{"id":75,"date":"2026-04-21T00:48:32","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T00:48:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/example.com\/?post_type=card_game&#038;p=75"},"modified":"2026-04-21T00:48:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T00:48:33","slug":"shithead","status":"publish","type":"card_game","link":"https:\/\/playerules.com\/?card_game=shithead","title":{"rendered":"Shithead"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Is Shithead?<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>Shithead \u2014 also called Palace or Karma \u2014 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.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What You Need<\/h2>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>One standard deck of 52 playing cards<\/li><li>Two to five players<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Special Cards and Their Powers<\/h2>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>2 \u2014 Reset:<\/strong> Can be played on anything. Resets the pile value to 2 \u2014 the next player can play any card.<\/li><li><strong>7 \u2014 Low Seven:<\/strong> Can be played on anything 7 or below. The next player must play a card of rank 7 or lower.<\/li><li><strong>8 \u2014 Invisible:<\/strong> Can be played on anything. The pile value stays the same as before the 8 \u2014 the 8 is invisible.<\/li><li><strong>10 \u2014 Burn:<\/strong> Can be played on anything. The ENTIRE discard pile is removed from the game permanently. The player who played the 10 goes again.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Setting Up the Game<\/h2>\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Shuffle all 52 cards.<\/li><li>Deal three cards face-down to each player in a row in front of them \u2014 these are their blind cards. Do not look at them.<\/li><li>Deal three cards face-up on top of those face-down cards \u2014 these are their face-up cards. Everyone can see them.<\/li><li>Deal three cards face-down to each player as their starting hand.<\/li><li>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 \u2014 choose your three face-up cards wisely, because you&#8217;ll play them when your hand is empty.<\/li><li>Place remaining cards face-down as the stock pile. Flip one card to start the discard pile.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Play \u2014 Phase 1: Playing From Your Hand<\/h2>\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The player with the lowest card in hand goes first.<\/li><li>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 \u2014 unless you are playing a special card (2, 7, 8, or 10).<\/li><li>If you play four cards of the same rank at once, the pile burns \u2014 remove it from the game and go again.<\/li><li>After playing, draw cards from the stock to maintain at least three cards in your hand (while stock lasts).<\/li><li>If you cannot play any card, pick up the entire discard pile into your hand. Your turn ends.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Phase 2: Playing Your Face-Up Cards<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>Once your hand is empty AND the stock is gone, you move to your face-up cards. Play them using the same rules \u2014 equal to or higher than the top discard. You can see these cards and choose which to play.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Phase 3: Playing Your Face-Down Cards<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Winning and Losing<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>Players who play all their face-down cards are safely out of the game. The last player remaining with any cards \u2014 hand, face-up, or face-down \u2014 is the Shithead.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tips for New Players<\/h2>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Put your most powerful special cards face-up \u2014 10s and 2s are best because they work on any pile and give you maximum flexibility.<\/li><li>Save 10s to burn the pile when it has piled up with high cards you cannot beat.<\/li><li>When flipping blind face-down cards in Phase 3, a 2 or 10 can save you from any disaster.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/results?search_query=how+to+play+Shithead+card+game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>\u25b6 Search How to Play on YouTube<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What Is Shithead? Shithead \u2014 also called Palace or Karma \u2014 is a popular backpacker and social card game played around the world. The goal\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"game_category":[3,8],"game_tag":[],"class_list":["post-75","card_game","type-card_game","status-publish","hentry","game_category-modern-party-games","game_category-shedding"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playerules.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/card_game\/75","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playerules.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/card_game"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playerules.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/card_game"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playerules.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=75"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"game_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playerules.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fgame_category&post=75"},{"taxonomy":"game_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playerules.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fgame_tag&post=75"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}