Skat is a strategic, trick-taking card game played with three players.
Bid wisely and play correctly to maximize your points.
Find the video tutorial and written explanation for how to play the card game skat below.
Skat Tutorial
Needed
32 card deck (Aces - 7s); three players, pen and paper for scorekeeping
Deal
Ten cards are dealt to each player. First, three cards are dealt to each player. Next, two cards are dealt face down into the middle to form the Skat. Then, four more cards are dealt to each player, and finally, three more cards are dealt to each player.
Objective
The object of the game is to win the most points by winning the bid and making the contract announced.
Card Rank
Highest to lowest - Jack of clubs, Jack of spades, Jack of hearts, Jack of diamonds, Ace, 10, King, Queen, 9, 8, 7
Bidding
The player left of the dealer is called the forehand, the player right of the dealer is called the middle hand, and the dealer is called the rear hand.
The opportunity to determine trump, or call null, is given to the forehand. The middle hand gets the first chance to steal that opportunity by stating a bid amount.
If middle hand bids, forehand can accept the bid or pass. If forehand thinks he/she can make that many points, he/she will accept it. At this time, middle hand can increase the bid, and forehand has the option to accept it again. This goes back and forth between middle hand and forehand until one passes.
The winner between forehand and middle hand will then repeat the process with the rear hand.
If middle hand and rear hand both pass without making a bid, Ramsch (see below) may be called by forehand.
The winner of the bid will get to choose the game type for the round and can exchange cards from his hand with the cards in the Skat if he/she chooses. The two players that lost the bid become partners.
Game Types
Trumps: the bid winner will determine a trump suit for the round. All the jacks are always considered part of the trump suit.
Grand: jacks are the only trump cards for the round.
Null: the bid winner will try to avoid taking a trick during the round. Card rank changes to Aces, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7.
Ramsch: jacks are the only trumps, and the player that wins the most card points loses the game. There are no partnerships in this game style, and the Skat is not used.
Game Play
Forehand plays the first card into the middle. Every player must follow the lead suit by playing a card in the same suit that was led whenever possible. If a jack is led, a jack or trump suited card must be played to follow the lead.
The winner of the trick is the player who played the highest ranking trump card. If no trump card was played, the winner is the player with the highest ranking card in the lead suit. The player that wins the trick leads the next trick.
The winner of the game is the player with the most points after an agreed upon amount of deals. Each player should deal the same number of times.
Scoring
Players review the cards taken in from the tricks they won. The two players that lost the bid combine their cards won. The cards in the Skat are counted by the bid winner. The value of the cards are calculated.
Each Ace = 11 points
Each 10 = 10 points
Each King = 4 points
Each Queen = 3 points
Each Jack = 2 points
The bid winner needs a card total of 61 or more points to get the win for the round.
If the bid winner gets the win, he/she is awarded the base value of the game chosen times the appropriate number of multipliers.
Base Values
Diamonds - 9
Hearts- 10
Spades - 11
Clubs - 12
Grand - 24
Multipliers
Win - getting 61 or more card points
Matadors - how many of the top cards a bid winner was with or without in his hand. Matadors Examples:
A player whose highest card is the Jack of Hearts is without two matadors. This equals a two matador multiplier.
A player with the Jack of Clubs, Jack of Spades, and Jack of Hearts, but without the Jack of diamonds is with three matadors. This equals a three matador multiplier.
A player without the Jack of clubs, but with the jack of spades is without one matador. This equals a one matador multiplier.
A player with the Jack of clubs (top ranked card), but not the Jack of spades (next top card), is with one matador. This equals a one matador multiplier.
Hand - playing a trump or grand game without using the Skat.
Schneider - winning 91 or more card points.
Announcing Schneider - announcing you will get 91 or more points before the game play begins. (Can’t use Skat)
Schwarz - winning every trick
Announcing Schwarz - announcing you will win every trick before the game player begins. (Can’t use Skat)
Open - Placing your cards face up on the table for everyone to see during game play and winning all the tricks. (Can’t use Skat)
Announcing and making Schneider gives the player both the Schneider and Announcing Schneider multipliers. Announcing and making Schwarz gives the player the Schneider, Announcing Schneider, Schwarz, and Announcing Schwarz multipliers. Playing open gives a player every multiplier.
Going Set
A player loses double the game value played if he/she does not get 61 game points, gets less points than bid, does not get Schneider when announced, or does not get Schwarz when announced.
Null Game
If successful in avoiding all the tricks in a null game, the bid winner is awarded 23 points if the Skat was used, or 35 points if the Skat was not used. The points are doubled if the player plays the hand open.
Ramsch
The player that got the most card points in the round would lose 20 points if each other player took at least one trick, or 30 points if one player took zero tricks.
Rules
If a grand game is called, only the jacks are trump. This means if a jack is led, a jack is required to be played to follow suit.
The minimum bid is 18. Every hand will have a minimum multiplier of two for the win, and being with or without a matador. The lowest base valued suit is the diamonds at nine. Nine times two is 18.
A player’s matador multiplier could change based on the cards in the Skat, even when a player does not look at the skat. For example, a player that was without two matadors could get the jack of clubs in the skat at the end of the game. This changes his/her without two matadors to with one matador.