A renege (also called a revoke) in euchre occurs when a player fails to follow the led suit despite holding at least one card of that suit. It is a rules violation. The standard penalty is 2 points awarded to the opposing team — the same as being euchred. The hand is abandoned when a renege is discovered. The Left Bower is the most common source of renege confusion because it belongs to the trump suit, not its printed suit.

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A renege — also called a revoke — is one of the most serious rules violations in euchre. This page explains exactly what counts as a renege, how to handle one at the table, what the penalty is, and the most common source of renege confusion: the Left Bower.

What Is a Renege?

A renege occurs when a player fails to follow the suit that was led even though they hold one or more cards of that suit in their hand.

Euchre requires players to follow suit on every trick if they can. Playing a card of a different suit when you hold the led suit is a violation — intentional or not.

The Standard Penalty

The penalty for a confirmed renege is 2 points awarded to the opposing team, regardless of the current hand score.

This is the same as the euchre penalty:

  • If the offending team called trump, the opponents score 2 points
  • If a defending player reneged, the makers score 2 points
  • The hand is abandoned at the point of discovery — no further tricks are played

Some groups use a 3-point penalty in competitive play, but 2 points is the standard.

How to Call a Renege

  1. Stop play immediately — mid-trick if possible
  2. Say “renege” or “revoke” clearly
  3. Identify the specific trick where the violation occurred
  4. Examine the accused player’s hand and the played cards to confirm they held a card of the led suit at the time
  5. If confirmed, award 2 points to the opposing team and end the hand

Do not wait until the end of the hand. Cards get mixed between tricks, and it may become impossible to verify the violation later.

Can a Renege Be Called After the Hand?

Most groups allow a renege to be challenged any time before the next hand’s cards are shuffled. Once the deck is shuffled and dealt for the next hand, past reneges are generally no longer enforceable.

If a player realizes mid-hand that they themselves reneged, calling it voluntarily is the correct sportsmanlike action.

The Left Bower: Most Common Renege Confusion

The Left Bower — the Jack of the same color as trump — is the most frequent source of renege misunderstandings because it does not belong to its printed suit during that hand.

If trump is… Left Bower is… Left Bower’s printed suit
Spades Spades (trump) Clubs
Clubs Clubs (trump) Spades
Hearts Hearts (trump) Diamonds
Diamonds Diamonds (trump) Hearts

Scenario A — Not a renege: Hearts are trump. Clubs are led. A player holds the Jack of Diamonds (Left Bower) and no other hearts. They do not need to play the Left Bower to follow clubs — it is a heart (trump). Playing any non-club card they hold is legal.

Scenario B — Is a renege: Hearts are trump. Clubs are led. A player holds the Jack of Diamonds (Left Bower) AND a real club (say, the 9 of Clubs). They must follow clubs by playing the 9 of Clubs (or any real club). Playing the Left Bower off-suit would not be a renege since Left Bower is trump — but playing a spade when they hold the 9 of Clubs would be a renege.

The key rule: the Left Bower is always trump. When assessing whether a renege occurred, mentally replace the Left Bower’s printed suit with the trump suit.

Other Common Renege Situations

Void in led suit — no renege: If a player holds no cards of the led suit, they may play any card — including off-suit cards that are not trump. This is completely legal. Being void in a suit and playing trump (or any other card) is normal play.

Accidental card drop: If a card is accidentally played from hand before the player intends, and the error is caught before the next player leads, most groups allow the card to be retrieved and corrected. Once the next trick is led, the played card stands.

Short-deck variants: In 5-player or 6-player games using a 32-card deck (7s and 8s added), the suit composition changes — ensure all players know which cards are in play so no one accidentally reneges by forgetting a card exists.

Preventing Reneges

  • Sort your hand by suit before each trick
  • Remember the Left Bower has changed suits — mentally file it under trump
  • Announce trump clearly at the start of the hand so all players can reorganize their cards
  • Slow down on tricky leads — if the led suit is the Left Bower’s printed suit, pause and think before playing