Sheepshead Card Hierarchy
Understanding which cards beat which is the foundation of Sheepshead
The Key Concept
In Sheepshead, there are 14 trump cards that beat all other cards. The remaining 18 cards are called "fail" cards.
Trump cards are: All 4 Queens, All 4 Jacks, and All 6 Diamonds.
Complete Trump Order (Highest to Lowest)
👑 Queens (Highest Trump)
Queens are the most powerful cards. Suit order: Clubs → Spades → Hearts → Diamonds
#1
#2
#3
#4
🃏 Jacks
Jacks follow the same suit order as Queens
#5
#6
#7
#8
♦️ Diamonds (Lowest Trump)
All Diamonds are trump, ranked by card value: A → 10 → K → 9 → 8 → 7
#9
#10
#11
#12
#13
#14
Fail Cards (Non-Trump)
The remaining cards in Clubs, Spades, and Hearts (minus their Queens and Jacks) are "fail" cards. Each fail suit has 6 cards:
Fail cards only beat other fail cards of the same suit. Any trump card beats any fail card.
⚠️ Common Beginner Mistake
Queens and Jacks are NOT part of their original suit! If someone leads Clubs and you have Q♣ and 7♣, you must play the 7♣. The Queen of Clubs is trump, not a club.
📋 Quick Reference
Trump (14 cards):
Q♣ > Q♠ > Q♥ > Q♦ > J♣ > J♠ > J♥ > J♦ > A♦ > 10♦ > K♦ > 9♦ > 8♦ > 7♦
Each Fail Suit (6 cards each):
A > 10 > K > 9 > 8 > 7