History: Sheepshead, also known as Schafskopf or Schafkopf, is an old Central European game. Many of its features were incorporated in Skat, but Sheepshead is much simpler. Once the unusual (for Americans) ranking  is overcome, the contrast between power and value of the cards makes for a fascinating interplay. I have been playing Sheepshead for over 20 years, and bridge for about four, but I'd take Sheepshead over bridge any time. The rules given here are described in Hoyle as those most prevalent in the United States.

The Pack:  Sheepshead is played with a 32 card deck. From a standard deck of 52, discard all 2's through 6's.

The Deal: The cards are dealt in batches. For the three player game deal 3 cards in the first batch, then 2 cards are dealt to the "blind,'' which goes in the center of the table, then 4 cards are dealt in the second batch, and finally 3 cards in the third batch.

For the 4 player game, there is no blind, and the cards are dealt 3-2-3. There are adaptations for 5 or more players, but personally, I don't care for them. Some players swear by the 5 handed game. For that and other local variations in rules, as well as links to Sheepshead related sites, (including software) go to the Links page.

The hardest part of Sheepshead for beginners to get comfortable with is the ranking of the cards. There is a permanent 14 card trump suit (almost half the deck) consisting of all Queens, all Jacks, and all Diamonds. They rank as follows:

Q§ (high), Qª, Q©, Q¨, J§, Jª, J©, J¨, A¨, 10¨, K¨, 9¨, 8¨, 7¨

In the other three suits (§, ª,©)  the rankings are similar: A, 10, K, 9, 8, 7.  Note that 10's beat K's. This is supposedly because the peasants in medieval Europe were disillusioned with their Kings, so they didn't want them to have too much power.

Each card carries point values in addition to its rank. The points are awarded thus:

The Play: The eldest hand (left of dealer) has first choice to ``Take It.'' If he does, he picks up the blind, adding it to his hand, and then discards any two cards of his choice. What he discards does not have to be played, but he counts the points (see above) at the end of the hand. If he passes, the choice moves to the left. If everyone passes, the hand is played at ``least'' (see below), and the blind is set aside but is added to the last trick.

Whoever "`Takes It'' becomes the "Player,'' also know as the "Picker" (similar to declarer in bridge), and the other 2 become temporary partners against him. In the 4 hand game the hand holding J§ automatically becomes the Player's partner, unless he holds it himself. Then the hand with the Jª is his partner. If he holds both, he may name any card. Regardless of his holding, he may also elect to "go it alone,'' whereupon all three of the other players oppose him. If he makes this choice, all game points accumulate to him alone, rather than being split with his partner.

Eldest hand always has the opening lead, regardless of who is the Player. Everyone must follow suit if able, and if not able may play any card. Each trick is won by the hand playing the highest trump, or, if no trump are played, by the highest card of the suit led, according to the rankings above. Note that the Queens and Jacks count as trump, not as Clubs, Spades, or Hearts. Thus when a trump such as the J§ is led, it calls for another trump, not another club. After the first trick, the lead is made by the hand winning the last trick. When the last trick has been collected the points are totalled and a number of "game points'' are awarded to the Player as follows:

Least: If the game is played at least, the player who wins the fewest points gets 2 game points. If two or more players tie, the one who was not last to take a trick gets 2 game points. If one player takes no tricks, he gets 4 game points. If one player takes all the tricks, he loses 4 game points.

The first person to reach 10 game points wins. As a courtesy to beginners, a player reaching -10 is usually allowed to start over at 0 unless everyone has a negative score.

Unlike Bridge, Spades, and other trump games, the number of tricks taken matters hardly at all. It's what's in the tricks that counts. Additionally, the cards with high value (A's and 10's) have relatively little power, while the cards with a lot of power (Q's and J's) have relatively little value. It is quite possible to hold the top six cards in the deck, and still go down 4. On the other hand, if you hold all the A's and 10's (and thus few high trump), you'll probably go down too.

In a 3-hand game it is usually not advisable to take it with less than six trumps and a scattering of A's and 10's. Seven trumps is better. Two passes could indicate trump in the blind, so third seat might think about taking it with a very strong five, but it is generally a losing strategy to count on finding help in the blind. Only the Player can earn game points (or lose them) except when playing least, so if you don't take some risks, you will never win. Try to bury (discard to the blind) high point cards and/or create voids so you can trump points when they are led. Nontrump (also called fail) suits only have six cards, so a suit will go around twice at most, and the Player is likely to have at least one void. With only three players there are no finesses, but there is a technique known as "shmear.'' This consists of playing the highest possible point value card on a trick your partner is (likely) going to win. The last 2 tricks can frequently decide the hand, with both opponents holding back A's and 10's until absolutely necessary. It is therefore imperative for the Player to lead trumps as much as possible, drawing 2 of the opponents' for each one of his. Then he can run any side suits.