4 left in the kitty.

Trump Suit Rankings (High to Low)

Once a trump suit is called, the cards in that suit rank in a special order — different from every other suit:

Key points:

• The Right Bower is the strongest card in the entire deck. Nothing beats it.
• The Left Bower is the second strongest. It is treated as a member of the trump suit for the entire hand, even though its printed suit is different.
• After the two Jacks, trump cards follow the standard Ace-high order: A, K, Q, 10, 9.

The Bower System Explained

The bower system is what makes euchre unique among trick-taking games. Here is how it works in each of the four possible trump calls:

Hearts as Trump (♥)

The diamond suit now has only 5 cards (A♦, K♦, Q♦, 10♦, 9♦) because its Jack has joined the heart/trump suit.

Diamonds as Trump (♦)

Hearts loses its Jack. The heart suit now contains only 5 cards.

Spades as Trump (♠)

Clubs loses its Jack to the spade/trump suit.

Clubs as Trump (♣)

Spades loses its Jack to the club/trump suit.

The pattern: The Left Bower is always the Jack of the same color — red goes with red, black goes with black.

Off-Suit Rankings (Non-Trump)

Every suit that is not trump follows the standard Ace-high order:

*Only if the Jack is not a bower. If the Jack of this suit is the Left Bower, the suit has no Jack and runs A, K, Q, 10, 9.

Critical rule: Any trump card — even the lowly 9 of trump — beats any off-suit card, including an Ace. Trump always wins.

Suit Relationships at a Glance

Because the bower system pairs same-color suits, it helps to think of euchre suits in two color families:

• Red family: Hearts ↔ Diamonds (share the Left Bower)
• Black family: Spades ↔ Clubs (share the Left Bower)

When hearts are trump, the diamond Jack leaves home. When spades are trump, the club Jack leaves home. This is the single most important rule for avoiding reneges.

How Rankings Affect Strategy

Counting Sure Tricks

A sure trick is a card guaranteed to win a trick. Only a few cards qualify:

• Right Bower — always a sure trick (nothing beats it)
• Left Bower — a sure trick if you lead it (only the Right beats it)
• Ace of trump — almost always wins, but both bowers outrank it

Off-suit Aces are not sure tricks because they lose to any trump card. Knowing this shapes how you call trump — you need sure trump tricks, not just high off-suit cards.

Why the Left Bower Is So Powerful

The Left Bower is special because:

1. It is the second-highest trump — only one card in the deck beats it
2. It gives you an extra trump card, shifting the trump count: the trump suit has 7 cards total (not 6), and the same-color off-suit has only 5
3. Holding both bowers almost guarantees a march, especially with supporting trump

If you hold the Left Bower, you effectively have a “free” trump card that your opponents might not account for if they are tracking the other suit.

Why Off-Suit Aces Still Matter

Even though any trump beats an off-suit Ace, Aces are still valuable:

• On an off-suit lead, the Ace wins unless someone is void (out of that suit) and can trump it
• Aces let you win tricks without spending trump — preserving your trump cards for later
• In the late tricks (4th and 5th), when hands are depleted, off-suit Aces are often safe winners

The best euchre hands combine strong trump (bowers + Ace) with side Aces to control non-trump leads. Read more in our strategy for beginners guide.

Card Strength Is Relative

A card’s power depends entirely on what trump is called:

• The Jack of Hearts is the most powerful card in the deck when hearts are trump, the second most powerful when diamonds are trump, and a mid-range off-suit card when clubs or spades are trump.
• The Ace of Spades is the third strongest card when spades are trump, but it can be trumped by a lowly 9 of hearts if hearts are trump and a player is void in spades.

This is why evaluating your hand before calling trump is critical. The same five cards might be worth calling hearts but not diamonds. Explore this further in our trump-calling strategy guide.

The Complete Ranking Summary

For any given hand, rank all 24 cards from strongest to weakest:

1. Right Bower (Jack of trump)
2. Left Bower (Jack of same color)
3. Ace of trump
4. King of trump
5. Queen of trump
6. 10 of trump
7. 9 of trump 8–13. Off-suit 1: A, K, Q, (J), 10, 9 14–19. Off-suit 2: A, K, Q, (J), 10, 9 20–24. Off-suit 3 (Left Bower’s printed suit): A, K, Q, 10, 9

Note: The suit missing its Jack (the Left Bower’s printed suit) only has 5 cards. The other two off-suits have 6 each.

Off-suits rank equally against each other — no suit outranks another unless it is trump. Trick winners among off-suits are determined by which suit was led, not by any inherent suit hierarchy.

What to Learn Next

Now that you understand how every card ranks, learn how those rankings translate to scoring and strategy. If you want to master when to call and when to pass, our trump-calling strategy guide breaks down the decision hand-by-hand. For a variant that adds a card above both bowers, see British euchre rules where the Joker (Benny) sits at the top of the trump hierarchy.