Skat

Hey there! Let’s talk about Skat – a card game that’s all about fulfilling your contract, whether you win or lose tricks along the way.

If you’re ready to join the fun, gather two friends because Skat is a game designed for three players. You’ll need a special deck of 32 cards to get started.

Each card in Skat has its own rank – from highest to lowest, they go J (Jack), A (Ace), 10, K (King), Q (Queen), 9, 8, and 7. However, there’s a slight twist with the order of the A, K, Q, and J cards when it comes to the trump suit.

Skat falls under the category of trick-taking games, where winning or losing each round depends on the tricks you secure. This game is best suited for adults who are looking for some card-playing excitement.

Get ready to play Skat!

Hey there! Did you know that there’s a cool German card game called Skat? It’s been around since 1840 and was created by a group of card players in Germany. Skat is a really interesting game because it combines elements from other popular card games like Schafkopf, Tarok, and l’Hombre. Just a heads up, Skat is different from the American game called Scat, so don’t get them confused!

Skat Cards

When playing Skat, you use special German cards that have different suits. Let me break it down for you:

French Cards German Cards

Clubs Acorns (Eichel)

Spades Leaves (Grün)

Let’s talk about the different suits and card rankings in a game of cards.

There are four suits in a deck of cards: Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, and Spades.

Now, let’s learn about the rankings of each card.

The King is the highest-ranking card, followed by the Queen and the Jack. The Jack is also known as the Unter in some games.

Card Ranking

The ranking of the cards depends on the game you are playing.

For Suit Games, the four Jacks are the highest-ranking cards. In the order of Clubs, Spades, Hearts, and Diamonds, the Jack of Clubs is the highest-ranking card, followed by the Jack of Spades, Jack of Hearts, and Jack of Diamonds. After the Jacks, the ranking is as follows: Ace (A), 10, King (K), Queen (Q), 9, 8, and 7. If the game is a Nontrump, the ranking is the same, except there are no Jacks; it starts with the Ace.

For Grand Games, the four Jacks are the only trumps. The ranking of the Nontrumps is the same as the Suit Games.

Lastly, for Null Games, there are no trumps. The ranking of the Nontrumps follows the same order as before.

No trumps. The card rankings are: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7

In games with suits and grand games, the cards have the following point values:

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

There are a total of 120 points.

THE DEAL

The dealer is chosen randomly for the first round, and then the deal passes to the left. The dealer shuffles the deck, and the player to their right cuts the deck. The dealer deals 3 cards to each player, 2 cards to the center (known as the skat), and then 4 cards to each player. If the dealer is the fourth player, they deal to the other players and sit out.

THE AUCTION/THE BID

A bid is a value representing the number of points a player believes they can win in the game. Bids can range from as low as 18 points to higher values such as 20, 25, 33, 60 points, etc.

When we play this game, there are three important roles that we need to understand – forehand, middlehand, and rearhand. The forehand, also known as F, is the player to the left of the dealer. Then we have the middlehand, or M, who is to the left of the forehand. And finally, we have the rearhand, or R, who is to the left of the middlehand.

Now, if we only have three players, the dealer takes on the role of the rearhand. So in a way, the dealer becomes a part of the game too.

It’s important to note that there is a hierarchy among the players. The forehand is senior to the middlehand, and the middlehand is senior to the rearhand. What does this mean? Well, it means that senior players have an advantage when it comes to bidding.

As a senior player, you only have to match the bid of your junior to win the bid. For example, if the middlehand makes a bid of 5, then the forehand only needs to match that bid to secure the win.

On the other hand, junior players have a bit more pressure. They need to exceed the bids of seniors in order to win. So if the forehand bids 5, the rearhand would need to bid 6 or more to come out on top.

So, as we can see, the roles in this game not only determine the order of play but also have an impact on the bidding process. It’s a dynamic and ever-changing game that requires strategy and quick thinking on your feet.

Next time you play, keep these roles in mind and use them to your advantage. Good luck!

Let me tell you how auctions for the game of F and M work. The first thing you need to know is that the bidding starts with M. M can either make a bid or pass, which means they don’t want to be the declarer. Usually, M starts with the minimum bid of 18.

Now it’s F’s turn. F can either pass, just like M did, or say yes and match M’s bid. If F says yes, then M again has the option to pass or increase their bid. F then decides whether to pass or match M’s bid once again. This keeps going until either F or M decides to drop out by passing. Once a player passes, they can no longer place bids for that hand.

The next part of the bidding involves R and the winner between F and M. As the junior player, R is required to increase their bid, and either F or M must match it. The player who doesn’t pass becomes the declarer, which means they win the bid and take on the responsibility of playing the hand.

If both M and R decide to pass, F can become the declarer by bidding 18 or the cards can be thrown in and a new hand will be dealt.

THE CONTRACTS

When you’re the declarer in the game of skat, you have the special privilege of choosing two additional cards from the skat pile. These cards are added to your hand, and then you must discard two other cards face-down. The cards you discard can even be the two you just picked up!

Once you’ve completed the discard, it’s time for you to select the type of game you want to play. You have seven options to choose from:

– Diamonds, Hearts, Spades, or Clubs: In this type of game, you declare a suit as the trump suit and aim to earn a total of 61 points.

– Grand: In a grand game, only jacks are considered trumps, and once again, your goal is to accumulate 61 points.

– Null: In a null game, there are no trumps. Interestingly, in this game, your objective is to lose every single trick.

– Null Ouvert (Open Null): This is a unique variation of the null game, where you play with your hand exposed. The goal remains the same – to lose every trick.

Now that you know the options available to you as the declarer in a game of skat, have fun picking the game that suits your style, and aim for victory!

Hey there! You have the option to not look at the skat cards in this game. But don’t worry, it’s still a hand game with the same contract options.

In suit hand games and grand hand games, declarers can make things more interesting by increasing the point value of the game. You can announce “Schneider” and try to win 90 points, “Schwarz” and attempt to win all the tricks, or “Open” and play with your hand exposed. Just make sure to announce your choice before the first trick.

Let’s Get Playing!

We’ll start by moving clockwise. The first trick is always led by the forehand player, and you should try to follow suit if you can. But if you don’t have a card of that suit, no worries! You can play any card you want. Oh, and a quick reminder: in suit and grand games, jacks are trumps, regardless of the suit. So, for example, if diamonds are the suit being led, the jack of clubs is still the highest trump card.

If I want to win a trick, I need to play the highest trump card. But if there’s no trump, I have to play the highest card that matches the suit led by the previous player. Whoever wins the trick gets to lead the next one.

In the suit and grand games, I have to score at least 61 points (including the skat) to win. But if my opponents manage to score 60 or more points, they win instead.

If my opponents score 30 or fewer points, they are considered “Schneider.” But if they score 31 or more points, they are “out of Schneider.” And if they don’t win any tricks at all, they are “Schwarz.” These rules apply to me as well if I am the declarer.

In Null or Open Null games, I win by losing every single trick. It might sound strange, but in these games, taking a trick is considered a loss for me.

CALCULATING GAME VALUE

Suit & Grand Contracts

The worth of these agreements depends on the product of the base value and the multiplier. The base value, which is influenced by the trump suit, determines the starting point.

The multiplier, on the other hand, is calculated by adding up various elements. This includes the number of matadors in play, both with and against. Every applicable multiplier is taken into account.

Let’s take a closer look at matadors.

In the game of cards, we have something called “Matadors.” These are made up of the Jack of clubs and a sequence of trumps. If the person declaring conforms to the number of Matadors, they are considered “with” them. On the other hand, if the opponent’s hands combined conform to the number of Matadors, the declarer is considered “against” them. Let’s say the declarer has the Jack of Clubs, Jack of Spades, Jack of Hearts, Jack of Diamonds, Ace of Hearts, 10 of Hearts, and King of Hearts. In this case, they are “with” 7 Matadors. However, if the declarer does not have the Jack of Clubs, they are “against” that number of Matadors.

The smallest multiplier possible in this game is two.

Now, let’s talk about Null Contracts. These contracts are simpler to score because they have fixed values. Here are the contract values and the amount lost if the contract is unsuccessful:

– Null Hand: Contract Value – 35 / Amount Lost – 70

– Null Open: Contract Value – 46 / Amount Lost – 92

That’s how the scoring works in this game!

If I win as the declarer and my bid is met or exceeded by the game value, I add the game value to my total score. But if I lose and my bid is met or exceeded by the game value, I subtract double the game value from my score.

If the game value is less than my bid, I automatically lose, regardless of how many points I’ve taken. In this case, I subtract double the base value from my score.

If I announce Schneider and take less than 90 points, or announce Schwarz and win a trick, I automatically lose as the declarer.

If I announce Schneider and take less than 90 points, or announce Schwarz and win a trick, I automatically lose as the declarer.