Cracking and Recracking
A crack doubles the stakes because a defender thinks the picker will fail. Only a non-passing defender may crack: a player who sat after the picker and never had the chance to pick. The picker, or a partner who also never had the chance, may then recrack to double it again.
Who may crack
A player who was offered the blind and passed has had their say about the hand. Only the seats after the picker, which the blind never reached, may crack, and only if they are defenders. The partner never cracks: a crack is a bet against the picking side, and the partner is on it. If the dealer picks, every other player has passed, so nobody may crack. The picking page has a seat-by-seat example.
How a crack and recrack go
- After the bury, the eligible defenders are asked in turn. The first one to crack doubles the stakes. Sheepshead Club tables allow one crack per hand.
- The picking side may answer with a recrack, doubling again. The offer goes around the table from the seat that cracked, so whichever of the picker or a non-passing partner it reaches first is asked first. The first of them to take it settles it for both.
- One recrack per hand. Then the first card is led.
At jack of diamonds the partner is secret, so every seat is asked even when it has nothing to say, and a recrack from a hidden partner does not name who made it. A club can choose to name the recracker instead.
Blitz cracks and blitz recracks
A defender who cracks while holding both black queens, both red queens, or three jacks may show them and crack at four times instead of two. The picking side can answer in kind: the picker or a non-passing partner holding one of those combinations may show it and recrack at four times. A player gets one blitz per hand, so cards already shown, including a blitz shown on the pick, cannot be shown again. A club can limit the blitz recrack to the partner.
How the stakes add up
| What happened | Stakes |
|---|---|
| Nothing | ×1 |
| Crack | ×2 |
| Crack and recrack | ×4 |
| Blitz crack | ×4 |
| Blitz crack and recrack | ×8 |
| Blitz crack and blitz recrack | ×16 |
All of this multiplies with everything else: a blitz on the pick, a doubler carried in, schneider and schwarz.
The crack window
Some groups do not go around the table at all. Instead, any eligible defender may crack at any moment between the call and the first card being led, and the picking side may answer in the same window. It rewards a quick crack and lets a picker on lead play fast to shut the window. At Sheepshead Club it is a club setting for call-an-ace games and going alone; the standard game asks each seat in turn.
Whether you should crack is a different question, answered with measurements on when to crack.
Related
- When to crack: the strategy
- Blitzes
- How picking works
- How sheepshead is scored
- Non-passing, in the glossary
Play a hand
Sheepshead Club is free, with no ads and no account needed. Play a first hand with the coach beside you (about three minutes), or sit down at a table with computer players or real people.