The 10 Best and 10 Worst Hands in the Game of Euchre
In Euchre, the cards you’re dealt play a crucial role in determining your strategy. Whether you’re looking at a powerful hand or a weak one, understanding its strength gives you insight into how to proceed—whether to go for the win or play more defensively. In this post, we’ll explore the 10 best and 10 worst hands in Euchre, assuming the cards in your hand match the trump suit declared by the up card.
10 Best Hands in Euchre
These hands provide you with the greatest chance of winning, often guaranteeing control over multiple tricks. If you’re dealt one of these hands, you should be thinking about dominating the round and possibly going alone.
Special Cards
- R = Right Bower (Jack of trump)
- L = Left Bower (Jack of the same color as trump)
Standard Cards
- A = Ace
- K = King
- Q = Queen
- 10 = 10
- 9 = 9
Trump vs. Non-Trump
- T = Trump (e.g., AT♥ = Ace of Hearts trump)
- n = Non-trump (e.g., An♠ = Ace non-trump of Spades)
Suit Symbols
- ♠ = Spades
- ♥ = Hearts
- ♦ = Diamonds
- ♣ = Clubs
R, L, AT, KT, QT
This is the best hand possible—Right Bower, Left Bower, and the top three trump cards—almost ensuring a march and giving you full control of the game.
R, L, AT, KT, 10T
Only an idiot can screw up the chance to sweep all of the tricks with this hand.
R, L, AT, KT, 9T
There are only seven trump cards in any given hand, and you have five of them. Awfully hard to not sweep all of the tricks (but there’s at least one way to do so).
R, L, AT, QT, 10T
The only way you can screw this hand up is if someone else leads and you try to take the trick with the QT or 10T with someone from the other team behind you.
R, L, AT, 10T, 9T
Same as before; the only way you can mess up is if someone else leads non-trump and you don’t use one of your big cards to take it.
R, L, KT, QT, 10T
The only person who takes a trick from you here is the person with their AT guarded and you have to take the first trick with your R or L bower.
R, L, QT, 10T, 9T
No ace, not king? No problem. For the most part. You still have both bowers. There are very few combinations of play that won’t sweep all of the tricks, but it can happen.
R, L, AT, KT, An
Four bower out of seven in a hand. This is a commanding hand. You will only way you lose a hand is if someone leads non-trump that matches your ace and the person behind you doesn’t have that suit, but has the QT, 10, or 9T. And it happens.
R, L, AT, QT, An
Virtually the same situation as above.
R, L, AT, 10T, An
Again, almost the exact same situation as above.
10 Worst Hands in Euchre
These hands, on the other hand, leave you with minimal control. With low-value cards and few, if any, trump, securing more than one or two tricks will be challenging. If you’re dealt one of these hands, it’s best to play defensively and rely on your partner or let the opponents take the lead.
9n, 9n, 9n, 10n, 10n
A hand full of low-value non-trump cards offers little hope of winning any tricks.
9n, 9n, 10n, 10n, 10n
Low non-trump cards across the board make it hard to secure any control.
9n, 9n, 9n, 10n, Jn
Your hand looks like it got lost on the way to the table.
9n, 9n, 10n, 10n, Jn
Even with a jack, you’re still in trouble.
9n, 10n, 10n, 10n, Jn
This hand couldn’t win a game of solitaire, let alone Euchre.
9n, 9n, 10n, Jn, Jn
There is much worse than this hand, other than your hopes of winning.
9n, 10n, 10n, Jn, Jn
These cards are less useful than a screen door on a submarine.
10n, 10n, 10n, Jn, Jn
There are more promising hands at a sock puppet show.
9n, 9n, 9n, Jn, Qn
These cards are so bad, they’re begging to be discarded already.
9n, 9n, 10n, Jn, Qn
This hand has fewer tricks in it than a lazy magician.
Why This Matters
Understanding the strength of your hand is crucial in Euchre. The top 10 hands give you control over most rounds and can often allow you to confidently declare trump or go alone. The worst hands, however, require more cautious play, relying on teamwork with your partner and strategic passing.
In Euchre, it’s all about playing the odds and making the most of the cards you’re dealt. Whether you’ve got a powerful hand or a weaker one, knowing when to play boldly or defensively can make all the difference in winning the game.
