Shithead Card Game One of the most famous card game is Shithead. The game is widely known by different names like – China Hand, Karma, Palace, Ten-Two slide and so on. The game is quite similar to Vandtia or turn ten.
If you are interested in various forms of card game, you have to give this one a try. Read further to know how to play Shithead card game, and much more.
- Shithead game objective – Don’t be the last player (the shithead) to get rid of all the cards.
- Total Number of players – 2-5 players
- Number of Cards – 52-card decks
- Rank of Cards – 2, A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 (2s are both high and low)
- Game type – Beating/Shedding
- Game Audience – All Ages
Contents
How to Deal?
- In the Shithead game, the Dealer is chosen at random. The game moves clockwise.
- The dealer deals 3 faced down cards to each player.
- Each player is dealt a faced down 3 card hand, one at a time.
- The remaining cards form the stock or draw pile.
- Players now pick up their 3 cards and look at them.
- The players can exchange their hand cards for the faced up cards.
- However, no player can look at their faced down cards until they have played them.
How to Play?
- The player who gets a 3 faced up is the first one to go. In case there is no face up, the first player who declares they have a 3 in hand is the first player. In case no 3s are dealt, you can repeat with 4.
- The discard pile is started by the first player by placing any number of cards having the same rank and faced up in the pile. They can draw cards from the stock pile in order to maintain a 3 card hand.
- The game proceeds clockwise.
- At their turn, the players are required to play a single card or a set of cards having same rank by placing them faced up on the discard pile.
- The game continues this way until a player cannot beat the previous game.
- Note that, it is mandatory to maintain 3 cards in hand. In case the stock is less, one can draw as many cards as they want to. When the stock goes dry, the game continues as usual but the players are not able to replenish their hands.
- In case it is your turn but you do not want to play, then you have to collect all the cards from discard and add them to your hand. Picking up discard pile will finish your turn. At such cases, the player on your left starts a new discard pile and the game continues as usual.
- You can play the game only until you have the cards in your hand. When you are out of stock or your hand is dry, you can use the cards on the table.
Twos, Tens and Clearing the Pile
- Two can be played on any card and any card can be played on a two.
- ens can be played at any turn without considering the top card of the discard pile. In case a ten is played, the discard is removed, and the player who played the ten gets another chance to play. The new discard has to be started with a card equal to or greater than ten.
- In case a player completes a full set of 4 cards, then the discard pile is cleared. That player starts another discard by placing a card or set of cards of higher rank.
Endgame
Faced-up Cards –
In case a player starts with empty hand as their stock is dry, they can use the faced up cards for the game. In case, you cannot play with a faced up card, the pick a card and add it to the discard pile before you pick up the entire pile.
The next player after you will start the new discard pile.
Faced-down Cards –
After you are done playing all the cards in your hand and the faced up cards, you can then play the faced down cards. At your turn, you can flip any faced down card and put it on the discard pile.
If the card is of a rank equal to or higher than the previously played card, your turn is over and the game continues next.
However, if that’s not the case and the card cannot be played, you can place it on the discard pile and pick up the entire discard pile along with the card you just put.
The player to your left starts the next discard pile. The players are required to play all the hand cards before they go for the faced down cards.
Empty Hand –
Once you have played all the cards in your hand as well as on the table, you drop out of the game. This way you are not a loser and the came continues until a loser/ shithead is found.
Who wins?
The player who plays all their cards wins Shithead card game. If the game ends too soon, you can keep on playing until you find the loser.
Shithead Variations
Just like any other game, Shithead card game too comes with variations. The most famous of which are mentioned below –
Dealing Variation
In this type, there is a different type of dealing where the dealer deals a row of 3 faced down cards to each player, and deals 6 faced up cards to every player.
Players get to choose the 3 cards out of these 6 that they wish to have in hand and on the table.
Jokers
In this shithead variation, there are 6 players if the jokers are used. Jokers can be played at any time and have the potential to reverse the game. However, the Jokers are not wild cards and hence cannot be played with other cards.
I hope you have all found the article on Shithead card game of use. In case of any doubts, feel free to let us know in the comment section below. We will get back to you as soon as possible.
