What Is Shithead?
Shithead — also called Palace or Karma — is a popular backpacker and social card game played around the world. The goal is to get rid of all your cards in three phases: first your hand, then three face-up cards you chose at the start, then three face-down cards you flip blind one at a time. Special power cards change the game dramatically. The last player left with any cards is the Shithead.
What You Need
- One standard deck of 52 playing cards
- Two to five players
Special Cards and Their Powers
- 2 — Reset: Can be played on anything. Resets the pile value to 2 — the next player can play any card.
- 7 — Low Seven: Can be played on anything 7 or below. The next player must play a card of rank 7 or lower.
- 8 — Invisible: Can be played on anything. The pile value stays the same as before the 8 — the 8 is invisible.
- 10 — Burn: Can be played on anything. The ENTIRE discard pile is removed from the game permanently. The player who played the 10 goes again.
Setting Up the Game
- Shuffle all 52 cards.
- Deal three cards face-down to each player in a row in front of them — these are their blind cards. Do not look at them.
- Deal three cards face-up on top of those face-down cards — these are their face-up cards. Everyone can see them.
- Deal three cards face-down to each player as their starting hand.
- Players look at their hand cards only. They may now swap any cards between their hand and their face-up cards before the game begins — choose your three face-up cards wisely, because you’ll play them when your hand is empty.
- Place remaining cards face-down as the stock pile. Flip one card to start the discard pile.
How to Play — Phase 1: Playing From Your Hand
- The player with the lowest card in hand goes first.
- On your turn, play one or more cards of the SAME RANK from your hand onto the discard pile. The card(s) you play must be equal to or higher than the top discard card — unless you are playing a special card (2, 7, 8, or 10).
- If you play four cards of the same rank at once, the pile burns — remove it from the game and go again.
- After playing, draw cards from the stock to maintain at least three cards in your hand (while stock lasts).
- If you cannot play any card, pick up the entire discard pile into your hand. Your turn ends.
Phase 2: Playing Your Face-Up Cards
Once your hand is empty AND the stock is gone, you move to your face-up cards. Play them using the same rules — equal to or higher than the top discard. You can see these cards and choose which to play.
Phase 3: Playing Your Face-Down Cards
Once your face-up cards are gone, flip your face-down cards one at a time without looking first. If the flipped card is playable (equal or higher than the current discard), play it. If it is not playable, pick up the entire discard pile and add the flipped card to it too. All those cards go back into your hand and you return to Phase 1.
Winning and Losing
Players who play all their face-down cards are safely out of the game. The last player remaining with any cards — hand, face-up, or face-down — is the Shithead.
Tips for New Players
- Put your most powerful special cards face-up — 10s and 2s are best because they work on any pile and give you maximum flexibility.
- Save 10s to burn the pile when it has piled up with high cards you cannot beat.
- When flipping blind face-down cards in Phase 3, a 2 or 10 can save you from any disaster.