How sheepshead scoring works
Sheepshead is a Wisconsin trick-taking game where the picker and a partner try to take 61 of the 120 card points, and every hand is settled in game points that the losing side pays the winning side.
The deck and the card points
Sheepshead uses 32 cards, the sevens through the aces. Aces count 11, tens 10, kings 4, queens 3 and jacks 2, and the nines, eights and sevens count nothing, so a hand holds 120 card points. The queens, the jacks and all the diamonds are trump, fourteen cards in all, with the queen of clubs highest.
The picker and the partner
With five players each gets six cards and two go face down as the blind. In turn, starting left of the dealer, each player may pick up the blind; the picker then buries two cards, which count for the picker. In the called-ace game the picker names a fail ace and whoever holds it is the secret partner; in the jack-of-diamonds game the holder of that jack is the partner. A picker can always choose to play alone.
Winning, schneider and no-trick
The picker's side needs 61 card points; a 60-60 split goes to the defenders. Taking 91 or more is a win with schneider, and taking every trick is a no-trick win. Losing works the same way down: 31 to 60 is a plain loss, 30 or less means the picker's side was schneidered, and taking no trick at all is the biggest loss.
Game points
The usual schedule is 1 game point per defender for a win, 2 for schneider and 3 for no-trick. With five players and a partner, the picker takes 2 shares and the partner 1, and each of the three defenders pays 1 share; a picker alone collects 1 share from each of the four. Losses are the same in reverse, so the scores at the table always add up to zero.
House rules on losses
Many tables play double on the bump: when the picker's side loses, it pays double. Tables also differ on a no-trick loss. Tournaments let a called-ace partner off the hook, so the picker pays the whole amount, while in the jack-of-diamonds game the partner usually helps pay. Cracking (a defender doubles the stakes, and the picker can double them again) and blitzing (showing both black or both red queens to double) are common in bar games.
When everyone passes
If nobody picks, most groups play a leaster: everyone for themselves, the fewest card points wins, and the winner collects 1 from each player, usually only if they took at least one trick. Others throw the cards in and play a doubler, where the next hand counts double, or a moster, where the player who takes the most points pays everyone. Some make the dealer pick.
What Score All does with these rules
Picker, partner and the result
Tap who picked, the partner (or Alone) and how the picker's side did. 61 to 90 card points wins, 91 or more is a win with schneider and taking every trick is a no-trick win. 60 or less loses, 30 or less means the picker's side was schneidered, and taking no trick at all is the worst loss. A 60-60 split goes to the defenders.
How the points are shared
Each defender pays one share: 1 point for a win, 2 for schneider and 3 for no-trick, or the values your table uses. The partner takes one share and the picker takes the rest, so with five players the picker gets 2 and the partner 1, and a picker who goes alone collects 4. A loss works the same way in reverse, and every hand adds up to exactly zero.
When nobody picks
Choose what your table plays: a leaster, where the fewest points wins and collects 1 from everyone; a doubler, where the cards are dealt again and the next hand counts double (three pass-outs in a row make the next three hands doublers); a moster or schwanzer, where one player pays everyone; or the dealer has to pick.
Double on the bump, cracking and blitzing
With double on the bump the picker's side pays double when it loses. Cracking lets a defender double the hand and the picker double it again, and blitzing doubles it for showing both black or both red queens. Your table also decides whether the partner helps pay when the picker's side takes no trick.
Three to seven at the table
Play three-handed (the picker always alone), four-handed, the standard five, or six and seven with the dealer, or the dealer and the next dealer, sitting out each hand. The console names the dealer and who is out before every deal. Play until you stop, or a set number of rounds so everyone deals the same; three rounds is the tournament length.
Sheepshead scoring FAQ
How many points does it take to win in Sheepshead?
61 of the 120 card points for the picker's side. With 60 each, the defenders win.
What is schneider in Sheepshead?
A side that ends a hand with 30 card points or fewer is schneidered, which doubles the game points for the hand: 2 per defender instead of 1 in the usual schedule.
How do you score a leaster?
The player who takes the fewest card points, and usually at least one trick, wins the leaster and collects 1 point from every other player.
How many players can play Sheepshead?
Five is the standard game. Three and four play with adjusted deals, and with six or seven at the table the dealer, or the dealer and one more player, sits out each hand.
Is there a free Sheepshead score keeper?
Yes. Score All keeps Sheepshead score for free on any phone: tap the picker, the partner and the result, and every player's points are worked out and checked to add up to zero.
Does it support called ace and jack of diamonds?
Yes, and the picker going alone. The partner is a tap on the score sheet, so the app does not need to know which ace was called or where the jack was.
Can six or seven people play?
Yes. With six the dealer sits out each hand, and with seven the dealer and the next dealer sit out. The console shows who is out before every deal and gives them nothing for that hand.