A standard euchre deck has 24 cards: the 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of each of the four suits. To make one, take a 52-card deck and remove the 2s through 8s. Some variants add a Joker (25 cards), add the 7s and 8s for six players (32 cards), or combine two euchre decks (48 cards). The spare 4s, 5s, and 6s are traditionally used to keep score.
Euchre is played with a 24-card deck: the 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of each suit. Everything else in a standard deck, the 2s through 8s and the Jokers, gets set aside. That small deck is what makes euchre fast. With 20 of the 24 cards dealt each hand, almost every card is in play, and you can often work out who holds what.
How to Make a Euchre Deck
- Start with any standard 52-card deck.
- Remove the 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 of every suit, and the Jokers.
- You’re left with 24 cards, six per suit.
- Keep the spare 4s, 5s, and 6s nearby, because most players use them to keep score.
A deck of cards for euchre wears evenly, since the same 24 cards get handled every deal. Many regular players keep a dedicated deck and swap it out when the 9s and 10s start looking more worn than the face cards.
Deck Sizes for Every Euchre Variation
| Game | Cards | What’s in it | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard euchre (4 players) | 24 | 9–A in four suits | Rules |
| British Euchre / Joker euchre | 25 | 24 + one Joker (the Benny) | British Euchre |
| Hasenpfeffer | 25 | 24 + Joker | Hasenpfeffer |
| Six-player euchre | 32 | 7–A in four suits | 6 players |
| Five-player (all-play) | 32 | 7–A in four suits | 5 players |
| Two-player, fast version | 16 | J–A in four suits | 2 players |
| Double-deck euchre | 48 | Two 24-card decks | Double-deck |
| Bid Euchre (Pepper) | 24 | 9–A, all cards dealt, no kitty | Bid Euchre |
How the 24 Cards Rank
The order changes depending on which suit is trump. In the trump suit there are seven cards, because the Jack of the same color (the Left Bower) joins it:
The other suit of the same color loses its Jack and has only five cards. The two remaining suits rank normally, A, K, Q, J, 10, 9. See the full card rankings and the bowers explained.
Cards per Player and the Kitty
- 4 players × 5 cards = 20 cards dealt, leaving 4 in the kitty.
- The top kitty card is turned up to propose trump; the other 3 stay hidden for the whole hand.
- Dealing is traditionally done in packets of 2 and 3 (how to deal).
Because only 3 cards are ever hidden, a card you need is buried in the kitty only about 1 time in 6 (3 of the 18 cards you can’t see). The probability guide has the full math.
Using the Spare Cards to Keep Score
The classic method gives each team a 5 and a 6 (or a 4 and a 6) from the discarded cards. One card covers part of the other, and the number of pips showing is the team’s score. It’s quick, free, and part of euchre tradition. The score sheet guide walks through every number from 1 to 10. Or skip the cards and use our free online score keeper.
Why 24 Cards?
Euchre descends from 18th-century European games like Juckerspiel and Écarté, which were played with short 32-card packs. As the game settled in North America in the 1800s, the 7s and 8s were dropped too, which made hands shorter and trump tighter. Read more in the history of euchre.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cards are in a euchre deck?
24. The 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs. Each player gets 5 cards and 4 are left over as the kitty.
What cards do you take out for euchre?
Remove every 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 from a standard 52-card deck, plus the Jokers. Keep one 4 and one 6 (or a 5 and a 6) per team if you want to use them as score markers.
Is there a Joker in euchre?
Not in standard North American euchre. British Euchre and some regional versions add one Joker, called the Benny or Best Bower, which is the highest trump. That makes a 25-card deck.
Why does euchre use only 24 cards?
The short deck comes from euchre's ancestors, the French and German games Écarté and Juckerspiel, which used 32-card packs. Fewer cards make each hand tight and fast: with 20 of 24 cards dealt, almost everything is in play, so hand reading and trump counting matter a lot.
Can you buy a euchre deck?
Yes. Pre-sorted 24-card euchre decks are sold, often with score cards included. But any standard deck works once you remove the 2s through 8s, and a standard deck gives you spare cards to keep score.