Two-Handed Euchre — How to Play Euchre with 2 Players

What Is Two-Handed Euchre?

Two-handed euchre is the head-to-head version of euchre for exactly 2 players. It strips away the partnership element, leaving a pure duel between two players using the same 24-card deck, bower system, and trick-taking mechanics.

It is sometimes called honeymoon euchre for its suitability as a couples’ game.

What You Need

• 2 players
• A 24-card euchre deck (9, 10, J, Q, K, A in each suit)
• Score tracking (pen and tally — the two-card method works but is designed for teams)

How to Deal

1. Choose a dealer (cut for it or flip a coin)
2. Deal 5 cards to each player in the standard euchre dealing pattern (2+3 or 3+2)
3. Place the remaining 14 cards face down as the kitty
4. Turn the top card of the kitty face up for the trump call

The large kitty: With 14 cards in the kitty (instead of 4 in standard euchre), more than half the deck is hidden. This increases variance and makes card counting less reliable.

Calling Trump

The calling process matches standard euchre with 2 players:

Round 1

1. Non-dealer examines the face-up card and either orders it up or passes
2. Dealer picks it up or turns it down

If ordered up or picked up, the dealer takes the face-up card into their hand and discards one card face down. That card’s suit is trump.

Round 2

If both players pass in Round 1, the card is turned face down and a second round begins:

1. Non-dealer names a suit (not the turned-down suit) or passes
2. Dealer names a suit or passes

Under stick the dealer rules (recommended for 2-player euchre), the dealer must call if the non-dealer passes.

Important: Going alone does not exist in two-handed euchre — there are no partners, so both players always play their own hands.

Trick Play

Trick play follows standard euchre rules exactly:

1. The non-dealer leads the first trick
2. The other player must follow suit if possible (the Left Bower belongs to trump)
3. The highest trump wins if trump is played; otherwise the highest card of the led suit wins
4. The winner of each trick leads the next
5. Play continues for all 5 tricks

With only 2 players per trick, each trick is a simple one-on-one contest — your card vs. theirs.

Scoring

This matches standard euchre scoring exactly (minus the going-alone bonus, which does not apply).

Winning the Game

Play to 10 points, same as standard euchre.

The Drafting Variant (Honeymoon Euchre)

A popular alternative dealing method adds a draft phase:

How It Works

1. Deal 3 cards face down to each player
2. Turn 8 cards face up between the players (the “market”)
3. Starting with the non-dealer, players alternate drafting 1 card at a time from the market until each has drafted 3 cards (taking their hand to 6)
4. Each player discards 1 card face down, leaving 5 cards in hand
5. The remaining 2 face-up cards are set aside
6. A card is turned up from the remaining kitty for the trump call

Why Draft?

The drafting variant adds a layer of strategy before trick play even begins. You choose which cards to add to your hand while also denying cards to your opponent. This reduces the luck factor and rewards hand-building skill.

Strategy Differences from Standard Euchre

No Partner = No Safety Net

In standard euchre, your partner contributes tricks. In two-handed, every trick comes from your 5 cards alone. This changes the game significantly:

• Call trump only with strong hands — you need to win 3 of 5 by yourself
• A bower plus 2 more trump is a reasonable minimum to call
• Off-suit Aces are very reliable — with only 1 opponent, the chance they are void in your suit is lower

Card Counting Is Harder but Still Valuable

With 14 cards hidden in the kitty, you can track less. But you still know:

• Your 5 cards
• The turned-up card (6 known / 24 total)
• Each card played during tricks (up to 10 more become known)

By trick 5, you know 16 of 24 cards. The last trick is almost fully deducible.

Offense vs. Defense

Since every hand is 1v1, the dynamic is simpler:

• As maker: Lead trump to strip your opponent, then lead off-suit winners
• As defender: Lead your strongest card immediately. You need 3 tricks to euchre the maker.

There is no partner to coordinate with, so your strategy is entirely self-contained.

The Non-Dealer Has the Lead Advantage

The non-dealer leads trick 1. This is a meaningful advantage because:

• They choose the initial suit
• They can lead an off-suit Ace for a likely free trick
• They set the pace (trump first or off-suit first)

When deciding whether to order up as the non-dealer, factor in that you get the first lead.

Tips for Winning Two-Handed Euchre

1. Call trump with 3+ sure tricks — With no partner, your hand must carry itself. Two strong trump cards plus an off-suit Ace is a reasonable calling hand.

2. Lead your off-suit Ace first — With only 1 opponent, the chance of a trump-in on trick 1 is lower. Bank the Ace, then switch to trump.

3. Count the kitty’s impact — 14 cards are out. Both bowers could be buried. If you hold the Right Bower, you know the Left is either in the kitty or in your opponent’s hand — 14 out of 18 unknown cards are in the kitty, so the Left is more likely buried than held.

4. Exploit the dealer advantage — As dealer, you can swap a weak card for the turned-up card. This effectively gives you 6 cards to build a hand from. Be slightly more aggressive calling as dealer.

5. Watch for voids — When your opponent plays trump on your off-suit lead, they are void in that suit. Do not lead that suit again (they will trump it).

6. Under stick-the-dealer, call the next suit — If forced to call, the next suit (same color as the turned-down card) has the best chance of activating favorable bower relationships.

Comparing Two-Handed to Other Euchre Variants

What to Learn Next

Two-handed euchre is a great way to practice fundamentals like trump calling and card counting in a fast format. For the full partnership experience, see standard euchre rules. For other player-count variants, explore three-handed euchre or the more complex bid euchre.