skat

/skaht, skat/, n.

a card game for three players, using a pack of 32 playing cards, sevens through aces, the object being to fulfill any of various contracts, with scoring computed on strategy and on tricks won.

[1860-65; < G skat < It scarto, deriv. of scartare to discard, equiv. to s- EX-¹ + -cartare, deriv. of carta CARD¹]

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▪ card game

Introduction

      card game for three players, but usually four participate, with each player sitting out a turn as dealer. It is Germany's national card game. It originated in Altenburg, near Leipzig, about 1817 and is played wherever Germans have settled; the International Skat Players Association (ISPA) has affiliates in more than a dozen countries. North American skat, centred on Milwaukee, Wis., and Texas skat, centred on Austin, Texas, differ somewhat from the German and international game described below. The current rules, followed by both the ISPA and the German Skat Federation, date from Jan. 1, 1999.

      A pack of 32 cards, A-K-Q-J-10-9-8-7 in each of four suits, is used. Each player receives 10 cards, dealt in a three-(two)-four-three sequence, where “(two)” denotes two cards dealt facedown to form the skat, or widow.

Game values

      Whoever wins the bid becomes the declarer, naming the trump suit and playing a contract against the other two players. The declarer's normal aim is to capture at least 61 (out of 120) card points in tricks, but the declarer may aim to capture at least 91 points (schneider) or to win all 10 tricks (schwarz) or to lose every trick (null), depending on the bid. In suit-trump bids the four jacks are always the four highest trumps, from jack of clubs (high) through spade, heart, and diamond, followed by ace, 10, king, queen, 9, 8, 7 of the trump suit. Thus, there are 11 trumps and seven cards in each side suit. In “grand” bids the four jacks are the only trumps, forming a separate four-card suit of their own and leaving seven cards in each of the four regular suits. In “null” bids there are no trumps or card points, and the order of cards is ace, king, queen, jack, 10, 9, 8, 7 in each suit. Each of these contracts may be played either “with the skat,” in which the declarer adds the skat to his hand and makes any two discards facedown before announcing the contract, or “from the hand,” in which he leaves the skat facedown but any card points it contains count for him at the end of play (except in null).

      Whoever bids highest becomes the declarer. Players bid by announcing the game value (potential score) of their proposed contracts, not by naming a contract itself. Trump games are valued by taking the base value of the proposed trump and multiplying this by a number of additional factors. The base values are diamonds 9, hearts 10, spades 11, clubs 12, and grand 24. The multipliers are 1 per matador (always), 1 for game (always), 1 for schneider, 1 for schwarz, 1 for playing from the hand (if bid), 1 for schneider declared (hand only), 1 for schwarz declared (hand only), and 1 for playing ouvert (with cards exposed on the table and with schwarz declared).

      Matadors are consecutive top trumps from jack of clubs down. A declarer holding the jack of clubs is playing “with” as many matadors as he holds. For example, holding the jack of clubs but not the jack of spades is “with one,” holding four jacks but not the ace of trumps is “with four,” and so on to a maximum of “with 11” in a suit-trump game (this is possible because the two cards of the skat count as part of one hand) or a maximum of “with four” at grand.

      Conversely, if the declarer's highest trump is the jack of spades, the declarer is playing “against one,” if jack of diamonds “against three,” if the 10 of trumps “against five,” and so on. Game value is affected only by the number of matadors involved; whether “with” or “against” is irrelevant.

      To this number is added one multiplier if the declarer merely reckons to win at least 61 card points, or two for schneider if he thinks he can take 91 or more, or three for schwarz if he thinks he can win every trick.

      If and only if playing from the hand, the declarer may further increase his game value by (a) declaring that he will win schneider or schwarz for one or two extra factors respectively, in addition to the two for actually winning it, and (b) if declaring schwarz, by playing ouvert (with cards faceup).

      The lowest-possible game value is therefore 18 (diamonds, with or against 1, game 2, times a base value of 9), the highest 264 (grand, with 4, game 5, hand 6, schneider 7, declared 8, schwarz 9, declared 10, ouvert 11, times a base value of 24).

      Null bids, where the aim is to lose every trick, have invariable game values as follows: null with the skat 23, null from the hand 35, null ouvert (with skat) 46, null ouvert from the hand 59.

Auction bidding

      From the dealer's left, players are designated forehand, middlehand, and rearhand. Bidding is started by middlehand (or, if middlehand passes immediately, by rearhand) naming successive game values from the lowest up—i.e., 18, 20, 22, 23, 24, 27, 30, 33, 35, 36, and so forth. To each of these, forehand says yes, if forehand is prepared to play a game of equal or higher value, or otherwise passes. When one of them passes (either middlehand because he won't bid higher or forehand because he cannot match the last bid named), rearhand may continue in the same way against the survivor by naming the next higher value. When one of them passes, the survivor becomes the declarer and must play a game at least equal in value to the last bid made. If middlehand and rearhand pass immediately, forehand may play a game of any value; but if forehand also passes, the deal is annulled and passes round.

      If playing with the skat, the declarer adds the skat to his hand without showing it, makes any two discards facedown, and then announces his game—grand, a suit, null, or null ouvert. He need not announce the game he had in mind so long as what he does announce is worth at least the amount he bid. If playing from the hand, the announcement should include “hand” and any other declaration that may apply (schneider, schwarz, ouvert). If playing ouvert, he lays his hand of cards faceup on the table before the opening lead.

      The declarer may concede at any time before playing to the first trick. The most common reason for conceding is, when playing with skat exchange and “against” two or more matadors, finding one or more higher matadors in the skat, thereby reducing the game value to below the level at which the declarer took the bid. For example, suppose he won the bid at 22, intending to play hearts without two, game three, total 30. He takes the skat and finds the jack of clubs (or spades). This revalues his game at with (or against) one, game two, times 10, total 20, which is lower than the 22 he bid. He now has several options. He may announce hearts as intended and secretly attempt to win schneider for the extra multiplier, which will bring his game value to 30. He may attempt a different game—perhaps spades (22), null (23), clubs (24), or even grand (48). If none of these is playable, he will concede a game in spades worth 22 (losing 44 because all lost bids count double).

Play

      Forehand leads to the first trick, and the winner of each trick leads to the next. Players must follow suit if possible or otherwise play any card. The trick is taken by the highest card of the suit led or by the highest trump if any are played. (At grand, a jack lead calls for jacks to be played. In suit, any jack lead calls for the play of any other trump, not necessarily a jack.) Cards won by the partners are kept together in a single pile. All 10 tricks must be played—except at null, if the declarer wins a trick—and the skat is then faced to ensure that the game is correctly valued.

      The declarer wins if he has taken at least 61 card points, 90 if he bid schneider, every trick if he bid schwarz, or no trick if he bid null; and the game, as revalued after play, is worth at least the amount bid. If successful, the bidder's actual game value is added to his aggregate score.

      All lost games are lost double. If a lost game is worth at least the amount bid, its full value is doubled and deducted from the declarer's aggregate score. (If the declarer fails to take at least 31 card points himself, his lost game value is increased by the extra multiplier for schneider before being doubled.) If the game value is less than the amount bid, it must, before being doubled, be raised to the nearest appropriate multiple of the relevant base value that equals or exceeds the amount bid.

      Play proceeds for any previously agreed number of deals, which should be a multiple of four.

David Parlett

Additional Reading

Reliable sources for rules include Joli Quentin Kansil (ed.), Bicycle Official Rules of Card Games (2002); David Parlett, The A–Z of Card Games, 2nd ed. (2004; 1st ed. published as Oxford Dictionary of Card Games, 1992); and Barry Rigal, Card Games for Dummies, 2nd ed. (2005).

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