How to Play Shithead: Rules, Special Cards & Palace Variants
Learn how to play Shithead (also called Palace): the 3-3-3 setup, turn order, special cards, face-up and face-down endgame, common variants, and Joker Palace differences.
Shithead is a shedding card game in which players try to empty their hand, then their face-up cards, then their face-down cards. On a normal turn you must match or beat the previous play. If you cannot—or choose not to—you pick up the pile. The last player still holding cards loses.
The game is also commonly called Palace, Karma, China Hand, and Ten-Two Slide. Groups often use different special cards, so agree on a ruleset before dealing. The traditional baseline below follows Pagat’s maintained Shithead rules; house rules are labeled separately.
Shithead rules at a glance
| Question | Baseline rule |
|---|---|
| Players | 2–5; the game is usually best with at least 3 |
| Deck | One standard 52-card deck |
| Starting cards | 3 in hand, 3 face up, and 3 face down per player |
| Normal play | Match or beat the previous rank; equal-ranked cards may be played together |
| Cannot play | Pick up the entire discard pile |
| Draw rule | Draw back to 3 hand cards while the stock remains |
| Card order | Hand → face up → face down |
| Objective | Avoid being the last player with cards |
Shithead card setup
Deal nine cards to each player in three layers:
| Play order | Cards | Visibility | When they are used |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 hand cards | Private | Used first; refill to 3 while the draw pile remains |
| 2 | 3 face-up cards | Public | Used after the draw pile and hand are empty |
| 3 | 3 face-down cards | Hidden | Flipped and attempted blindly at the end |
Place the remaining cards face down as the draw pile. Before play, the traditional rules allow players to exchange cards between their hand and their three face-up positions. Face-down cards must stay unseen.
How to play Shithead step by step
- Determine the starting player. One documented method starts with the first face-up 3, then the first 4 if nobody has a 3, and so on.
- The first player starts the discard pile with one card or multiple cards of the same rank.
- Going clockwise, play a card or equal-ranked set that matches or beats the previous play.
- After playing, draw until you have 3 cards in hand, if enough cards remain in the draw pile.
- If you cannot or do not want to make a legal play, take the whole discard pile into your hand. The next player starts a new pile.
- Once the draw pile is empty, finish the cards in your hand.
- With no hand cards left, play from your face-up cards.
- After the face-up cards are gone, flip one face-down card blindly on each turn. If it is illegal, take it and the pile into your hand.
- Players who legally clear every card leave the round. The last player holding cards loses.
Traditional Shithead special cards
There is no universal special-card table. This separates the documented baseline from common optional rules:
| Card | Documented baseline | Common variation |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | May be played on any card; any card may follow it | Often called a reset |
| 7 | No special power | The next play must be 7 or lower, or the 7 may be transparent |
| 8 | No special power | May reverse direction, become transparent, or force a lower next play |
| 10 | Clears the pile; the same player starts again | Some groups allow it on any rank; others restrict it |
| Four equal ranks on top | Clears the pile; the completing player starts again | Commonly called burning the pile |
| Joker | Not used in the 52-card baseline | Joker behavior varies when groups add it |
That variation is why two groups can both say they play Palace and still disagree about what a 7 or 8 does. Pagat records several contributed variants rather than presenting them as one official standard.
Palace vs Shithead vs Karma vs Shed
These names usually point to the same family of games, not a guaranteed identical ruleset.
| Name | What it usually means | What to confirm before playing |
|---|---|---|
| Shithead | The widely used name for the beating/shedding game described above | Special cards, starting player, and whether play ends with a winner or one loser |
| Palace | A common alternative name, especially in family-friendly contexts | Whether 7, 8, or 10 has a house rule |
| Karma | A regional or commercial Palace/Shithead variant | Whether you are using a local standard-deck ruleset or the published Karma deck |
| Shed | A descriptive local name for shedding your cards | The group’s special-card table |
| Castle | Another Palace-style name used by some groups and apps | Setup and special cards, because the name alone does not define them |
Pagat’s rules reference explicitly lists Palace and Karma among the alternative names and documents variant-specific differences. It also describes the game as probably Nordic in origin and related to the Swedish game Vändtia and Finnish Paskahousu; that history is an attributed assessment, not a proven single origin story.
Traditional rules vs Joker Palace rules
Joker Palace is a digital game inspired by the Palace/Shithead structure, but it has its own fixed rules. Do not use its special-card table as a claim about every traditional game.
| Rule | Traditional Shithead baseline | Joker Palace |
|---|---|---|
| Deck | 52 cards | 54 cards including 2 Jokers |
| Players | Usually 2–5 | 2–5 |
| Card phases | Hand → face up → face down | Hand → face up → face down |
| Turn limit | Agreed by the group | 30 seconds; timeout takes the pile |
| Special ranks | 2, 10, and four-of-a-kind in the baseline; many variants add others | Fixed 02, 03, 05, 09, 10, Joker, and four-of-a-kind rules |
| Rules changes | House rules agreed before play | Temporary Chaos effects chosen when a Joker is played |
| Competition | Usually an informal round | Online matchmaking, private games, bots, ranks, and leaderboards |
Joker Palace special-card table
| Card | Joker Palace effect |
|---|---|
| 02 Reset | Can be played on anything except 03; resets the normal pile floor |
| 03 Override | Can be played on anything; only another 03 or a Joker can follow it |
| 05 Extra Turn | Can be played on 02–09, not J/Q/K/A; grants another turn |
| 09 Reverse Rank | The next card must be 09 or lower |
| 10 Destroy | Clears the pile; cannot be played on 03 or 09 |
| Four of a kind | Clears the pile |
| Joker | Can be played on anything and starts a choice of temporary global effects |
The current Chaos effect pool is also fixed:
| Effect | Duration | Restriction |
|---|---|---|
| Low Only | 2 turns | Only 2–7 and Jokers may be played |
| No Specials | 2 turns | 2, 3, 5, 9, and 10 are blocked; Jokers remain legal |
| Primes Only | 2 turns | Only 2, 3, 5, 7, and Jokers may be played |
| Royals Banned | 2 turns | J, Q, K, and A are blocked; Jokers remain legal |
See the official Joker Palace rules for the live implementation details or play Joker Palace online on iOS and Android.
A short example round
Suppose the pile shows a 6. You may play a 6 or a higher normal card. If you play two 9s, both leave your hand together. The next player must match or beat 9 unless a special rule changes that requirement. If they cannot, they take the entire pile. When the draw pile is empty, a player who clears their hand moves to visible table cards, then finally risks the hidden cards one at a time.
Sources and review method
- Traditional rules, alternative names, origin assessment, setup, endgame, and variations: Pagat — Shithead, maintained by John McLeod.
- Joker Palace rules: checked against the shared game-rule implementation and active Joker-effect configuration on August 3, 2026.
- Product availability: Apple App Store and Google Play.
Traditional rules can differ by table. If your group uses another version, that does not make it wrong; document the special cards before the round starts.
Frequently asked questions
Is Shithead the same as Palace?
Palace is one of the common alternative names for Shithead. The core structure is usually the same—hand cards, face-up cards, face-down cards, and a central pile—but special cards and setup details can vary.
What are the standard Palace card game rules?
A widely documented baseline deals 3 cards in hand, 3 face up, and 3 face down. Players match or beat the previous play, draw back to 3 while the stock remains, and pick up the pile if they cannot play. Twos reset play, tens and four-of-a-kind clear the pile, and the last player holding cards loses.
What do special cards do in Shithead?
In the Pagat baseline, 2 can be played on anything, 10 clears the pile, and completing four equal ranks also clears it. Rules for 7, 8, and Jokers are common variations, so confirm them before playing.
Which card game uses hand, face-up, and face-down cards?
Shithead—also called Palace—is known for this three-stage structure. It is a shedding game, so it shares the broad goal of emptying your cards with games such as UNO, but its pile-beating rule and blind face-down endgame are different.
Where can I play a Palace-style game online with friends?
Joker Palace supports real-time 2–5 player matches and private games on iOS and Android. It uses its own fixed special-card and Joker rules, described above.
What is the difference between Shithead and Joker Palace?
Shithead is a traditional game family with many local rules. Joker Palace keeps the hand, face-up, and face-down progression while adding a fixed five-card special ruleset, playable Jokers, temporary Chaos effects, online matchmaking, and ranked progression.