Overview
A trick-taking bidding game for four in partnerships, named for the target score. It shares euchre's bowers and adds a bidding auction and a joker.
No governing body publishes rules for this game. This page describes the most common form. House rules vary, so agree them before you start. The bidding table in particular varies between regions.
1. The deck
For four players: 43 cards — a standard deck stripped of the 2s, 3s and black 4s, plus one joker.
Deal ten cards each in packets, plus a face-down kitty of three.
2. The bidding
Starting left of the dealer, players bid the number of tricks they will take and the trump suit, or pass.
Bids are ranked by the score they are worth:
| Tricks | ♠ | ♣ | ♦ | ♥ | No trumps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 40 | 60 | 80 | 100 | 120 |
| 7 | 140 | 160 | 180 | 200 | 220 |
| 8 | 240 | 260 | 280 | 300 | 320 |
| 9 | 340 | 360 | 380 | 400 | 420 |
| 10 | 440 | 460 | 480 | 500 | 520 |
Misère — taking no tricks at all — is worth 250 and sits between the 7 and 8 level bids. Open misère, played with your hand face up, is worth 500.
The highest bidder takes the kitty, adds it to their hand, and discards three.
3. The joker
The joker is the highest card in the game.
- In a trump contract it belongs to the trump suit.
- In no trumps the bidder nominates its suit when first played.
4. The bowers
As in euchre, the jacks change identity in a trump contract:
- Right bower — jack of trumps
- Left bower — jack of the same colour, which becomes a trump
Ranking in a hearts contract: Joker · J♥ · J♦ · A♥ · K♥ ...
5. Play and scoring
The bidder leads. Follow suit if you can.
| Outcome | Score |
|---|---|
| Contract made | The bid value |
| Contract made with all ten tricks | Bid value, or 250 if the bid was worth less |
| Contract failed | Minus the bid value |
| Defenders | 10 per trick taken |
First partnership to 500 wins. Falling to minus 500 loses outright, which is called going out backwards.
Commonly argued
- The joker is the highest card, always.
- The left bower is a trump, not its printed suit.
- Failing your contract subtracts the full bid, which is why overbidding is punished so hard.
- Misère sits between 7 and 8 bids in the ranking, not above everything.
- Defenders score 10 per trick regardless of the contract.
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