How Many Cards in Sheepshead
Sheepshead is played with 32 cards: the ace, ten, king, queen, jack, nine, eight and seven of each suit. To make the deck, take a standard 52-card deck and remove every 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, and the jokers. In the usual five-handed game each player is dealt six cards and two go face down as the blind.
Cards per player, by table size
| Players | Cards each | Blind | Picker buries | Tricks | Sides |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 10 | Picker alone against two |
| 4 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 7 | Picker and partner against two, or picker alone against three |
| 5 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 6 | Picker and partner against three, or picker alone against four |
| 6 | 6 to each of the five playing; the dealer sits out | 2 | 2 | 6 | As five-handed |
Every count uses all 32 cards: 3 × 10 + 2, 4 × 7 + 4, and 5 × 6 + 2. The picker takes the blind into hand and buries the same number of cards, so the picker ends up holding as many cards as everyone else. The four-handed, three-handed, five-handed and six-handed pages cover each shape.
Can you use a pinochle or euchre deck?
No. A pinochle deck has two copies of the nine through the ace and no sevens or eights, and a euchre deck usually starts at the nine. Both are missing cards sheepshead needs. Start from an ordinary deck of 52 and take out the low cards. A table that plays often keeps a dedicated stripped deck, so nobody has to sort one out at the start of the night.
How much trump you will be dealt
Fourteen of the 32 cards are trump, so a six-card hand holds about 2.6 trump on average. Exact odds for a six-card hand from a shuffled deck:
| Trump in your six cards | How often |
|---|---|
| 0 | 2.0% |
| 1 | 13.2% |
| 2 | 30.7% |
| 3 | 32.8% |
| 4 | 16.9% |
| 5 | 4.0% |
| 6 | 0.3% |
Four or more trump comes about one hand in five (21%), five or more about one hand in 23. Almost half of all hands hold two trump or fewer. That is why four trump feels like a picking hand and why a table can pass a deal all the way around. The two-card blind holds just under one trump on average (0.875), so it rarely rescues a weak hand by itself. What to do with what you are dealt is on the when to pick page.
What about two players?
There are two-handed versions, played with some cards laid face up in front of each player, but they are a different game with different arithmetic. Sheepshead Club deals three to six players. If only two of you are free, fill the other seats with computer players.
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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.