Shithead Card Game Rules

App rule summary

Classic Shithead Online uses a stable rule set: 2 resets, 3 is transparent, 7 reverses the normal comparison for the next play, 10 burns, and four matching ranks on top burn.

• Each player starts with three face-down cards, three face-up cards and three hand cards.
• The draw pile keeps your hand topped up to three cards while cards remain in the deck.
• You must play from your hand first, then face-up cards, then face-down cards.
• You can play one card or multiple cards of the same rank.
• 2 is always playable and resets the pile.
• 3 is always playable and transparent: the next player plays against the last non-3 card below it.
• 7 makes the next normal play lower than or equal to the effective top card.
• 8 is a normal card in the current Classic app rules; there is no default 8 skip.
• 10 burns the pile. Four cards of the same rank on top also burn the pile.
• If you cannot play, you pick up the pile. A failed face-down flip also puts the card and pile into your hand.
• The first players to empty all cards are safe. The last remaining player is the Shithead.

Why app rules matter

Different groups often disagree about 8 skip, 3 mirror, Jokers, deck count or drinking-game penalties. The online version avoids hidden house rules by documenting the live app behavior clearly.

If a special game mode changes a rule, that mode should be treated as a variant rather than the default Classic rule set.

Quick teaching script

Tell new players: play equal or higher, use 2 to reset, 3 to pass the value through, 7 to force lower-or-equal, and 10 to burn. Empty your hand, then face-up cards, then face-down cards. Do not be last.

Questions and answers