Editing Sheepshead (card game) (section)

====Called Ace====
The picker chooses a ''called ace suit'' after picking the blind. Whoever has this called ace will be his partner. There are a few further rules behind this.

*  The called suit must be a fail suit (clubs, spades or hearts).
*  The picker must have at least one of the fail suit in his/her hand. The picker ''must ''keep at least one card of the fail suit in his hand (i.e. cannot [[Sheepshead (game)#Throwing Off / Slough|throw them all off]]) until the first trick for which that suit is led, and then of course must follow suit. Also on the first trick for which that suit is led, the partner ''must ''play the ace (even if the player has another card of that suit).
**  If the picker has all 3 fail aces, he may call a 10 instead of an ace. The picker is obligated to hold the ace of that suit in his hand. When the called suit is led, the picker must play the ace. In addition, the person with the 10 takes the trick if it is not trumped.
**  If the picker does not have all 3 fail aces but has no fail suits for which he or she does not also have the ace, the picker may still call another fail suit's ace and utilize an ''"unknown."'' The picker lays a card face down (typically a low fail card or their lowest trump) and calls a fail suit for the unknown to represent. The unknown is played face down and has no power to take tricks, though its point value remains at the end of the game. Only the player taking the unknown is allowed to look at it until the end of the game
**  In some variants, the picker can call a suit for which he has the ace; he must save the ace and then he is his own "secret" partner.
*  The picker can choose to go alone after picking up the blind. In this case, there will be no called ace.