How To Play Sheepshead Card Game

How to Play Sheepshead Card Game

Sheepshead is a super fun trick-taking card game that’s been around for a long time. It’s especially popular in the Midwest of the United States, where lots of people with German heritage live. If you’ve ever wanted to learn a game that’s a little different than classics like Go Fish or War, Sheepshead might just be perfect for you! It’s played with a special deck of cards, some special rules, and a whole lot of strategy. Let’s jump into the basics so you can start playing with your friends and family.

The Sheepshead Deck and Cards

First things first, you can’t play Sheepshead with a regular deck of 52 cards. You need a special deck of 32 cards. These are only the A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, and 7 from each suit. You’ll see the four classic suits – hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades. But here’s the twist, the cards have different power than in other games.

Card Ranking in Sheepshead

In Sheepshead, the way cards are ranked is different from many other games. Some suits get a special upgrade in their power. Here is the rundown of how cards are ranked, from highest to lowest:

• The Trump Suit: In Sheepshead, one suit becomes the “trump” suit in each round and becomes the powerful one. We will talk more about that when we talk about the game play. The trump cards are ranked as follows :
  1. Queen of Clubs (Q♣) – The Highest Trump
  2. Queen of Spades (Q♠)
  3. Queen of Hearts (Q♥)
  4. Queen of Diamonds (Q♦)
  5. Jack of Clubs (J♣)
  6. Jack of Spades (J♠)
  7. Jack of Hearts (J♥)
  8. Jack of Diamonds (J♦)
  9. A, 10, K, 9, 8, 7 of the Trump suit (Highest to Lowest)
• Non-Trump Suits: The other suits are ranked as usual, with Ace being the highest and 7 being the lowest. So, A, 10, K, 9, 8, 7.

It can seem like a lot at first, but you’ll get the hang of it quickly. The Queens and Jacks are always the highest trump, that is the most important part to remember!

Setting Up the Game

Before you can start playing, you need to set up the game. Here are the steps for setting up a Sheepshead game:

Number of Players

Sheepshead is usually played with five players. If you have four players, you can also play, but some of the rules will change which we’ll discuss later.

Dealing the Cards

The dealer shuffles the 32-card deck, and the following deal occurs:

• In a five-player game, each player receives six cards, and two cards are placed face down to form the blind (also known as the kitty or widow).
• In a four-player game, each player receives eight cards, and there is no blind.

The deal is usually done in two rounds. Usually the dealer will deal three cards at a time, then once all the players have 3 cards, they deal 3 more cards to each player. These cards should be dealt in a clockwise manner.

The player to the left of the dealer is often referred to as the “elder hand” and gets to start the bidding process.

Bidding and Calling Trump

Once everyone has their cards, it’s time for bidding. Bidding is how the trump suit is selected. It’s like an auction to see who gets to pick the trump suit and play against everyone else.

The Bidding Process

Starting with the player to the left of the dealer (the elder hand), players have two options:

• Call: If a player likes their hand, they can say “I call” which means, they want to try to pick the trump and play against the other players. When they call, they get to pick up the two cards in the blind and will have to pick their trump suit.
• Pass: If a player doesn’t think they have a strong hand they can say “I pass.” Once they pass they can’t bid or call again in that round.

The bidding goes around the table until either:

• Someone calls and has not passed
• Everyone has passed

If everyone passes, the deal is considered dead, and the person to the left of the current dealer will become the next dealer. The cards are shuffled and dealt again. If someone calls, the next step happens.

Picking Trump

If someone calls, the person who called takes the two cards from the blind into their hand and now has a total of eight cards (in a five-player game). They must then look at their eight cards, and then choose which suit will be trump. The caller can pick any of the four suits to be the trump suit, based on what cards they have.

The person who picked trump is then called the “picker” and must try to win the round with one other partner, that we will talk about now. After picking their trump they have to discard two cards. It does not matter which two, but usually, the picker discards two of the lower-ranking non-trump suits to get rid of some dead weight.

Teaming Up in Sheepshead

Sheepshead is often played with a team dynamic. When the first player calls for trump, they’re essentially saying, “I think I can win this round with a little help!” Here’s how teams are formed in a standard five player game of Sheepshead:

The Picker and their Partner

The player who picks trump is called the picker. But, they have a partner. The partner is often called “the partner,” but sometimes is also called “the defender” depending on your local area. The way you form a team in sheepshead is that the picker is playing against all the other players, or the opposition, and the defender will be partnering up with the picker and play with him/her to win the hand against the opposition. So, now it’s two vs three. The picker, is in a team with the first person who obtains the Jack of Diamonds during the playing of the round.

How the Partner Works

The partner is kept a secret until the Jack of Diamonds is played. At the beginning of the game, everyone is playing individually. But when the player who has the Jack of Diamonds plays the Jack, then they become the partner to the picker. The partner must then play the rest of the round to help the picker win.

Playing the Game: The Trick Taking

Once the trump suit is chosen, and partners are known, it’s time to start taking tricks. A trick is made when each player puts down one card. The player who plays the highest card in the suit that was led takes the trick. They then start the next trick.

How to Play a Trick

Here’s how a trick goes down:

1. The Lead: The player to the left of the dealer (the elder hand) always goes first in the first trick. For subsequent tricks, the player who won the previous trick leads.
2. Following Suit: If you have a card in the same suit as the card that was led, you must follow suit. For example, if a heart is played, you must play a heart if you have one. If you have no card in the suit that was led, you can play any other card, including a card in the trump suit.
3. Winning the Trick: The trick is won by:
   • If a trump card is played in the trick, the player who plays the highest trump card wins the trick.
   • If no trump card is played, the player who plays the highest card in the suit that was led wins the trick.

Once a trick is won, the player who won gathers the cards and places them face down in front of themselves. The player who won the trick also leads the next trick and play continues.

Key Points to Remember During Trick Taking

• You must follow suit if you can.
• If you can’t follow suit you can play anything.
• If a trump card is played, the highest trump wins.
• If no trump card is played, the highest of the suit that was led wins.

Scoring in Sheepshead

Once all the cards are played, it’s time to score. Sheepshead has a unique scoring system. The number of points you get depends on who won, and who took which cards.

Card Values

Each card has a point value:

• Aces: 11 points
• Tens: 10 points
• Kings: 4 points
• Queens: 3 points
• Jacks: 2 points
• All other cards: 0 points

Tallying the Score

The total points in the deck is 120 points. Here is the breakdown of the scoring:

• The picker’s team (the picker and the partner) needs to get at least 61 points to win the hand.
• If they take 60 points or less, then they lose and the opponents win.

Scoring a Win

If the picker and the partner win the round (take 61 or more points), then they will earn points for the hand.

• Basic Win: If the picker and the partner win the round by having 61 or more points, they each get 1 point.
• Schneider: If the picker and the partner take 91 to 119 points, then they get 2 points each.
• Schwarz: If the picker and the partner take all 120 points, then they get 3 points each.

Scoring a Loss

If the opposition wins (the picker and their partner has 60 or less points), the opposing team gets the following score:

• Each player on the opposing team gets 1 point.

If someone goes schwarz they earn 3 points each. But this is rare, because it is very hard to win all the tricks in the hand. However, if the picker goes schneider (takes 91 to 119 points) the opposing team will also only get one point each, even though they were schneider’d.

The total score will go up to 7 points, and whoever gets to 7 first will win the game.

Four-Player Sheepshead

Sheepshead can be played with only four players. The game is a bit different because there is no blind and no hidden partner. Here are the differences:

Dealing

The dealer will deal each of the four players eight cards each. There is no blind in a four-player game.

Calling

The calling process remains similar, starting with the player to the left of the dealer. However, the person that calls for trump, also picks trump.

Partners

After calling and picking trump, the player is the solo player. The other three players are all in a team against the caller. This can be really hard on the person who has called because they are now playing by themselves against a team of three players.

Scoring in Four Player Sheepshead

The scoring is a little bit different in 4-player sheepshead. In the 4 player game, the calling player has to take 61 points or more to win the hand.

• If they do this, they gain 2 points and the other three players get 0.
• If they do not take 61 points or more, the other three players each get 1 point and the calling player gets 0.

This shows that the difficulty is much higher in a 4 player game because the player has to play by themselves and against all three of the other players, so calling for trump is much riskier in the four-player game.

Sheepshead Strategy Tips

Sheepshead is a game of skill and strategy. Here are some tips to help you play better:

• Pay Attention to the Cards: Keep track of the cards that have been played, especially the trump cards and the Queens and Jacks. This will help you make better decisions.
• Watch for Your Partner: If you are the picker’s partner, try to play cards that will help the picker win tricks. If you are on the opposing team, try to hurt the picker by taking their tricks.
• Don’t be Afraid to Lead Trump: If you have a lot of trump, you might want to lead trump. If you lead trump and other players do not have trump, you will win the trick!
• Think about the Next Trick: Don’t just think about the trick you are playing, but the next trick as well. For instance, if you have a high trump card, you might want to keep it for a future trick if you don’t need it in the current trick.
• Manage Your Hand: Try to get rid of low value cards and keep the high value cards. This is an important part of the game.

Like anything in life, the best way to learn is through practice. So find some friends, deal some cards, and get playing! You’ll become a pro in no time!

Sheepshead is a fantastic card game that mixes luck with strategic play. The combination of a unique trump suit, hidden partnerships, and trick-taking, makes it a super fun game. Learning how to play Sheepshead can be very rewarding, offering endless enjoyment for friends and family. Even though it might seem a little complicated at first, once you understand the basics, it’s easy to learn, and soon you’ll be teaching others how to play. So grab a deck of cards and give it a shot, you might just find a new favorite game!