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How to play Sheepshead (2026): Sheepshead is the American form of the German game Schafkopf, and in Wisconsin it is practically a state pastime. It is a point-trick game with a strange and wonderful trump suit: all the queens and jacks plus the diamonds. The five-handed version, with a picker and a secret partner, is the most popular, and that is what this guide teaches.
Cards you need: Bicycle Rider Back Playing Cards (12-pack)
A Sheepshead deck is a standard deck with the 2s through 6s removed. Keep one deck from a 12-pack stripped to 32 cards just for Sheepshead nights.
Price band: $20–$30 (about $25) · Check today’s price on Amazon
The 32-card Sheepshead deck
Remove all 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s and 6s from a standard deck, leaving 32 cards: A, 10, K, Q, J, 9, 8, 7 in each suit.
The trump suit
Fourteen cards are always trump. 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.
- Then the remaining diamonds: A, 10, K, 9, 8, 7.
The other suits (clubs, spades and hearts) are called fail suits. Each has six cards ranked A, 10, K, 9, 8, 7. Note that the 10 outranks the king.
Card points and the 61-point goal
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| Ace | 11 |
| Ten | 10 |
| King | 4 |
| Queen | 3 |
| Jack | 2 |
| 9, 8, 7 | 0 |
There are 120 points in the deck. The picker’s side needs 61 or more to win the hand.
Dealing five-handed Sheepshead
Each player gets six cards, usually dealt two or three at a time. Two cards go face down in the middle as the blind. It is poor form to deal the blind from the bottom of the deck.
Picking and burying
Starting left of the dealer, each player may pick up the blind or pass. The first to pick becomes the picker and challenges the table. The picker adds the blind to their hand, then buries two cards face down. Points in the buried cards count for the picker.
If nobody picks, table rules decide: many groups play a leaster, where the goal flips and each player tries to take as few points as possible.
Choosing the partner
In the jack of diamonds version, whoever holds the jack of diamonds is secretly the picker’s partner. In the called ace version, the picker names the ace of a fail suit they hold a card in, and the holder of that ace becomes the partner. Either way the partner is not revealed until their card is played, so the first few tricks involve some guessing. A picker with a strong hand may go alone.
How Sheepshead tricks are played
The player left of the dealer leads. Everyone must follow suit if able, and remember that all queens, jacks and diamonds count as trump, not as their printed suit. If you cannot follow, play any card. The highest trump wins, or the highest card of the fail suit led. The winner leads next.
Sheepshead scoring
- The losing side takes 30 to 59 points: each loser pays one point.
- The losing side takes 29 points or fewer but wins at least one trick (schneider): two points each.
- The losing side takes no tricks at all (schwarz): three points each.
- A 60-60 tie counts as a win for the defenders, who collect two, four or six points each.
The challenger needs 91 points to push the defenders under 30, so going for schneider is a real decision late in a hand. Because the losers pay the winners, scoring is zero-sum: add every player’s total and you should get zero.
Three- and four-handed Sheepshead
The same deck works for other table sizes. With three players, deal ten cards each and a two-card blind; the picker plays alone against the other two. With four, deal seven each and a four-card blind; table rules decide whether the picker takes a partner or plays alone against three. Five-handed remains the favorite because the hidden partner adds a layer of bluffing.
Tips for new Sheepshead players
- Pick with trump. Four or more trumps, including a queen, is a common starting point.
- Bury points safely. Burying a fail ace or ten banks points for your side.
- Schmear for your partner. When your partner is winning a trick, throw them a high-point card.
- Like point-trick games? Our trick-taking games guide and Pitch rules are good next stops.
Sheepshead questions
How many cards are in a Sheepshead deck?
Thirty-two: a standard deck with the 2 through 6 removed.
What is the highest trump in Sheepshead?
The queen of clubs.
How many points do you need to win in Sheepshead?
Sixty-one of the 120 points in play. A stripped standard deck such as the Bicycle 12-pack works.
