Skat

Objective

Make your declared contract or defeat declarer as a defender.

Deal and setup

Skat for three uses 32 cards, seven through ace. Each player gets ten in batches of 3–4–3; two cards dealt between the first and second batches form the skat. Play is clockwise. Forehand, left of the dealer, leads the first trick even when not declarer.

How to play — step by step

1. Middlehand offers forehand game values starting at 18. Forehand holds or passes. Rearhand, the dealer, then bids against the survivor. The holder has priority at equal values. If both challengers pass without bidding, forehand may play for 18 or pass. Three passes lead to a fresh deal without points or XP.
2. The auction winner is declarer against two defenders. Declarer either takes the skat and discards any two of the twelve cards, or chooses Hand without looking at the skat. The game is declared after discarding; the skat can no longer be changed or inspected. Its points and top trumps belong to declarer even in Hand.
3. A suit game names one trump suit. All four jacks are the highest trumps, ordered J♣, J♠, J♥, J♦, followed by A, 10, K, Q, 9, 8, 7 of trumps. Non-trump suits have the same order without the jack. In Grand only the four jacks are trumps.
4. Null has no trumps and jacks belong to their printed suits. The order is A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7. Declarer must take no tricks and loses immediately upon taking one. Null Ouvert exposes declarer’s hand before the opening lead.
5. Follow the led suit or trumps whenever possible. In suit games and Grand a jack belongs to trumps, not its printed suit. If unable to follow, play any card. Trumping and overtaking are optional. Highest trump wins, or highest card of the led suit if no trump was played.
6. Aces score 11 card points, tens 10, kings 4, queens 3, jacks 2, others 0: 120 in total. In suit games and Grand declarer needs at least 61 including the skat. Schneider means one side has 30 or fewer points; Schwarz means one side has no tricks. Taking 120 points alone does not guarantee Schwarz.
7. Suit game value is base times multiplier: diamonds 9, hearts 10, spades 11, clubs 12, Grand 24. Count the consecutive top trumps from J♣ that declarer, including the skat, holds or lacks. Add 1 for game, 1 for Hand, 1 each for Schneider and Schwarz and 1 each for announcing them. Ouvert adds another 1. Announced levels count even when not achieved.
8. Schneider and Schwarz can only be announced in Hand. Schneider requires at least 90 points; Schwarz all ten tricks and includes Schneider announced. Open suit games and Grand require Hand and all ten tricks, include both announcements and expose declarer’s hand. Null has fixed value 23, Null Hand 35, Null Ouvert 46, Null Hand Ouvert 59.
9. A successful declarer gains the game value; a loss costs twice its value. If value falls below the bid, declarer loses even with 61 or more card points. An overbid suit game or Grand costs at least twice the smallest multiple of its base covering the bid. A hidden jack in the skat during Hand can change the top-trump count and cause overbidding.
10. One played deal is one club game. Only declarer receives a Skat score; defenders share the win and club XP when declarer loses. Results, rewards and Undo use the shared club system. Undo is a game aid here; tabletop Skat does not allow cards to be taken back. Giving up through the menu is a loss without XP. No Ramsch, Kontra/Re or Seeger–Fabian tournament bonuses. Play again rotates the dealer one seat.

Important rules to remember