Rules for Skat

Skat is Germany's national card game and one of the best three-player card games in the world. It was developed around 1810–1820 in the town of Altenburg in Thuringia, and has since spread worldwide. It combines bidding, strategy, and trick-taking in a way that few other games do.

Skat is played with 32 cards (7 through Ace in all four suits). With 4 players, the dealer sits out each hand. One player (the declarer) plays alone against the other two, and the goal is to win points by taking tricks containing valuable cards.

Skat uses 32 cards: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, and 7 in all four suits (♠️♦️♣️♥️). Card point values:

• Ace: 11 points
• 10: 10 points
• King: 4 points
• Queen: 3 points
• Jack: 2 points
• 9, 8, 7: 0 points

There are 120 card points in total. The declarer must take at least 61 to win.

The four Jacks are always the highest trumps, regardless of which suit is trump:

Jack ranking: ♣️J > ♠️J > ♥️J > ♦️J

In the trump suit: ♣️J, ♠️J, ♥️J, ♦️J, Ace, 10, King, Queen, 9, 8, 7 (11 trumps in total)

In plain suits: Ace, 10, King, Queen, 9, 8, 7

Note that the 10 ranks above the King and Queen.

The dealer shuffles and the player to the right cuts. Cards are dealt as follows:

1. 3 cards to each player
2. 2 cards placed face down in the center (this is the skat)
3. 4 cards to each player
4. 3 cards to each player

Each player ends up with 10 cards. With 4 players, the dealer sits out for that hand.

Before play begins, bidding determines who becomes the declarer. The players are called forehand (left of dealer), middlehand (next clockwise), and rearhand (the dealer when 3 players).

Bidding process:

1. Middlehand bids against forehand. Middlehand names a number; forehand responds "yes" or "pass."
2. On "yes," middlehand must bid higher or pass.
3. The winner then bids against rearhand in the same way.

The highest bidder becomes the declarer. The lowest bid is 18. Valid bids follow game values (e.g., 18, 20, 22, 23, 24, 27, 30...).

The declarer chooses a game type after winning the bid:

• Suit game: Choose a suit as trump (♦️, ♥️, ♠️, or ♣️). Jacks remain the highest trumps.
• Grand: Only Jacks are trumps. No suit is trump. Base value: 24.
• Null: No trumps, and the goal is to lose all tricks. Card points don't apply; ranking is normal (Ace highest, 7 lowest).

Base values for suit games: ♦️ = 9, ♥️ = 10, ♠️ = 11, ♣️ = 12

After winning the bid, the declarer may:

• Pick up the skat: Look at the 2 cards, add them to your hand, and discard 2 cards face down. Discarded cards count toward your points at the end.
• Play from the hand: Leave the skat untouched. This increases the game value. The skat still counts as the declarer's points at the end.

In hand games, the declarer may also announce Schneider (must take 90 or more points) or Schwarz (must take all tricks) for extra multipliers.

Forehand always leads to the first trick, regardless of who is the declarer.

Rules for following:

• You must follow suit if you can
• If you cannot follow suit, you may play any card, including trump
• Remember that Jacks belong to the trump suit, not to the suit printed on them

The highest card of the suit led wins the trick, unless trump is played. Then the highest trump wins. The trick winner leads the next trick.

Card points: The declarer must take at least 61 of 120 points to win. The opponents win if they take 60 or more combined.

Game value: Calculated as base value × multiplier.

Multipliers are added together:

• Matadors (with or against) + 1 each
• Game: always +1
• Hand (didn't look at skat): +1
• Schneider (90+ points): +1
• Schwarz (all tricks): +1

Matadors: Count how many top trumps form an unbroken sequence starting from ♣️J. If the declarer holds ♣️J, count down through the trumps held ("with" matadors). If the declarer does not hold ♣️J, count how many top trumps are missing ("against" matadors). For example, holding ♣️J and ♠️J but not ♥️J means "with 2." Missing ♣️J and ♠️J means "against 2."

In Null games, the goal is to lose all tricks. There are no trumps and no card points.

Card ranking in Null: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7

Fixed values:

• Null (with skat): 23
• Null Hand: 35
• Null Ouvert (cards shown): 46
• Null Ouvert Hand: 59

If the declarer loses, they pay double the value.

The declarer wins if:

• Suit or Grand: takes at least 61 card points (including the skat)
• Null: takes no tricks
• Game value is at least as high as the bid

The declarer loses if:

• Takes fewer than 61 points (suit or grand)
• Takes a trick (null)
• Game value is lower than the bid (overbid)

On winning: +game value. On losing: -2 × game value.

Ramsch: If everyone passes, Ramsch is played. The goal is to take the fewest card points. Whoever takes the most loses.

Kontra/Rekontra: Opponents may say "Kontra" before the first lead to double the score. The declarer may respond "Rekontra" to double it again.

Spitze: The declarer announces that the last trick will be won with the lowest trump (7 in suit games, ♦️J in Grand). This gives a +1 multiplier.

Schneider/Schwarz: If opponents take 30 or fewer points, they are Schneider. If they take no tricks at all, they are Schwarz.

For beginners:

• Learn the card ranking well, especially that the 10 beats the King and Queen
• Remember that all Jacks belong to the trump suit
• Start with low bids until you get a feel for evaluating your hand
• Be careful not to overbid

For more experienced players:

• Count cards, especially trumps and high-value cards
• Use the skat wisely: discard cards that could give opponents points
• Playing from the hand gives better rewards when your hand is strong
• As an opponent: work with your partner through careful card play