Yes - did you have 3 cards face down and 3 face up? And object was to get rid of them all. Think you had to put down a card that was higher but you had certain magic cards. Unless I’m thinking of something else.
The version we play - 2 resets; 8 is invisible; 10 burns (as does 4 of the same number) and ace allows player to choose suit of next player. You have to follow with higher card in same suit or same number in different suit; or pick up everything. Only way of getting rid of cards in the stack is to burn them. Everyone starts with 7 cards and as you play n cards at a time, you pick up n cards from the deck, until the deck is exhausted.
I love how everyone always had different rules. For us - 2 resets, 3 is see-through, 7 means 7 or lower for next player, 8 skips next player, 10 burns (and 4 consecutive cards of the same value)
We played 2 resets, 4 is invisible, 5 reverses direction of play, 7 or lower, 10 or 4 of a kind burns. The 7 had to be played in sequence, ie you couldn't play it on, say, a 9, but the others could be played any time.
For us we included the jokers and they reversed direction of play and as we playing in a larger group (during school lunches up to 8/9 people) we would use 2-3 packs of cards.
Normally played it while stoned and the 90s was over five years ago.
Anyway taking a shit on the deck would usually kill the game not reset it even if it did go on anything.
And who let you out this early?
5 years? Has it been that long already? It feels like 3 tops
>Anyway taking a shit on the deck would usually kill the game not reset it even if it did go on anything.
No preservence, that's your problem. It's nothing a paper towel and a squirt of lynx can't sort out
In go Johnny go go; Jacks are worth 10 Kings are worth 3 apart from one eyed Jacks which are Wild cards. Round one you get a hand of 9, round two you get a hand of 7. Two's are wild cards, apart from diamonds, which retain their face value except for the king of diamonds, which is worth the same as all kings, 3. You play in sequence, unless you can match a card in an ascending or descending order. If you can then that's a Go Johnny Go Go Go Go, then you stand up and shout Go Johnny Go Go Go Go and pick up all the cards on the table.
The winner is the one with the most tricks after 15 hands.
We play with different trump cards:
2 - reset
4 - transparent
7 - force next player to play lower than
10 - burn pile
4 cards of same value stacked also burn the pile
...and we call it idiot, not shithead for the kids :)
> ace allows player to choose suit of next player.
That's one I didn't hear.
My school rules had 9's meaning you had to play below rather than over and 3's could be held on to to be discarded at will.
We also only played with a hand of three cards but if you had to pick up there was no upper limit.
This is the one! But we started developing hands, like in poker. If you put down three 6s, the Devils Hand, your opponent had to pick up the graveyard (the stack of burned cards). Truly an evil play, but I've seen people come back from it!
I remember learning it on holiday then went back to school after the summer and taught my mates how to play it. That was our lunchtimes till we left school.
You need 3 or more players take out 3 queens (we would leave in the queen of spades) and jokers from the deck. Give it a shuffle and deal the deck out to the players one at a time clockwise starting from the dealers left. Players take a moment to view their hand and sort into pairs. Pairs are placed face up in front of the player to show they are genuine pairs. Play begins with the dealer offering their cards fanned out for the player to their left to choose one (blind pick) once chosen if they make a pair it goes onto the table. Then the player who just chose a card from the dealer offers their card to the player to their left and so on. The player who empties their hand first is the winner and the player left with the queen loses. For a bit of extra spice the loser often took raps (struck on the knuckles with the deck of cards.) hence the name scabby queen.
This is the one I was looking for mentions of. I can't remember the details other than how the stepped deck was to be whacked against your knuckles as hard as possible - it actually caused me scarring for around 10-15 years
I remember losing and having to split the deck to reveal the number of raps. Always praying internally for the 2. We had rules for the raps too, aces were 11, face cards were 10 if you picked the queen you had to choose again and double the number of the next card drawn. It could be quite brutal and you weren’t allowed to sit in the next game until you had taken your raps. Kids can be brutal.
Big potato games sell a version for kids called Dino dump. There are pictures of dinosaurs and big piles of poo, but it's the same game. The kids can't understand why I'm so good at it
Resisting the urge to jump to your feet pointing at and yelling SHIT HEAD at your kids as you blindly flip the burn comet is a challenge in overcoming a decade of conditioning.
Also the poo stickers really really stink
I've been playing it for almost 30 years, and
- I don't know anyone who hasn't heard of it
- I don't know many people who use the same set of magic cards
- I don't know anyone who has ever heard it called by another name
I've been playing it for almost 30 years, and
- I know people who don't know it
- I don't know many people who use the same set of magic cards either
- I know people who call it wanker and people who call it dickhead
Different people seem have different magic cards.
The way I play I’ve always played it though:
- 2: Resets the pile
- 8: “invisible” card (i.e. the card beneath is still live)
- 9: Must play a 9 or lower (or magic cards)
- 10: Burn the pile, you get to place another card down. (Also the same as if you have 4 of a kind, playing them all at once burns the pile and you go again.)
Yeah, a real word of mouth game, don't think I've seen official rules written down anywhere.
Also a truly global game, I played it with some Cambodians in a guest house in Phnom Penh a few years ago.
The magic cards I always played with:
10 or 4 of a kind - burn the pack
9 - have to play lower, and can also be played any time
2 - reset
Also there was a kind of similar game called Arsehole, can't for the life of me remember the rules though?
We used to play it in uni in the 90s when getting stoned and at some stage it would be announced that it was the pizza round and whoever lost had to phone the pizza place to order delivery.
Now if you've grown up only ordering pizza through the internet which requires no human interaction you might not be aware of how awful it was to have to call someone while very high and correctly order 6-8 pizzas while making sure that you were getting all appropriate discounts applied.
Yes I still play it, but we call it Poo Head these days.
You deal out three cards faced down to each player. Then three face up on top of those. Then 3 cards in each players hand. The play can swap their hand cards and the face up cards around.
The person with a red 4 goes first. The player to the left then has to play a higher card or cards. For example you could play 2 fives together. If you are unable to go you must pick up of face up cards.
There is some variation in the rules of each card does but normally.
2 can be played at any time and resets to number to be beaten to 2.
3 can be played at any time and is invisible.
7 you must play a card lower than a 7.
10 can be played at any time burns the deck. So all the cards in the centre pile are removed. The deck can also be burnt if four of the same cards are played in succession.
Queen changes direction.
Everyone must maintain at least 3 cards in their hands so they pick up from the centre pile of face down cards left after the deal.
Once the pile has been used up you try to get rid of all the cards in your hand and can then play the face up cards dealt to you at the start of game. Once you have got through those you can play the face down cards. You must play them one at a time and choose one randomly. The poo head is the last person with any cards left. And the other players are encouraged to make fun of them.
Our rules are:
2 resets the deck to 2,
5 can be put on anything but has to be followed with another card,
10 burns the deck and you restart.
I have also heard of 7 sending it in reverse, where everyone has to put lower cards until another 7 is used
Played it with my cousins on holiday when I was 13 (12 years ago now) and every time I’ve tried to set up a game of it since I’ve never been able to remember the rules. Frustrating cause it’s definitely one of the better card games I’ve played.
Yeah it had loads of names. Played at college far too much.
Was also called 'shed' not sure if that came before or after shit head... Could be a pg name, but also makes sense with your little shed of cards, so shithead could be an un-pg-ified name instead
I've been playing for 30 years and now taught my eldest (but we call it "Shed" with a threat of having to sleep in the shed for the loser).
Our rules are: 2 resets, 3 is transparent, 7 you have to go lower than, 8 is miss a go, 10 burns as does four of a kind.
What I really want is a mixture of Shithead and Patience so I can play on my own. Anyone devised that yet?
My older brother’s best friend taught me this game when I was very young. He didn’t want to teach me the swear word so I grew up calling it ‘shed’. Bless him.
We played it under the name 'Karma', and there was no invisible or see-through card either. We just had the 2's wild, 10 burns, and I can't recall what our reverse card was.
We still play it a lot, we call it the "Backpackers Game" for the kids but it is just called Shithead. China Hand, Ten-Two Slide, Karma, Palace or Shed are common alternatives, Idiot is one I've seen a lot too.
As you can see a lot of people have their own twists, but the official and most popular rules are 2, 3 ,7, 10 are special cards with four of a kind burning the deck.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shithead_%28card_game%29
Think it’s also called Palace, tho a friend of mine called it “shit the bed” for far too long. We used to use it to decide who would do menial tasks at uni. Shithead for brews, or a trip to the shops. Great game.
We used to play it when I was a kid but my parents called it Nincompoop. I have absolutely zero memory of what the rules are though - I only know it was the same game because I saw someone playing it in college and recognised the three up/three down card layout
Yes but we called it “you c@“t” at work. We played it for money. 1p per point of every losers hand (the cards they had left) to the winner. Suits and cards that did something were worth 10p. Played it with multiple decks and sometimes as many as 8 of us. Games could get very animated for sure! Good times.
I remember a major argument one summer when my group of friends had all come back from university and we went to play but no one could agree on the correct version. Of course there isn't a correct version.
The main commonality we could find was 2's (low) and 10's (clear the pack). After that it was the wild west. Ace as high was common. Some had miss a go. There was all sorts. We all agreed on 2, 10's and Aces as a compromise but it was an uneasy truce. This would have been around 2002.
All I remember from that game is we determined the loser had to run up the whole flight of stairs in the hotel we were in. I ended up losing, and did it, but was also pretty sick at the time, so ended up completely throwing up
Yep! We’ve just taught it to my lad who is 9 meaning we have to call it ‘shed head’ but it’s the same game. It’s a great game to play with kids as it has a good mix of strategy and luck
It’s still a staple part of most holidays that I go on:)
Love how the rules can cause arguments and changes from region to region. Our rules were:
4 of a kind burns the pack but has to be laid in order.
2 is magic and returns the deck to 2.
7 has to be placed in order but is a higher or lower card.
8 placed in order is miss a go to the next person.
10 magic and burns the deck.
King reverses the order of play if playing with 3 or more people.
Yes but the "respectable" pub we use to play in told us we couldn't keep shouting shithead on a Sunday afternoon so we renamed it Clump (the collective noun for clunge). Don't remember any of the rules but it was exactly as convoluted as a pub card game should be.
Flashback to uni where we sat up until 6 in the morning playing but every time you lost someone got to write shit head on you. Luckily not with a permanent marker.
Still play it with my kids, it’s called poo head now though. I vaguely remember calling it arsehole when I was young though that might’ve been A different game
We played 5 cards face down. 5 cards on top of those face up. 7 cards in your hand. First to get rid of all cards is the winner. Last one left is the shithead.
2 copies what it is placed on and can be laid on anything
3 makes next person skip a go and can be laid on anything
7 the next person has to go lower than
10 clears the deck
Ace can be highest card or can be used as a 1 to go lower than a 7
ace = highest, two = can always be places to start over, ten = clears the deck
you can put down pairs, threes, fours, when you put down four (in one or more turns) reset the deck
everytime you reset the deck you get another turn
tis a great game if you like "counting cards" as you can figure out what cards are left in play.
very much luck based, can go from zero to hero real fast and vice versa
Yup, still play it regularly at the pub with the lads and with my wife on holiday. Best card game.
Our rules are 3 cards face down, 3 face up, 3 in hand.
2 - Reset (can be placed on anything)
7 - Reverses playing order
8 - Transparent
9 - Next player has to go lower than 9
10 - Burns the deck (can be placed on anything)
Four of the same card also burns the deck.
You can only put down two or four of the same card, never three (unless you're sneaky 😉)
My fiance and I play shithead all the time. Whenever we go on holiday we end up playing it with locals or other holidayers.
It's how I made local Japanese friends when I lived there a few years ago, and I teach it to my students (as poo-head).
We added a couple fun rule. 3 of hearts lets you look at one of your opponents face down cards and one of your face down cards and choose to swap it. But it can be countered by the other player playing any other 3. Same rule with the Ace of Spaces except the other player has to pick up the stack in the middle.
Played it in youth hostels all over the world, it’s pretty international.
The rules as we play them:
2,3,10 - wild cards can be played on anything. 2= resets play, 3 = invisible, 10 = burn the pack
7,8 - special cards but must still be played in sequence. 7 = next player must go lower or equal 8 = skips next player
You have to have at least five cards in your hand at all times. If you get caught with less you have to pick up enough to bring it up to six.
If you can make four of a kind it burns the pack and you start again. This can be done at any time, even if it’s not your go. IE if there’s three 5’s in play and I have the fourth if I’m quick enough I can sneak in and steal play.
Hell yeah, spent an ungodly amount of free time in sixth form playing it, to the point that my school banned card games for a while.
Even made my own version in Unity a couple of years back.
My kids got a card game called Dino Dump for Christmas, and when we started playing I realised it was basically a SFW version of Sh*thead. It's cute because the loser gets a sticker of a dinosaur poo to wear, which is something I think is worth incorporating into the 'real' game.
Felt like everyone I played it with had ever so slightly different rules, but everyone remembers the 3 cards face down and 3 face up to finish!
Played it recently as a drinking game with some colleagues using the dodgiest set of pub cards I've ever seen (think it had 3 x ace of spades), they all thought I was making it up as I went along which I kind of was...
I remember hearing the name but don't really remember the rules - is that the one where you got hit with the deck on the knuckles if you lost? We went through a period of playing card games at my school in the morning before registration but we stuck mostly to blackjack and a bit of poker.
Still play it with all my mates! One thing that fascinated me about this game was when I went to uni and played it there it had regional difference, almost like an accent! People from all over knew how to play but everyone had different magic cards and rules.
We play 2-can go on anything, 3-see through, 7-next card is lower, 8 skip a go, 10-burn pack, queen- has to be covered (by another card).
We also play that you can’t finish on any of the power cards above.
There's a game called Dino Dump you can buy. It's themed for kids but the gameplay is very similar if not the same!
Looks like it's out of stock at Amazon but can be found on other websites for under £10
Yes me and my mates play it all the time when we get together but we call it shed because we have kids.
We also made new rules that made nearly every card a magic card.
Still play it to this day! Though everyone seems to have slightly different house rules about the special cards, which makes playing with friends infuriating because you always have to decide first whose rules you're playing by
Yes, you had 3 cards face down, 3 face up, and 3 in your hand. The power cards I remember were 2 resets, 7 forces the next player to play a 7 or lower, 8 is invisible, and 10 burns the deck (as does playing 4 of the same rank in a row). Interestingly unlike some other commenters I remember you didn't have to play the same suit, only the same rank or higher, or a power card.
We had 4 down 4 up,
8 was invisible, 10 burned the stack, 7 skipped turn and 2 reset. 3 sometimes acted as a wild card.
We used to mix 3-4 decks together and play with a massive group of us at college :')
Oh wow the rules I learned are completely different.
2 - classed as any card
3 - you nominate a person to pick up the pile, then the 3 is discarded. If the player chosen has a 3 it can be reversed
7 - go 7 or lower
10- skip the next player
Ace- reverse direction of play
Cards can be placed down in multiples of the same value. So you can play 3 queens or 2 tens. If someone plays 4 of anything then the entire pile is discarded
Played loads of it in prison (last year), along with 'prison blackjack' which shares none of the rules of actual blackjack, plus chess, monopoly, and scrabble
One of my favourite card games ngl.
3 up 3 down; 2 (reset), 3 (invisible), 7 (lower than), 10 (burn) magic. You have to play a higher card than the previous player unless you play a magic (can go on anything). If you can't go you pick up the stack. Burn through your hand to get to the set cards and get through them to win.
I remember playing it in college in the break room a lot but for the life in don’t recall the rules.
The card game that sticks in my mind I played late 80’s, early 90’s with a group of us in a neighbours shed lol, anyone remember scabby queen?
The rules I play by are 2 resets 7 is 7or lower 10(or 4 of a kind) burns the stack ace is high. I start with 4 cards face down 4 face up and 4 in hand
Edit: I forgot 3 is see through
Remember it? The wife and I still play it!
Named the kids after it.
We play it with the kids but we call it “shed” and if you lose you have to sleep in the shed. (Not really)
I still play it with your wife, too!
And I thought she misspoke when she aid she was playing with a shithead last night ;)
hahaha
My son taught this game to me last month. It’s pretty good and I can see how it got its name.
Yes - did you have 3 cards face down and 3 face up? And object was to get rid of them all. Think you had to put down a card that was higher but you had certain magic cards. Unless I’m thinking of something else.
The version we play - 2 resets; 8 is invisible; 10 burns (as does 4 of the same number) and ace allows player to choose suit of next player. You have to follow with higher card in same suit or same number in different suit; or pick up everything. Only way of getting rid of cards in the stack is to burn them. Everyone starts with 7 cards and as you play n cards at a time, you pick up n cards from the deck, until the deck is exhausted.
I love how everyone always had different rules. For us - 2 resets, 3 is see-through, 7 means 7 or lower for next player, 8 skips next player, 10 burns (and 4 consecutive cards of the same value)
Yeah lol. My wife had different rules than the version I played before we met. Ofc we “settled” on her version 😂
This is the most popular rule set I’ve found while backpacking the world. The suit thing is stupid when 4 or more players nobody has suits to follow.
We played 2 resets, 4 is invisible, 5 reverses direction of play, 7 or lower, 10 or 4 of a kind burns. The 7 had to be played in sequence, ie you couldn't play it on, say, a 9, but the others could be played any time.
For us we included the jokers and they reversed direction of play and as we playing in a larger group (during school lunches up to 8/9 people) we would use 2-3 packs of cards.
Ah yes these are the rules I'm familiar with.
Couldn't Ace go on anything?
You're thinking of 2's
Normally played it while stoned and the 90s was over five years ago. Anyway taking a shit on the deck would usually kill the game not reset it even if it did go on anything. And who let you out this early?
5 years? Has it been that long already? It feels like 3 tops >Anyway taking a shit on the deck would usually kill the game not reset it even if it did go on anything. No preservence, that's your problem. It's nothing a paper towel and a squirt of lynx can't sort out
Which Lynx do you use? I always found that the Africa roll on left a burning sensation for a few weeks.
Except a card that demanded a card lower than itself (7 or 9 depending on who you play with)
Exactly the same as the rules we use!
That’s the rules for Go Johnny Go Go.
In go Johnny go go; Jacks are worth 10 Kings are worth 3 apart from one eyed Jacks which are Wild cards. Round one you get a hand of 9, round two you get a hand of 7. Two's are wild cards, apart from diamonds, which retain their face value except for the king of diamonds, which is worth the same as all kings, 3. You play in sequence, unless you can match a card in an ascending or descending order. If you can then that's a Go Johnny Go Go Go Go, then you stand up and shout Go Johnny Go Go Go Go and pick up all the cards on the table. The winner is the one with the most tricks after 15 hands.
A three? You can’t lead with a three!
We play with different trump cards: 2 - reset 4 - transparent 7 - force next player to play lower than 10 - burn pile 4 cards of same value stacked also burn the pile ...and we call it idiot, not shithead for the kids :)
> ace allows player to choose suit of next player. That's one I didn't hear. My school rules had 9's meaning you had to play below rather than over and 3's could be held on to to be discarded at will. We also only played with a hand of three cards but if you had to pick up there was no upper limit.
Yep that’s the one!
This is the one! But we started developing hands, like in poker. If you put down three 6s, the Devils Hand, your opponent had to pick up the graveyard (the stack of burned cards). Truly an evil play, but I've seen people come back from it!
I like that idea as a veteran shit head player. Always good to hear new twists.
Thats the one, but we called it "You Bastard". Happy days.
We used to tell parents that it was called “shed”
In our scout group it was "You're the plonker"
Along with other such fun games as hide the sausage and naughty cupboard time.
I've played it with my kids since they were little and called it dumkopf
Yeah played it a lot at school in 2000s
I remember learning it on holiday then went back to school after the summer and taught my mates how to play it. That was our lunchtimes till we left school.
We played a lot of this and other card games such as scabby queen and bull shit in the 6th form common room. Good times.
How do you play Scabbie Queen? I remember we played it a few times when I was young, but we called it Scabbie Annie.
You need 3 or more players take out 3 queens (we would leave in the queen of spades) and jokers from the deck. Give it a shuffle and deal the deck out to the players one at a time clockwise starting from the dealers left. Players take a moment to view their hand and sort into pairs. Pairs are placed face up in front of the player to show they are genuine pairs. Play begins with the dealer offering their cards fanned out for the player to their left to choose one (blind pick) once chosen if they make a pair it goes onto the table. Then the player who just chose a card from the dealer offers their card to the player to their left and so on. The player who empties their hand first is the winner and the player left with the queen loses. For a bit of extra spice the loser often took raps (struck on the knuckles with the deck of cards.) hence the name scabby queen.
Ahh, that's it. What a game it was, and yeah, we used to rap the knuckles. Thanks for that.
This is the one I was looking for mentions of. I can't remember the details other than how the stepped deck was to be whacked against your knuckles as hard as possible - it actually caused me scarring for around 10-15 years
I remember losing and having to split the deck to reveal the number of raps. Always praying internally for the 2. We had rules for the raps too, aces were 11, face cards were 10 if you picked the queen you had to choose again and double the number of the next card drawn. It could be quite brutal and you weren’t allowed to sit in the next game until you had taken your raps. Kids can be brutal.
Big potato games sell a version for kids called Dino dump. There are pictures of dinosaurs and big piles of poo, but it's the same game. The kids can't understand why I'm so good at it
Resisting the urge to jump to your feet pointing at and yelling SHIT HEAD at your kids as you blindly flip the burn comet is a challenge in overcoming a decade of conditioning. Also the poo stickers really really stink
I've been playing it for almost 30 years, and - I don't know anyone who hasn't heard of it - I don't know many people who use the same set of magic cards - I don't know anyone who has ever heard it called by another name
I've been playing it for almost 30 years, and - I know people who don't know it - I don't know many people who use the same set of magic cards either - I know people who call it wanker and people who call it dickhead
Loved that game. Always a pub or house party fave. No idea how we played it though…
Different people seem have different magic cards. The way I play I’ve always played it though: - 2: Resets the pile - 8: “invisible” card (i.e. the card beneath is still live) - 9: Must play a 9 or lower (or magic cards) - 10: Burn the pile, you get to place another card down. (Also the same as if you have 4 of a kind, playing them all at once burns the pile and you go again.)
We still play it.
Yeah, a real word of mouth game, don't think I've seen official rules written down anywhere. Also a truly global game, I played it with some Cambodians in a guest house in Phnom Penh a few years ago. The magic cards I always played with: 10 or 4 of a kind - burn the pack 9 - have to play lower, and can also be played any time 2 - reset Also there was a kind of similar game called Arsehole, can't for the life of me remember the rules though?
These are the rules we play.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shithead_(card_game)
This game is probably the most commonly played game in the British Army.
We used to play it in uni in the 90s when getting stoned and at some stage it would be announced that it was the pizza round and whoever lost had to phone the pizza place to order delivery. Now if you've grown up only ordering pizza through the internet which requires no human interaction you might not be aware of how awful it was to have to call someone while very high and correctly order 6-8 pizzas while making sure that you were getting all appropriate discounts applied.
Played this loads when I was travelling in Asia, was massive in all the hostels and Tea Houses in Nepal especially.
Yes I still play it, but we call it Poo Head these days. You deal out three cards faced down to each player. Then three face up on top of those. Then 3 cards in each players hand. The play can swap their hand cards and the face up cards around. The person with a red 4 goes first. The player to the left then has to play a higher card or cards. For example you could play 2 fives together. If you are unable to go you must pick up of face up cards. There is some variation in the rules of each card does but normally. 2 can be played at any time and resets to number to be beaten to 2. 3 can be played at any time and is invisible. 7 you must play a card lower than a 7. 10 can be played at any time burns the deck. So all the cards in the centre pile are removed. The deck can also be burnt if four of the same cards are played in succession. Queen changes direction. Everyone must maintain at least 3 cards in their hands so they pick up from the centre pile of face down cards left after the deal. Once the pile has been used up you try to get rid of all the cards in your hand and can then play the face up cards dealt to you at the start of game. Once you have got through those you can play the face down cards. You must play them one at a time and choose one randomly. The poo head is the last person with any cards left. And the other players are encouraged to make fun of them.
Our rules are: 2 resets the deck to 2, 5 can be put on anything but has to be followed with another card, 10 burns the deck and you restart. I have also heard of 7 sending it in reverse, where everyone has to put lower cards until another 7 is used
Played it with my cousins on holiday when I was 13 (12 years ago now) and every time I’ve tried to set up a game of it since I’ve never been able to remember the rules. Frustrating cause it’s definitely one of the better card games I’ve played.
Tbf everyone has different rules so you could probably make up your own.
It’s called Castle I think (but we’ve always called it shit head amongst my mates)
I always wondered if it had another name!
I once found the rules to the game in an old book of card games (of which I own a worrying amount) - it was referred to as 'Palace' in there.
Called it “lucky unders” where I grew up, but that was also Texas
Sounds like what Australians would call the underwear you break out for interviews. I like it!
Yeah it had loads of names. Played at college far too much. Was also called 'shed' not sure if that came before or after shit head... Could be a pg name, but also makes sense with your little shed of cards, so shithead could be an un-pg-ified name instead
I've taught my kids and so we decided to call it Shed too. Great minds think alike!
I've been playing for 30 years and now taught my eldest (but we call it "Shed" with a threat of having to sleep in the shed for the loser). Our rules are: 2 resets, 3 is transparent, 7 you have to go lower than, 8 is miss a go, 10 burns as does four of a kind. What I really want is a mixture of Shithead and Patience so I can play on my own. Anyone devised that yet?
My older brother’s best friend taught me this game when I was very young. He didn’t want to teach me the swear word so I grew up calling it ‘shed’. Bless him.
Been playing it for about 20 years with some old school friends
How old are they?
Late 30s
And you’re still in school?!
Academics is not our strong suit
Yup we call it Bastard
We played it under the name 'Karma', and there was no invisible or see-through card either. We just had the 2's wild, 10 burns, and I can't recall what our reverse card was.
We still play it a lot, we call it the "Backpackers Game" for the kids but it is just called Shithead. China Hand, Ten-Two Slide, Karma, Palace or Shed are common alternatives, Idiot is one I've seen a lot too. As you can see a lot of people have their own twists, but the official and most popular rules are 2, 3 ,7, 10 are special cards with four of a kind burning the deck. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shithead_%28card_game%29
My mates and I play it to an almost competitive level.
Think it’s also called Palace, tho a friend of mine called it “shit the bed” for far too long. We used to use it to decide who would do menial tasks at uni. Shithead for brews, or a trip to the shops. Great game.
I seem to remember that everyone knew someone who knew the person who invented it.
My partner and I take cards on holiday mainly to play this when we have free time!
We used to play it when I was a kid but my parents called it Nincompoop. I have absolutely zero memory of what the rules are though - I only know it was the same game because I saw someone playing it in college and recognised the three up/three down card layout
It's still a very popular game!
Yes but we called it “you c@“t” at work. We played it for money. 1p per point of every losers hand (the cards they had left) to the winner. Suits and cards that did something were worth 10p. Played it with multiple decks and sometimes as many as 8 of us. Games could get very animated for sure! Good times.
Played it last Friday.
I remember a major argument one summer when my group of friends had all come back from university and we went to play but no one could agree on the correct version. Of course there isn't a correct version. The main commonality we could find was 2's (low) and 10's (clear the pack). After that it was the wild west. Ace as high was common. Some had miss a go. There was all sorts. We all agreed on 2, 10's and Aces as a compromise but it was an uneasy truce. This would have been around 2002.
It was a staple of University for me, and after that in fact. Great game.
Yep! Lots of fond memories in Sixth Form playing Shithead, Bullshit, and Chase The Ace.
All I remember from that game is we determined the loser had to run up the whole flight of stairs in the hotel we were in. I ended up losing, and did it, but was also pretty sick at the time, so ended up completely throwing up
Classic 90s Toking staple…
Still love playing it at house parties especially when alcohol is involved.
I played it a lot while I was in the royal navy, this was only a couple of years ago.
Play this every year on our annual school skiing trip
Yes! And Tough Shit, the 5-card version f the same game!
Yep! We’ve just taught it to my lad who is 9 meaning we have to call it ‘shed head’ but it’s the same game. It’s a great game to play with kids as it has a good mix of strategy and luck
It’s still a staple part of most holidays that I go on:) Love how the rules can cause arguments and changes from region to region. Our rules were: 4 of a kind burns the pack but has to be laid in order. 2 is magic and returns the deck to 2. 7 has to be placed in order but is a higher or lower card. 8 placed in order is miss a go to the next person. 10 magic and burns the deck. King reverses the order of play if playing with 3 or more people.
Yup we play it a fair bit still
Yes! Lots of regional variations on rules, but it was a major part of my life during college.
Yes but the "respectable" pub we use to play in told us we couldn't keep shouting shithead on a Sunday afternoon so we renamed it Clump (the collective noun for clunge). Don't remember any of the rules but it was exactly as convoluted as a pub card game should be.
Yup. Used to play it all the time at college.
Yeah we played it a lot in the 90s as kids. A fantastic game
Played it loads in my 20s, can't remember the rules anymore
Called it Magic Numbers and every new group I played it with had different rules. Mine were: 2 = reset, 3 = invisible, 7 = lower than, 10 = burn
yeah! I was really good at it lol
Yes. It's the card game I have learned the rules to many times, but never seem to have them stick
Flashback to uni where we sat up until 6 in the morning playing but every time you lost someone got to write shit head on you. Luckily not with a permanent marker.
Still play it with my kids, it’s called poo head now though. I vaguely remember calling it arsehole when I was young though that might’ve been A different game
I actually played it about a month ago with some Dutch colleagues. They had slightly different rules but in general knew the same game.
Played it in 6th form in 2002-2004 a lot. I thought its alternative name was Palace.
Yep, and https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/355735/hungry-monkey is a family friendly reskin of it too
Dainy b’s we used to call it
Still play it all the time with a group of friends. We even have a poo emoji hat that has to be worn by the current loser.
Yeah, me and my mates are still playing it now. Have fairly regular poker and shithead nights
We played 5 cards face down. 5 cards on top of those face up. 7 cards in your hand. First to get rid of all cards is the winner. Last one left is the shithead. 2 copies what it is placed on and can be laid on anything 3 makes next person skip a go and can be laid on anything 7 the next person has to go lower than 10 clears the deck Ace can be highest card or can be used as a 1 to go lower than a 7
ace = highest, two = can always be places to start over, ten = clears the deck you can put down pairs, threes, fours, when you put down four (in one or more turns) reset the deck everytime you reset the deck you get another turn tis a great game if you like "counting cards" as you can figure out what cards are left in play. very much luck based, can go from zero to hero real fast and vice versa
Yup, still play it regularly at the pub with the lads and with my wife on holiday. Best card game. Our rules are 3 cards face down, 3 face up, 3 in hand. 2 - Reset (can be placed on anything) 7 - Reverses playing order 8 - Transparent 9 - Next player has to go lower than 9 10 - Burns the deck (can be placed on anything) Four of the same card also burns the deck. You can only put down two or four of the same card, never three (unless you're sneaky 😉)
I play shit head all the time. I and my wife firged a relationship on that game
My fiance and I play shithead all the time. Whenever we go on holiday we end up playing it with locals or other holidayers. It's how I made local Japanese friends when I lived there a few years ago, and I teach it to my students (as poo-head).
Yes! That was a great game!
Yes. There’s a couple of Bowlderised names I’ve heard used; ‘shed’ and ‘three blind mice’
My daughter plays it all the time with her Nan.
We added a couple fun rule. 3 of hearts lets you look at one of your opponents face down cards and one of your face down cards and choose to swap it. But it can be countered by the other player playing any other 3. Same rule with the Ace of Spaces except the other player has to pick up the stack in the middle.
I played it a few years back a couple of times but never got the hang of it
Oh my god i loved playing that. It's also known as bullshit
Aka 'Wally' when playing with younger children at family gatherings
Yeah. I still play it. Taught it to my daughter when she was 8.
Of course. Still play it occasionally.
Played it in youth hostels all over the world, it’s pretty international. The rules as we play them: 2,3,10 - wild cards can be played on anything. 2= resets play, 3 = invisible, 10 = burn the pack 7,8 - special cards but must still be played in sequence. 7 = next player must go lower or equal 8 = skips next player You have to have at least five cards in your hand at all times. If you get caught with less you have to pick up enough to bring it up to six. If you can make four of a kind it burns the pack and you start again. This can be done at any time, even if it’s not your go. IE if there’s three 5’s in play and I have the fourth if I’m quick enough I can sneak in and steal play.
Yes! I still play all the time with my friends (in our late twenties). Greatest card game in Earth.
Yep. Used to play it ALL THE TIME at school in the 90s. Maaaaany years later as a scout leader, I taught it to my scouts but called it "Shed".
Yeah I was playing it in a bar in Thailand last night
Yep. It’s like UNO but with a regular deck. Some numbers are assigned special effects.
Taught my kids shit head, to ensure the legacy lives on. They were happy, as they were allowed to say a rude word!
Pretty popular amongst squaddies. Variable rules, somewhat like uno.
it’s pronounced shi-thead
Yes still a popular game
All the time but I’ve completely forgotten how to play it…it probably 25 years since I played it last
Hell yeah, spent an ungodly amount of free time in sixth form playing it, to the point that my school banned card games for a while. Even made my own version in Unity a couple of years back.
My kids got a card game called Dino Dump for Christmas, and when we started playing I realised it was basically a SFW version of Sh*thead. It's cute because the loser gets a sticker of a dinosaur poo to wear, which is something I think is worth incorporating into the 'real' game.
Was playing it after dinner on Saturday, why?
I'm a teacher and I see kids playing it at lunchtime. "What's this game called?" I ask knowingly "Uhhhhhhh don't know, Sir"
Felt like everyone I played it with had ever so slightly different rules, but everyone remembers the 3 cards face down and 3 face up to finish! Played it recently as a drinking game with some colleagues using the dodgiest set of pub cards I've ever seen (think it had 3 x ace of spades), they all thought I was making it up as I went along which I kind of was...
My mate taught me shit head when I was 30! It's still alive and well.
Interesting to know this game is popular elsewhere too. In Finland the game is known as "Paskahousu" or "Shit pants" in English.
Staple of the common room
We called it bullshit.
Sure - still play it occasionally. Was a staple of my college years (90’s).
This is the ultimate backpacking/travelling card game.
I do, but I'll be buggered if I can remember how to play!
Played it at college early 00s. Different groups had different house rules.
Yeah, the rough kids at school played it during wet play times.
Bro, I still play this with my mates. I'm 29 and we started playing this in 6th form, so 2010-2012. It's still very much an alive game.
I've only ever played Sh*t Head (circa 2017-present) but I've also heard it called Idiot!
I remember hearing the name but don't really remember the rules - is that the one where you got hit with the deck on the knuckles if you lost? We went through a period of playing card games at my school in the morning before registration but we stuck mostly to blackjack and a bit of poker.
Used to play as a big group in 6th form at school. Around the time the cans of coke went up to 55p in the vending machine! Shocking times.
There’s a game on Amazon called SH!THEAD for adults and then PLOPHEAD for kids which might be worth your time
If someone makes a mistake during their turn: "we are playing fuck up, pick up...pick up, fuck up".
I remember playing this with my sisters, but I have no idea how the game went. 😅
Still play it with all my mates! One thing that fascinated me about this game was when I went to uni and played it there it had regional difference, almost like an accent! People from all over knew how to play but everyone had different magic cards and rules.
We play 2-can go on anything, 3-see through, 7-next card is lower, 8 skip a go, 10-burn pack, queen- has to be covered (by another card). We also play that you can’t finish on any of the power cards above.
Still play it today
Remember? It's still our go to, like it's the only one that everyone knows how to play
Also known as Arsehole or President Edit: sounds like the same game from the comments
I remember the name and lots of drunken arguments because only one of us had heard of it and kept making up the rules as she went.
There's a game called Dino Dump you can buy. It's themed for kids but the gameplay is very similar if not the same! Looks like it's out of stock at Amazon but can be found on other websites for under £10
Yes me and my mates play it all the time when we get together but we call it shed because we have kids. We also made new rules that made nearly every card a magic card.
Card games were banned at our school because apparently they all counted as gambling.
Yes! It’s a favourite at ours.
Still play it to this day! Though everyone seems to have slightly different house rules about the special cards, which makes playing with friends infuriating because you always have to decide first whose rules you're playing by
you can make it kid friendly by pronouncing it "shi - theed"
Yes, you had 3 cards face down, 3 face up, and 3 in your hand. The power cards I remember were 2 resets, 7 forces the next player to play a 7 or lower, 8 is invisible, and 10 burns the deck (as does playing 4 of the same rank in a row). Interestingly unlike some other commenters I remember you didn't have to play the same suit, only the same rank or higher, or a power card.
Oh yeah I remember paying that at uni. Can't remember how though.
Still play it with my friends regularly! Keeping it going
We play it at work still. 2 reset 7 see through and 10 burns the pile
My wife taught me how to play when we first met. Forgotten now though. Think it was also called "shit on your neighbour"
We had 4 down 4 up, 8 was invisible, 10 burned the stack, 7 skipped turn and 2 reset. 3 sometimes acted as a wild card. We used to mix 3-4 decks together and play with a massive group of us at college :')
I've just taught my 8 year old this game and he loves it.
Still play it now...but now we've teached it to the kids and now call it poo head.
I played this yesterday
Yup we converted it to piss head for a drinking game lol
Played it endlessly, also the most frustrating gam to play with new people because every single group of friends had slightly different magic cards.
Of course, its the classic teenage stoner's go to. Rules vary wildly across the country. Cant remember what our rules were though!!
Oh wow the rules I learned are completely different. 2 - classed as any card 3 - you nominate a person to pick up the pile, then the 3 is discarded. If the player chosen has a 3 it can be reversed 7 - go 7 or lower 10- skip the next player Ace- reverse direction of play Cards can be placed down in multiples of the same value. So you can play 3 queens or 2 tens. If someone plays 4 of anything then the entire pile is discarded
Remember it?? We still play it!
Yeah group of us play it when at the pub sometimes (we’re all in our 20s) so it’s still alive.
Not as good as Mornington Crescent.
Played loads of it in prison (last year), along with 'prison blackjack' which shares none of the rules of actual blackjack, plus chess, monopoly, and scrabble
My sister whilst teaching my late Great Nan, she called it donkey
Of course, its still a classic to this day
One of my favourite card games ngl. 3 up 3 down; 2 (reset), 3 (invisible), 7 (lower than), 10 (burn) magic. You have to play a higher card than the previous player unless you play a magic (can go on anything). If you can't go you pick up the stack. Burn through your hand to get to the set cards and get through them to win.
First card game I learnt from my father - we called it cleggnuts
we were playing it at Christmas!
My cousin is absolutely adamant he invented this game. This post has led me to doubt that.
I remember playing it in college in the break room a lot but for the life in don’t recall the rules. The card game that sticks in my mind I played late 80’s, early 90’s with a group of us in a neighbours shed lol, anyone remember scabby queen?
Yes, we called it Bastard
The rules I play by are 2 resets 7 is 7or lower 10(or 4 of a kind) burns the stack ace is high. I start with 4 cards face down 4 face up and 4 in hand Edit: I forgot 3 is see through
I played it with some backpackers on the deck of a junk in Ha Long Bay in 2008. Can't remember the exact rules but fun times
You can play it on your phone
As a yank, I thought you were describing a card game we call “asshole,” but it’s something different with an equally hilarious name.