Clear Trump (Pull Trump)
Definition
A picker tactic of leading high trump on early tricks to draw out the defenders' trump, so the picker's lower trump and Aces become safe for later tricks. Also called "pulling trump."
Clear Trump (Pull Trump) in play
Clearing (or pulling) trump means leading high trump on the opening tricks to drain the defenders' trump, so your remaining low trump and fail Aces can score safely later. It is the picker's bread-and-butter plan when holding several high trumps. The danger is over-pulling: exhaust your own trump faster than theirs and you lose control, leaving your Aces to be trumped.
Example
“With Q♣, Q♠, and two more trump, the picker leads Q♣ then Q♠ to clear trump before cashing fail Aces.”
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Related Terms
Picker
The player who took the blind. They're the "captain" of their team and score double points (win or lose).
Trump
The powerful suit that beats all fail cards. In Sheepshead: all Queens, all Jacks, and all Diamonds are trump (14 cards total).
Boss (Boss Card)
The highest remaining trump in play — a card guaranteed to win the trick if led. After Q♣ is played, Q♠ becomes the boss; once both are gone, Q♥ takes over, and so on down the trump order.
Long Thru, Short To
A core position maxim: lead a fail suit your opponent is long in when you sit to their left ("through" the picker), and lead a suit they are short in when you sit to their right ("to" the picker). The goal is to force them to play their best card from an awkward seat.