What to Bury in Sheepshead
Your bury counts toward your team's points - make it count!
Why the Bury Matters
After picking up the blind (2 cards), you must discard 2 cards face-down. These buried cards count toward your team's points at the end.
A smart bury of 20+ points means you only need to win 41 more to reach 61. That's a huge head start!
Bury Priority (Best to Worst)
Fail Aces (11 points each)
The best bury. Safe points that can't be captured by opponents.
Fail Tens (10 points each)
Almost as good as Aces. Especially bury if in a short suit.
Kings (4 points each)
Decent points, and Kings are hard to win tricks with.
9s, 8s, 7s (0 points)
No point value, but might be necessary to create a void.
⚠️ Never Bury the Called Ace!
If you plan to call a suit, you cannot bury that Ace if you have it. The called Ace must stay in your hand to be played.
This is why you often call a suit where you DON'T have the Ace - you want that card in your partner's hand, not your bury!
Creating Voids
Sometimes it's better to bury low cards to create a void (having zero cards in a suit). A void lets you trump when that suit is led!
Example: Good Void
You have: K♠, 7♠ (no other spades)
Bury both → Now void in spades!
When spades led, you can trump in.
The Trade-off
Burying K♠ + 7♠ = only 4 points
But the void might win you 20+ points in tricks later!
Example Bury Scenarios
Scenario 1: Dream Bury
Your 8 cards: Q♣, J♠, A♦, 10♦, 9♦, A♠, A♥, K♣
Bury: A♠ + A♥ = 22 points!
Call clubs (you have no A♣). Partner has A♣.
Scenario 2: Create a Void
Your 8 cards: Q♠, J♣, J♥, A♦, K♦, A♣, 10♠, 7♠
Bury: 10♠ + 7♠ = 10 points + void!
Now you're void in spades and can trump when spades are led.
Scenario 3: Tough Choice
Your 8 cards: Q♦, J♦, 10♦, 8♦, A♣, A♠, 10♣, K♠
Bury: A♠ + K♠ = 15 points + spade void
Can't bury both Aces (need one to call). Bury A♠ + K♠ for void.
❌ Never Bury These
- ✗Trump cards - You need every trump to control the game.
- ✗The called Ace - It must stay in your hand if you have it.
- ✗Your only card in a fail suit - Unless strategically creating a void.
💡 Pro Bury Tips
- ✓Plan your call first - Decide what you'll call before deciding what to bury.
- ✓Count your trump - With many trump, bury aggressively. With few, be careful.
- ✓Consider going alone - With 20+ points buried and 6+ trump, maybe skip the partner!