Skat
Skat is a traditional German card game for three players played with a standard card deck, roughly 200 years old. The game is based on Schafkopf, Ombre (bidding) and Tarock (remaining cards).
A play comprises two phases: first an intricate bidding process to decide the solo player who choses the type of game to be played in the second phase, the actual playing of tricks.
The latest revision of rules as approved by both the International Skat Players Association (ISPA) and the German Skat Association (DSkV) dates back to 1998. The BGA adaption follows these rules, but also offers some hobbyist rules (Ramsch, Contra/Re).
Number of players: 3
Game duration: 29 mn
Complexity: 2 / 5
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Play Skat and 959 other games online.
No download necessary - play directly from your web browser.
With your friends and thousands of players from the whole world.
Free.
Rules summary
Point values of cards
| Rank | J | A | 10 | K | Q | 9 | 8 | 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | 2 | 11 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The non-trump suit cards rank in order A-10-K-Q-9-8-7.
The trumps rank the same way with the four jacks on top in the order J♣, J♠, J♥, J♦.
The total face value of all cards is 120 points. The declarer's goal is to take at least 61 points in tricks in order to win that round of the game.
Grand game
In the grand game, only the four jacks are trumps in the suit order given above for a regular suit game. All other ranks are the same as in the regular suit game (10 is ranked just below the ace). There are thus five "suits" in the grand game (if a jack is led to a trick, the other two players must play jacks too, if they have them).
Null game
In a null game there is no trump suit, and in each suit the cards are ranked A-K-Q-J-10-9-8-7.
The goal of a null game is for declarer not to take any tricks. If declarer takes a trick in a null game, they immediately lose and the game is scored right away.
