In 500, a Jack can change suits. Learn trump ranking from the Joker down, how the right and left bower work, and why the left bower counts as trump.
500 Card Rankings Explained: Joker, Right Bower, Left Bower and Trumps
500 has one rule that catches almost every beginner.
A Jack can change suits.
Not just in value. Not just in importance. It actually becomes part of the trump suit.
That is why card rankings in 500 feel strange at first. You look at a Jack of Diamonds and think, “That is a diamond.” But if Hearts are trump, that same Jack of Diamonds is suddenly one of the strongest hearts in the hand.
It has changed teams.
Once that idea clicks, 500 becomes much easier to read. The Joker makes sense. The bowers make sense. Trump starts to feel powerful instead of confusing.
So let’s slow it down and make the ranking order clear.
For the full rules around bidding and play, see the How to Play 500 guide.
Normal Card Rankings in 500
When a suit is not trump, the cards rank in the usual order: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, and 4 if that card is in the deck.
The highest card in the suit that was led wins the trick, unless a trump card is played.
So if Clubs are led and nobody plays trump, the highest Club wins.
Simple enough.
The tricky part begins when a trump suit is chosen.
Trump Card Rankings in 500
When a suit is trump, that suit becomes more powerful than every other suit.
In a trump contract, the usual trump ranking is Joker, right bower, left bower, Ace, King, Queen, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, and 4 if that card is in the deck.
That top three is the heart of 500 card rankings.
The Joker is the highest trump.
The right bower is the Jack of the trump suit.
The left bower is the Jack of the other suit of the same colour.
After those three cards, the trump suit continues with Ace, King, Queen, 10, and so on.
Notice something important: the Jack does not sit between Queen and 10 in the trump suit. The trump Jack becomes the right bower and moves almost to the very top.
What Is the Right Bower?
The right bower is the Jack of the trump suit.
If Hearts are trump, the Jack of Hearts is the right bower.
If Diamonds are trump, the Jack of Diamonds is the right bower.
If Spades are trump, the Jack of Spades is the right bower.
If Clubs are trump, the Jack of Clubs is the right bower.
The right bower is the second-highest trump card, beaten only by the Joker.
That makes it one of the strongest cards in the game.
If you hold the right bower, you have real trump control. It can win an important trick, protect a contract, or help draw out other trump cards.
What Is the Left Bower?
The left bower is the Jack of the other suit of the same colour as trump.
Red suits pair together: Hearts and Diamonds. Black suits pair together: Spades and Clubs.
So if Hearts are trump, the Jack of Diamonds becomes the left bower.
If Diamonds are trump, the Jack of Hearts becomes the left bower.
If Spades are trump, the Jack of Clubs becomes the left bower.
If Clubs are trump, the Jack of Spades becomes the left bower.
The left bower is the third-highest trump card. It ranks below the right bower and above the Ace of trump.
This is the rule that feels odd at first.
The left bower is printed as another suit, but during that hand it counts as trump.
The Left Bower Changes Suit
This is the most important beginner lesson.
The left bower does not just act like trump.
It is trump.
For example, imagine Hearts are trump.
The Jack of Diamonds is the left bower.
That means the Jack of Diamonds is treated as a Heart for that hand.
If Diamonds are led, the Jack of Diamonds does not count as a Diamond. It is not used to follow Diamonds. It belongs to the trump suit.
If Hearts are led, the Jack of Diamonds can be played as a Heart, because it is part of the trump suit.
That one rule explains a lot of confusing moments in 500.
You may think, “Why can’t I follow Diamonds with the Jack of Diamonds?”
Because in that hand, it is not really a Diamond anymore.
It is the left bower.
It has moved.
Example: Hearts Are Trump
If Hearts are trump, the top trump cards are Joker, Jack of Hearts, Jack of Diamonds, Ace of Hearts, King of Hearts, Queen of Hearts, then 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, and 4 of Hearts.
The Jack of Hearts is the right bower.
The Jack of Diamonds is the left bower.
The Jack of Diamonds now counts as a Heart.
That means the Diamond suit has lost its Jack for this hand. Diamonds rank without it.
So the top Diamonds would usually be Ace, King, Queen, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, and 4 of Diamonds.
There is no Jack of Diamonds in the Diamond ranking because it has become trump.
Example: Spades Are Trump
If Spades are trump, the top trump cards are Joker, Jack of Spades, Jack of Clubs, Ace of Spades, King of Spades, Queen of Spades, then 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, and 5 of Spades.
The Jack of Spades is the right bower.
The Jack of Clubs is the left bower.
The Jack of Clubs now counts as a Spade.
That means if Clubs are led, the Jack of Clubs is not a Club for that hand. It is trump.
This can feel strange if you are new to 500, but it is one of the rules that gives the game its character.
The card face says Club.
The contract says Spade.
The contract wins.
The Joker in 500
In a trump contract, the Joker is usually the highest trump card.
It beats the right bower, the left bower, the Ace of trump, and every other card.
That makes the Joker the most powerful card in a suit contract.
If you hold the Joker and enough support in a suit, your hand may be much stronger than it first appears. The Joker can take control of a trick almost whenever it is played legally.
But the Joker should still be used with care.
Playing it too early may waste its power. Holding it too long may give opponents time to shape the hand against you.
The Joker is strongest when it wins a trick that matters.
In Misère, the Joker can be a problem rather than a prize. See What Is Misère in 500? How Misère and Open Misère Work for why a high card can ruin a zero-trick bid.
What Happens in No-Trump?
No-trump contracts are different because there is no trump suit.
That means there is no right bower or left bower in the normal trump sense. Jacks usually sit in their ordinary position in their printed suits.
The Joker still has special rules in no-trump, but those rules can vary between versions of 500.
In some games, the Joker can be nominated to a suit. In others, it has its own special lead or follow rules. Because no-trump Joker rules are one of the areas where 500 can vary, always check the active rules before assuming how it works.
For beginner play, the main idea is this: in suit contracts, the Joker is the top trump. In no-trump contracts, check the game rule for how the Joker behaves.
That small warning prevents a lot of confusion.
For when a No-Trumps bid is actually justified, see How to Bid in 500: A Beginner’s Guide to Choosing the Right Bid. Rule differences between versions are covered in Australian 500 vs American 500: What’s the Difference?.
Why Card Rankings Matter for Bidding
Card rankings are not just something you need during trick play.
They also shape your bidding.
If you have the Joker, right bower, and left bower in the same trump suit, your hand has serious power. You can control the top of trump and may be able to support a higher bid.
If you have the left bower but forget it counts as trump, you may undervalue your hand.
If you think the Jack of Diamonds is just an ordinary Diamond when Hearts are trump, you may miss one of the strongest cards at the table.
Good bidding starts with reading your hand correctly.
In 500, that means spotting the bowers.
See How to Bid in 500: A Beginner’s Guide to Choosing the Right Bid for counting likely tricks once you have spotted the bowers.
Why Card Rankings Matter for Following Suit
The left bower also affects legal play.
If the left bower belongs to trump, it follows trump.
That means you cannot treat it as part of its printed suit.
For example, if Diamonds are trump, the Jack of Hearts is the left bower.
If Hearts are led, the Jack of Hearts does not count as a Heart. It is trump.
If you have another Heart, you must follow Hearts with that card instead.
This is one of the easiest rules to miss in physical card games. In an online game, the software can help by showing the left bower as trump and highlighting only legal cards.
Once you understand the rule, it becomes logical.
The left bower follows its effective suit, not its printed suit.
A Simple Bower Memory Trick
Use colour pairs.
Hearts and Diamonds are the red pair.
Spades and Clubs are the black pair.
The right bower is the Jack on the trump side.
The left bower is the Jack from the matching colour.
So: Hearts trump? Jack of Hearts, then Jack of Diamonds. Diamonds trump? Jack of Diamonds, then Jack of Hearts. Spades trump? Jack of Spades, then Jack of Clubs. Clubs trump? Jack of Clubs, then Jack of Spades.
Right is trump’s own Jack.
Left is trump’s colour partner.
That is the easiest way to remember it.
Common Ranking Mistakes
The biggest mistake is treating the left bower as its printed suit.
If Hearts are trump, the Jack of Diamonds is not a Diamond for that hand. It is trump.
Another mistake is ranking the trump Ace above the bowers. In 500, the Ace of trump is strong, but it sits below the Joker, right bower, and left bower.
Players also forget that the trump Jack is not in its normal Jack position. The right bower moves near the top of the entire hand.
No-trump Joker rules can also catch players out. Do not assume every table handles the Joker the same way in no-trump.
Finally, beginners sometimes bid too cautiously because they do not recognise bower strength. A hand with a bower may be stronger than it looks.
Quick 500 Card Ranking FAQ
What is the highest card in 500?
In a trump contract, the Joker is usually the highest trump card.
What is the right bower in 500?
The right bower is the Jack of the trump suit. It is usually the second-highest trump card, below the Joker.
What is the left bower in 500?
The left bower is the Jack of the other suit of the same colour as trump. It usually ranks below the right bower and above the Ace of trump.
Does the left bower count as trump?
Yes. The left bower counts as part of the trump suit for that hand.
If Hearts are trump, what happens to the Jack of Diamonds?
The Jack of Diamonds becomes the left bower. It counts as a Heart and is the third-highest trump card.
If Spades are trump, what happens to the Jack of Clubs?
The Jack of Clubs becomes the left bower. It counts as a Spade and is the third-highest trump card.
Is the Ace of trump higher than the bowers?
No. The Ace of trump ranks below the Joker, right bower, and left bower.
What happens to Jacks in no-trump?
In no-trump, there is no trump suit, so the Jacks usually stay in their normal suits. The Joker has special rules that can vary by version.
Final Thought
500 card rankings are unusual because the trump suit can pull a Jack out of another suit and make it one of the strongest cards in the hand.
That is the left bower.
Once you understand that, the game becomes clearer.
The Joker sits at the top. The right bower follows. The left bower changes suit and becomes trump. Then come the Ace, King, Queen, 10, and the rest of the trump cards.
It feels strange for a few hands.
Then it starts to feel brilliant.
Because 500 is not just asking you to read the cards.
It is asking you to read what the cards have become.
Ready to practise? Play 500 online, or start with the full How to Play 500 guide.
