A Field Guide to Sheepshead [Paperback]

Erica Rosch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2001

Whether you are a new or veteran player of "Sheepshead", this book will show you a comprehensive collection of rules,strategy and variations of American and Bavarian Sheepshead (2-8 player versions). This guide explores stratagies such as Joe Wergin's "Count of Seven" for three handed play as well as toungue-in-cheek mnemonic devices, anecdotes and quotes. Sheepshead websites and software resources, a glossary of terms, and tips to organize tournaments are provided.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"By far the most complete guide to the game I have come across" -- Ken Kurtz, co-founder of Sheepshead.org

About the Author

Erica Rosch, a native of Madison, Wisconsin, was introduced to the game of Sheepshead in 1988 and has been learning, playing and teaching it ever since. Of Norwegian, African-American and Native American descent, Rosch did not experience the game as part of her culture growing up. But she became hooked on Sheepshead after marrying into a family whose roots are in the Fox River Valley with Austrian ancestry. Erica and her husband, John, teach Sheepshead mini-courses to university students.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Badger Books LLC (July 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1878569775
• ISBN-13: 978-1878569776
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #663,136 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #57 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Card Games > General

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sheepheads galore, October 16, 2007

By 

Mikko Saari (Tampere, Finland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Field Guide to Sheepshead (Paperback)

Sheepshead is a card game played mostly in Wisconsin, USA. It has evolved from German Schafkopf the immigrants brought over from the old continent. These days the American game has became quite different from its German roots: the game is usually played with five players instead of original four, for example.

Erica Rosch, a Sheepshead fan for ten years, has written an excellent guide to the game. The book explains the rules and standard conventions of the game in a clear and entertaining way. The standard five-player game gets the most attention, but the book also describes the original four-player Schafkopf (both German and US variations) and Sheepshead for 2, 3, 6, 7 and 8 players.

What's even better, the book is not just about the rules. There's plenty of useful strategy, too! For an experienced player, the parts about tournaments and getting a Sheepshead game night going are definitely helpful. A book centered on one game will have limited appeal (especially if the game is not Poker or Bridge), but any true card game aficionados should read this book, particularly if they aren't yet familiar with Sheepshead or Schafkopf.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Play Sheepshead, June 18, 2009

By 

Emmett Jordan (Milwaukee, WI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Field Guide to Sheepshead (Paperback)

Two really great ways to prepare for a Sheepshead card game in Wisconsin are to read A Field Guide to Sheepshead by Erica Rosch, and "How to Play Winning 5 Handed Sheepshead, by Robert Strupp. A lot of people tend to grow up with the game in Milwaukee. My own grandparents took old photos of the Wisconsin State Fair, showing the Gettelman Brewery Pavilion, who's Proprietor Adam Gettelman, was a sponsor of many an old Skat/Sheepshead tournament. I donated the photos to the Wisconsin State Fair History Museum, along with a rare photo of it's old Ferris Wheel, for a possible model re-creation.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Field Guide to Sheepshead, August 19, 2011

By 

Charles "C.A. R." (Woodland, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Field Guide to Sheepshead (Paperback)

While Bridge is the enduring hallmark of social card-playing, with pinochle a distant runner-up, sheepshead was the only card game played at the social and family gatherings in the Wisconsin Germanic farming community I grew up in. Known by its authentic name, "SchafsKopt", the book is a well-deserved tribute to its place in the history of card games.