Sheepshead Quick Start
Learn the basics in 5 minutes
The Goal
Capture 61+ points to win
There are 120 points total in the deck. The picking team needs a majority (61+).
Key insight: You're collecting points by winning tricks. Cards have different point values (more on that in Step 3).
Trump Cards
Trump beats everything. There are 14 trump cards, memorize this order:
All Queens (highest trump):
All Jacks:
All Diamonds (lowest trump):
Memory trick: Queens beat Jacks beat Diamonds. Within each group, Clubs > Spades > Hearts > Diamonds.
Point Values
When you win a trick, count up the points from the cards captured:
Key: Aces and 10s are the valuable cards. Capture them to reach 61!
How a Hand Works
Deal
Each player gets 6 cards. 2 cards go face-down in the middle (the "blind").
Pick or Pass
Going clockwise, each player decides to "pick" (take the blind) or "pass." First picker wins.
Bury & Call
Picker takes the 2 blind cards, then "buries" 2 cards from their hand. Then they call a fail ace (♣ ♠ ♥) — whoever has that ace is their secret partner.
Play 6 Tricks
Play cards clockwise. Must follow suit if you can. Highest trump wins, or highest card of led suit if no trump played.
Score
Count points. Picker's team (2 players) needs 61+. Defenders (3 players) win with 60+.
The Most Important Rule
You MUST follow suit
- •If someone leads trump, you must play trump (if you have any)
- •If someone leads clubs, you must play a club (if you have any)
- •Queens and Jacks are trump, not their printed suit!
- •Only if you're void (have none) can you play anything else
Want a Printable Reference?
Download our one-page cheat sheet with trump order, point values, and scoring
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