Shithead is a card game for between 2 and 6 players, the aim is to lose your cards as quickly as possible, and avoid becoming the Shithead (the last to lose their cards)

The Shithead is often required to perform some sort of forfeit as determined by the winner of the game.

All you need in order to play, is a standard deck of 52 playing cards and 2 players (although it is most fun with 3 to 5 player).

 

 

Dealing - The Quick Guide

Deal each player 3 cards facing downward

Deal each player 3 cards facing upwards on top of the downward facing cards

Deal each player 3 cards facing down for the players hand

Each player may now swap any of the upward facing cards with the downward facing cards.

 

 

Playing - The Quick Guide

Whichever player has the lowest card (a 4 of any suit), starts and play continues clockwise.

Each player must lay a card or cards either equal to or above the value of the previous card played. If they fail to do this they are required to pick up the discarded cards. During this process should a player at any stage have fewer than 3 cards in their hands at any one time they are required to replenish their hand from the remaining cards not initially dealt.

Once the remaining cards have been used up play continues but with out the players replenishing their hands.  

Should a player use all the cards in their hands they can now play their face up dealt cards. (should any or all of these cards be the same type of card these can all be played at once).

On using all of their facing up cards, the player can at last play 1 of their facing down cards (however they are not allowed to look at the card they have chosen before playing it)

The first to lose their cards is the winner and the last is the shithead. This is the basic rules of shithead.

 

 

Wild Cards

Wild Cards are the fun component of shithead. A player can play one or multiples of these cards to gain a strategic advantage.

2 - resets the pack

3 - next player has to pick up the pack

7 - invisible

9 - next player has to play lower than a 9

10 - pack is burned

 

 How to play Shithead: The Longer Rules        

There is a major disadvantage with losing in Shithead. Number 1 you are announced as the Shithead, this should cause the losing party considerable embarrassment. Number 2, there is normally a forfeit involved in being the least able to lose all of your playing cards, this can involve a shot of some alcoholic beverage, or maybe the completion of some task predetermined or otherwise by the goading victors (e.g. making a cup of tea for those that have managed to win the game of shithead and play within the all of the rules of the game).

Some people often choose not to play according to these rules, however to gain optimum enjoyment from the pastime of playing cards and shouting SHITHEAD, they should always be complied to.

There are also quite a few variations to how to play shithead, which are covered under Variations. In the original rules the only wild cards that are used are the following: 2s, 3s, 5s, 7s, and 10s.

 

How to play shithead: Dealing the Cards

You will obviously need a standard pack of 52 playing cards (jokers are not normally used, but there are some slight variations in the rules of play which can permit the use of Jokers. The most fun of which are when a particularly bad forfeit for the player that happens to receive this card. E.g. running around the playing table 10 times shouting "I am a total jok…er"

The dealer must always remember to shuffle the cards extremely well. The natural course of playing shithead is that the pack of cards will become sorted by the end of the game, and therefore a badly shuffle pack is the likely cause of any high tensions that can occur during the state of play, especially if the dealer is a right SHITHEAD.

Once the pack of cards is well shuffled, each participating person is dealt 3 cards "face down" in a row. None of the players are allowed to see these cards or change them. On top of the "face down" cards are placed the "face up" cards. These are dealt in the same manner as the "face down cards with the exception that they are facing upwards. Lastly 3 further cards are dealt to each player in the card game, this will make up each players hand. Once every player has received their set allocation of playing cards for the game of shithead, they are able to switch the cards in their hands with the "face up" cards on the table. There is a great deal of strategy that can go into choosing the correct cards for the "face up" cards and the players hand, as the strongest set of "face up" cards is often likely to lead to the a great advantage latterly, and can even result in a player managing not to become the shithead.

Once every player has received their cards, the dealer may place the remaining "deck" on the table - the deck will continue to be a major part of play for the beginning of the game of shithead.  

How to play shithead: Starting Play

Players must lay their cards in turn (as is standard in most card games, play is continued in a clockwise circle). The starting player in shithead is chosen why whoever has the weakest singular card. It is normally assumed that the weakest card will be a Red 4, either the 4 of Hearts or Diamonds, then the 4 of Spades or Clubs. However if no one has any of these cards as a part of their hand the choice will go to 6s then 8s) In some instances it can be decided that whomever is left of the dealer can start (this is because the dealer as a forfeit is the previous games shithead).

How to play shithead: Playing the Game of Shithead

Each player is obliged to place a card (or up to 4 playing cards) of at least equal value than the card played by the previous player. Should any player have less than 3 cards in their hand they must also pick up replacement cards from the deck until the deck has run out. Should a player be unable to play a card that is of equal value to that which has just been played they will have to pick up the entire played pile and use these extra cards in their hand - the game of shithead can be won or lost at this stage, as picking up most of the played cards may take a long time for the losing (soon to be shithead) to get rid of.

Once a player no longer has any more cards in their hand and the deck has been played, the player is able to proceed to play from their "face up" cards. It is likely at this stage that they are in a reasonably strong position, since they will have been able to manipulate the "face up" cards to the strongest combination of cards when they were dealt.

 How to play shithead: Wild Cards

Wild Card have many differing names, they are also known as "Special Cards", "Magic Cards", "Trump Cards". These cards are the hugely important factor within playing shithead. If a player knows the rules of shithead well, and has a bit of practice in playing shithead, they will often use the Wild Cards to optimum advantage to win the game of shithead.

How to play shithead: the closing stages

Once a player has played all of their "face up" cards they will have their remaining "face down" cards which they can choose to play in any order. None of the players are allowed to look at these cards however and it adds to the excitement at the end of the game when know one (not even the winning player) knows what whether they are going to win or pick up the pile (and potentially become a likely contender for the shithead).

Should the player who is onto the "face down" cards not be able to pick up the pile, they will have to pick up the pile. Once the player has managed to get rid of all of their cards they are out of the game.

As is already established, the last person to manage to get rid of their cards is deemed as the shithead. They are unlikely to be the best player of shithead and will have to make a forfeit of some sort.