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♠ SHITHEAD ♠The Classic Card Game ~ Est. 1992www.shitheadcardgame.com ♣ ♦ ♠ ♥ |
♠ How to Play Shithead ♠
Shithead is played with a standard 52-card deck (no jokers in the classic version). It works best with 2 to 5 players. For 6 or more, use two decks shuffled together.
A game of Shithead in progress
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► Setup & Deal
- The dealer shuffles the deck and deals 3 cards face-down in a row in front of each player. Players must NOT look at these cards.
- Deal 3 cards face-up on top of the face-down cards (one on each).
- Deal 3 cards to each player's hand. Players may look at their hand cards.
- Place the remaining deck in the centre as the draw pile.
► Card Setup Diagram ►
| FACE-DOWN CARDS (don't peek!) | ||
| ▼ | ||
| FACE-UP CARDS (placed on top) | ||
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2
♥
2
♥
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10
♠
10
♠
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8
♦
8
♦
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| ▼ | ||
| YOUR HAND (only you can see) | ||
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5
♣
5
♣
J
♥
J
♥
K
♠
K
♠
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Tip: Swap hand cards with face-up cards before play begins!
Before play begins, players may swap any cards from their hand with their face-up cards. This is your only chance to set up a strong set of face-up cards, so choose wisely! You want your face-up cards to be high or special cards (like 2s and 10s).
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► Gameplay
Starting the game:
- The player with the lowest card in hand goes first (some groups use the 3 of clubs or just pick someone).
- Play moves clockwise.
On your turn:
- Play one or more cards of the same rank from your hand onto the discard pile. The card(s) you play must be equal to or higher than the top card of the discard pile.
- After playing, draw from the draw pile to bring your hand back up to 3 cards (if there are cards left in the draw pile).
- If you cannot play (or choose not to), you must pick up the entire discard pile and add it to your hand. The next player then starts a fresh pile.
The three stages of play:
- Hand cards - While you still have cards in your hand, you must play from your hand.
- Face-up cards - Once your hand is empty (and the draw pile is gone), you play from your face-up table cards.
- Face-down cards - Once your face-up cards are gone, you play your face-down cards one at a time, blind. Pick one without looking — if it's playable, great! If not, you pick up the pile AND the card you just flipped.
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► Special Cards
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2
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RESET — A 2 can be played on any card, regardless of its value. It resets the pile, and the next player can play any card of their choice. |
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10
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BURN — Playing a 10 "burns" the entire discard pile, removing it from the game. The same player then takes another turn on an empty pile. |
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9
9
9
9
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BURN (FOUR OF A KIND) — If four cards of the same rank end up on top of the pile (whether played by one player or built up over consecutive turns), the pile is burned just like a 10. The player who completed the four-of-a-kind takes another turn. |
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► Winning & Losing
- When a player gets rid of all their cards (hand, face-up, AND face-down), they are out of the game and safe.
- Play continues until only one player remains with cards.
- That last player is the SHITHEAD!
- The Shithead must deal the next game, and the other players can impose whatever humiliating (but good-natured) forfeit they see fit.
Always try to keep your special cards (2s and 10s) for when you really need them. Burning the pile at the right moment can be the difference between victory and being the Shithead!
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