Sheepshead Rules

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Sheepshead Basics

Deck & Setup
  • 32-card deck: 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A in each suit
  • Players: Typically 5 players (3-10 supported)
  • Deal: 6 cards to each player, 2 cards to the "blind"
Trump Cards
  • All Queens (highest trump)
  • All Jacks (middle trump)
  • All Diamonds (lowest trump)
  • Total: 14 trump cards out of 32
Game Flow
  1. Bidding: Players decide if they want to "pick"
  2. Picking: Winner takes the blind and discards 2 cards
  3. Calling Ace: Picker calls an ace to find their partner
  4. Playing: 6 tricks are played
  5. Scoring: Picker's team needs 61+ points to win
Card Points
  • Ace: 11 points
  • Ten: 10 points
  • King: 4 points
  • Queen: 3 points
  • Jack: 2 points
  • 7, 8, 9: 0 points

Total deck value: 120 points

Trump Hierarchy

Trump cards always beat non-trump cards. Within trump, the hierarchy is:

Queens (Highest Trump)
  1. Queen of Clubs ♣ Highest
  2. Queen of Spades ♠
  3. Queen of Hearts ♥
  4. Queen of Diamonds ♦
Jacks (Middle Trump)
  1. Jack of Clubs ♣
  2. Jack of Spades ♠
  3. Jack of Hearts ♥
  4. Jack of Diamonds ♦
Diamonds (Lowest Trump)
  1. Ace of Diamonds ♦
  2. Ten of Diamonds ♦
  3. King of Diamonds ♦
  4. Nine of Diamonds ♦
  5. Eight of Diamonds ♦
  6. Seven of Diamonds ♦
Important: Notice that Queens and Jacks are trump regardless of suit, but Diamonds are only trump when they're not Queens or Jacks.

Called Ace Variant

Partner Selection
  • After picking, the picker calls an ace (Ace of Hearts, Spades, or Clubs)
  • The player who has that ace becomes the picker's partner
  • The partner's identity remains secret until they play the called ace
  • If the picker has the called ace, they play alone against all others
Calling Rules
  • Can only call an ace you don't have
  • Must have at least one non-trump card of that suit
  • If no aces can be called, can call an "under card" (10)
Partner Restrictions
  • Partner cannot lead with the called suit until revealed
  • Exception: Partner can play called suit if someone else leads it first
  • This prevents partners from accidentally revealing themselves
Scoring
  • Picker's team wins: +2 points each (if partner), +4 (if alone)
  • Defenders win: +1 point each (3 players), +2 each (if picker played alone)
  • Schneider: Extra point if team gets 90+ points
  • Schwarz: Extra point if team gets all tricks

Playing Tips

For Pickers
  • Need strong trump to pick successfully
  • Call an ace in a suit where you have fail cards
  • Try to pull trump early to control the game
  • Count points carefully - you need 61+
For Partners
  • Help the picker by playing high point cards
  • Don't reveal yourself too early
  • Support trump pulls when possible
  • Avoid leading the called suit
For Defenders
  • Work together to stop the picker
  • Try to identify the hidden partner
  • Force the picker to use trump
  • Save your high point cards
Ready to Play!