Trump order
All fourteen trump cards
Sheepshead does not have a trump suit so much as a trump caste. Eight cards are conscripted out of their printed suits, one whole suit joins them, and what remains is three short fail suits.
The trump order, highest to lowest
| Order | Card | Which group |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Q♣ | Queen |
| 2 | Q♠ | Queen |
| 3 | Q♥ | Queen |
| 4 | Q♦ | Queen |
| 5 | J♣ | Jack |
| 6 | J♠ | Jack |
| 7 | J♥ | Jack |
| 8 | J♦ | Jack |
| 9 | A♦ | Diamond |
| 10 | 10♦ | Diamond |
| 11 | K♦ | Diamond |
| 12 | 9♦ | Diamond |
| 13 | 8♦ | Diamond |
| 14 | 7♦ | Diamond |
Every queen outranks every jack, and inside each group the suits run clubs, spades, hearts, diamonds. Learn that one sequence and you know the top eight cards in the game, because it repeats exactly.
Sources: The Sheepshead Association: basic rules; Pagat: Sheepshead; The Sheepshead Association cheat sheet.
What is left in each fail suit
| Suit | Cards remaining | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Clubs | A, 10, K, 9, 8, 7 | 6 |
| Spades | A, 10, K, 9, 8, 7 | 6 |
| Hearts | A, 10, K, 9, 8, 7 | 6 |
| Diamonds | None. The whole suit is trump. | 0 |
Fourteen trump plus three six-card fail suits accounts for all thirty-two cards. Notice that the Ten sits above the King in a fail suit, exactly as it does in card-point value.
Sources: The Sheepshead Association: basic rules; The Sheepshead Association cheat sheet.
Following suit is about effective suit
If a club is led, the Queen of clubs does not follow it. If trump is led, that same Queen must be played when it is your only trump. The printed corner is decoration; the effective suit is what the rules use.
Worked example
Counting your real hand
A hand of Q♣, J♥, 10♦, A♠, K♠, 9♥, 7♥ looks like four suits. It is actually three trump and four fail cards: two spades and two hearts. Count trump first, because that count is what decides whether the hand is worth picking.
Sources: The Sheepshead Association: basic rules; Pagat: Sheepshead.
Trick strength is not card value
The two ideas run in parallel and it is easy to confuse them. The Queen of clubs is the strongest card in the game and worth only three card points. The Ace of hearts cannot beat any trump and is worth eleven.
Worked example
The cheapest way to lose a hand
Winning a trick with the Queen of clubs feels commanding, but if the trick contains only 7s and 8s it is worth nothing at all. Trump wins tricks; Aces and Tens win hands.
Sources: The Sheepshead Association cheat sheet; Pagat: Sheepshead.
Quick answers
Trump FAQ
What is the highest card in Sheepshead?
The Queen of clubs. The trump order runs Q♣, Q♠, Q♥, Q♦, then J♣, J♠, J♥, J♦, then the diamonds from Ace down to 7.
Why can't the Queen of clubs follow a club lead?
Because it is not a club. Every Queen belongs to trump for the whole hand, so it answers a trump lead instead and cannot satisfy an obligation to follow clubs.
How many cards are in a Sheepshead fail suit?
Six. Clubs, spades, and hearts each keep Ace, Ten, King, 9, 8, and 7 once their Queen and Jack move into trump. Diamonds keep none, because the whole suit is trump.
Does the Ten really beat the King in Sheepshead?
Yes, in both trick strength and card points. Fail suits rank Ace, Ten, King, 9, 8, 7, and the Ten is worth ten card points against the King's four.
Keep it in front of you
Use the free Sheepshead counter
The trump order, the fail suits, and a card-point counter that settles the hand.