How to Play Sheepshead: Card Game Rules & Interactive Tutorial

Sheepshead is a 4-player trick-taking game of German origin. Unlike most trick-taking games, Sheepshead features a permanent trump suit and secret partnerships that are revealed during play.

The rules may seem complex at first, but they're quite logical once you understand the trump structure and partnership mechanics. Below you'll find a complete guide on how to play Sheepshead. If you prefer learning by doing, you'll find an interactive tutorial above that'll guide you through the game.

After you've learned the rules, you can play Sheepshead online directly at World of Card Games. We recommend a game against bots first, and once you feel comfortable with that, you can switch to multiplayer against other people online or with your friends.

So prepare to dazzle your friends and confound your foes as you become a master of this classic card game!

Sheepshead at a glance

A Wisconsin favorite with a picker, a hidden partner, and a 32 card deck.

The Deck

Sheepshead is played with a 32-card deck consisting of 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of each suit. The 2 through 6 of all suits are removed from a standard 52-card deck.

Trump Cards

There are 14 permanent trump cards in Sheepshead, ranked from highest to lowest:

• Queen of Clubs
• Queen of Spades
• Queen of Hearts
• Queen of Diamonds
• Jack of Clubs
• Jack of Spades
• Jack of Hearts
• Jack of Diamonds
• Ace of Diamonds
• 10 of Diamonds
• King of Diamonds
• 9 of Diamonds
• 8 of Diamonds
• 7 of Diamonds

Fail Suit Cards

The remaining 18 cards (Clubs, Spades, and Hearts, excluding Queens and Jacks) are called "fail" suits, ranked from highest to lowest:

• Ace (highest)
• 10
• King
• 9
• 8
• 7 (lowest)

Card Point Values

Cards have point values used for scoring:

• Ace = 11 points
• 10 = 10 points
• King = 4 points
• Queen = 3 points
• Jack = 2 points
• 9, 8, 7 = 0 points

The total points in the deck is 120 points.

Objective

The picker's team tries to capture 61 or more of the 120 card points in the deck. The defenders win by holding them to 60 or fewer.

Deal

A random player is chosen to be the dealer.

Each player is dealt 7 cards. The remaining 4 cards are placed face down in the center as the "blind".

The player to the dealer's left goes first.

Picking the Blind

Starting with the player to the dealer's left and proceeding clockwise, each player has the opportunity to "pick" the blind.

The player who picks becomes the "picker" and takes the 4 blind cards into their hand. The picker then must "bury" 4 cards face down. These buried cards remain secret and count toward the picker's point total at the end of the hand.

If all players pass, the hand is redealt with a new dealer.

Calling a Partner or Going Alone

After picking the blind, the picker must either call a partner or choose to go alone.

Calling a Partner: The picker names an Ace of a fail suit (Clubs, Spades, or Hearts). The player holding the called Ace becomes the picker's partner, but their identity remains secret until the called Ace is played. The picker must have at least one card of the called suit and must play it when that suit is first led. The partner must play the called Ace when that suit is first led. If the picker holds all three fail suit Aces, they may call a 10 instead.

Going Alone: If the picker has a strong hand, they may choose to "go alone" and play without a partner. When going alone, the picker plays 1 against 3 defenders. The same scoring rules apply, but since there is no partner, only the picker gains or loses points on the maker side.

Play

The player to the dealer's left leads the first trick by playing any card from their hand.

You must follow suit if you can. Trump counts as its own suit. Every Queen, Jack and Diamond is trump, so the Queen of Hearts is not a heart and the Jack of Spades is not a spade. If a trump is led, you must play a trump if you have one. If you can't follow suit, you may play any card.

The highest card of the suit led wins the trick, unless a trump card is played, in which case the highest trump wins.

The trick winner leads the next trick. This continues until all 7 tricks are played.

Scoring

After all tricks are played, card points from captured tricks are counted. The picker's buried cards count toward their total.

The picker and their partner are called the makers. The makers need 61+ card points to win the hand. Scoring is zero-sum, so losers pay points to winners.

If the picker's team wins (61+ points):
- Defenders scored 30-59 points: Each defender loses 1 point to each maker.
- Defenders scored 0-29 points but won at least one trick (schneider): Each defender loses 2 points to each maker.
- Defenders won no tricks (schwarz): Each defender loses 3 points to each maker.

If the picker's team loses (60 points or fewer):
Because the picker's team was expected to win, losing is an upset and the stakes are doubled:
- Picker's team scored 31-60 points: Each maker loses 2 points to each defender.
- Picker's team scored 0-30 points but won at least one trick (schneider): Each maker loses 4 points to each defender.
- Picker's team won no tricks (schwarz): Each maker loses 6 points to each defender.

In a standard 4-player hand with a partner (2 makers vs 2 defenders), each player's score changes by ±2, ±4, or ±6 when the picker wins, and ±4, ±8, or ±12 when the picker loses.

Game End

The game ends after 4 hands (one full rotation of the dealer, so each player deals once). The player with the highest cumulative score at the end wins.

The rules in practice

The trump suit takes some getting used to. Say the Ace of Hearts is led and the next player has no fail hearts, so they throw the Jack of Diamonds. That Jack is trump, so it beats the Ace, and only a higher trump can take the trick back. Watch the Queens too. The Queen of Hearts looks like a heart, but it's trump, so it can't be used to follow a heart lead and it beats every Jack and every Diamond.

The hidden partnership shapes the whole hand. Suppose the picker calls the Ace of Spades. Nobody at the table knows who holds it, so the other three players all play on as possible partners. The first time spades are led, the picker must play a spade and whoever holds the Ace of Spades must play it. The moment that Ace hits the table, the teams are out in the open.

Points decide the hand, not tricks. A trick containing the Ace, 10 and King of Clubs is worth 25 of the 120 card points, while a trick full of 9s, 8s and 7s is worth nothing. That's why a side can take most of the tricks and still lose. Keep a rough count of the points your side has captured, since 61 is the only number that matters.

Strategy basics

Here are a few habits to build from your first game.

• Pick on Queens and Jacks, not on hopes. Losing a hand you picked costs double.
• Bury points you can't defend, and keep the trump you'll need to win tricks.
• Call an Ace in a suit where you hold only a low card or two. You must keep at least one card of the called suit.
• Count trump as it falls. There are 14, and once they're gone your fail suit Aces and 10s are safe.
• As a defender, throw your Aces and 10s onto tricks your side is winning. Points win hands, not tricks.

History

Sheepshead is the American form of the German game Schafkopf (literally "sheep's head"). The game has been played for centuries in Germany and was brought to America by German immigrants, particularly to Wisconsin where it remains very popular. While variations exist for 3, 5, 6, and 7 players, the 4-player version offers an excellent balance of strategy and partnership play.

Frequently asked questions

What happens if every player passes on the blind?

The hand is redealt with a new dealer, and the chance to pick goes around again.

Can the picker play without a partner?

Yes. A picker with a strong hand can go alone and play 1 against 3 defenders. The scoring works the same way, but with no partner to share it, only the picker gains or loses on the maker side.

Does the partner have to play the called Ace?

Yes. The first time the called suit is led, the partner must play the Ace and the picker must play a card of that suit. Until that happens, the partner's identity stays secret, even though the partner themselves knows it from the start.

Can I play the Queen of Hearts when hearts are led?

Only if you can't follow suit. The Queen of Hearts is trump, not a heart, so it doesn't count toward following a heart lead. If you hold any fail hearts you must play one of those. If you don't, you may play any card, including the Queen.

What happens if the picker's team takes exactly 60 points?

They lose. The picker's team needs 61 of the 120 card points, so a 60-60 split goes to the defenders. And because the picker's side was expected to win, the loss is paid out at doubled stakes.

Helpful Links

Pagat.com Sheepshead Page