How to Play Skat

What is Skat?

Skat is Germany's national card game, a trick-taking game for three players with a 32-card deck. Every deal one player, the declarer, plays alone against the other two, who become partners for that deal. Who plays, and what they play, is settled by an auction called the bidding (Reizen).

The declarer gets the two face-down cards in the middle, the skat, chooses the game (a suit, Grand or Null) and then needs 61 of the 120 card points to win. The four jacks are always the highest trumps, and the score of a game depends on its value: a base value for the game type times a multiplier built from the top trumps you hold or are missing.

This page explains the rules of the International Skat Order, the standard used by the German Skat Association (DSkV) and in tournaments, and how a game is scored on the Seeger-Fabian list. Everything here works exactly the same when you play Skat online at bs.fyi.

Skat rules at a glance

Players

3: one declarer against two defenders each deal

Deck

32 cards: 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A in each suit

Card points

A 11, 10 10, K 4, Q 3, J 2, 9, 8, 7 0; 120 in all

Deal

10 cards each, 2 face down as the skat (dealt 3, skat, 4, 3)

Trumps

The four jacks (♣J ♠J ♥J ♦J) on top; in a suit game then A 10 K Q 9 8 7 of the trump suit

Bidding

Bid game values (18, 20, 22, 23, 24, 27, 30 …); the highest bidder becomes the declarer

Games

Suit (♣ 12, ♠ 11, ♥ 10, ♦ 9), Grand (24), Null (23, 35, 46 or 59)

To win

The declarer needs 61 card points (Null: no tricks at all)

Scoring

Seeger-Fabian: won +value +50; lost −2 × value −50 and +40 to each defender

Game

12 or 36 deals; the highest total wins

How to play Skat, step by step

1. 1

   Deal the cards

   The dealer gives each player three cards, puts two face down as the skat, then deals four and three more, starting on their left. Everyone has ten cards. The player on the dealer's left is Vorhand (forehand), the next is Mittelhand (middlehand), and the dealer is Hinterhand (rearhand). The deal moves one seat to the left every hand.

2. 2

   Bid

   Mittelhand bids to Vorhand, naming game values from 18 upwards; Vorhand says yes to hold each bid or passes. Then Hinterhand bids to whoever is left. The last player standing becomes the declarer, at the highest bid.

3. 3

   Take the skat or play Hand

   The declarer may pick up the skat and put any two cards back face down (discarding, or Skat drücken), or leave it untouched and play Hand, which is worth more.

4. 4

   Announce the game

   The declarer names a suit game, Grand or Null. In a Hand game they may also announce Schneider, Schwarz or Ouvert (open cards) for a higher value.

5. 5

   Play ten tricks

   Vorhand always leads the first trick. Follow suit if you can (the jacks belong to the trumps); otherwise play any card. The highest trump wins the trick, otherwise the highest card of the suit led, and the winner leads next.

6. 6

   Count and score

   The declarer counts the card points in their tricks plus the two skat cards. With 61 or more the game is won and scores its value; otherwise it is lost. The declarer must also reach the bid: a game worth less than the bid is lost.

Card order and card points

In a suit game and in Grand the four jacks are the highest trumps, always in the same order: jack of clubs, jack of spades, jack of hearts, jack of diamonds. In a suit game the seven cards of the trump suit follow, so there are 11 trumps: ♣J ♠J ♥J ♦J, then A 10 K Q 9 8 7 of trumps. In Grand only the four jacks are trumps.

In the other suits the ten ranks just under the ace: A, 10, K, Q, 9, 8, 7. Because the jacks are trumps, a plain suit has only seven cards.

In a Null game there are no trumps and the old order applies: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7 in every suit. Card points don't matter in Null.

The cards are worth 120 points in all, and the declarer needs more than half of them: 61.

Ace

11

Ten

10

King

4

Queen

3

Jack

2

Nine, eight, seven

0

Bidding (Reizen)

You bid with game values, the numbers a game can actually be worth, so a bid of 30 means "I can play a game worth at least 30". The values in order are 18, 20, 22, 23, 24, 27, 30, 33, 35, 36, 40, 44, 45, 46, 48, 50, 54, 55, 59, 60 and up. You may jump to a higher value at once.

Mittelhand starts by bidding to Vorhand ("18?"). Vorhand answers yes to hold the bid, or passes. Mittelhand keeps raising until one of them passes. Then Hinterhand bids to the one who is left, in the same way. Whoever is still in at the end becomes the declarer, and the last value said or held is their bid.

If Mittelhand and Hinterhand both pass without bidding, Vorhand may play at 18 or pass as well. If all three pass, the deal is thrown in (Einpassen) and the next player deals; at bs.fyi that deal counts towards the game's number of deals. As a house rule you can play Ramsch instead (see below).

The skat: picking it up or playing Hand

The declarer may take the two skat cards into their hand and then put any two cards back face down. This is called discarding, or pushing the skat (Skat drücken). The cards you put away count for you at the end, so a bare ten or ace that you can't protect is often a good discard. You may even discard jacks.

Or the declarer leaves the skat untouched and plays <strong>Hand</strong>. A Hand game is worth one more multiplier, and only in a Hand game may you announce Schneider or Schwarz. Either way the two skat cards belong to the declarer at the end of the deal and count towards their points.

The games and their base values

After the skat the declarer announces the game. In a <strong>suit game</strong> the jacks and one suit are trumps. In <strong>Grand</strong> only the four jacks are trumps. In <strong>Null</strong> there are no trumps and the declarer must not take a single trick.

Diamonds (♦)

base value 9

Hearts (♥)

base value 10

Spades (♠)

base value 11

Clubs (♣)

base value 12

Grand

base value 24

Null

23

Null Hand

35

Null Ouvert

46

Null Ouvert Hand

59

Game value: matadors, with and without

A suit game or Grand is worth its base value times a multiplier. The multiplier starts with the <strong>matadors</strong>: the unbroken run of top trumps from the jack of clubs down. If you hold the jack of clubs, count how many top trumps you have in a row: you play "with" that many. If you don't hold it, count how many top trumps are missing above your highest one: you play "without" that many. The matadors count over all 12 of the declarer's cards, the hand and the skat.

Add one for the game itself, then one for each extra level: Hand, Schneider, Schneider announced, Schwarz, Schwarz announced and Ouvert. An announced level always includes the ones below it: announcing Schwarz also counts Schneider, Schneider announced and Schwarz.

Null games don't use matadors; they have the fixed values in the table above.

With 2, hearts, picked up

(2 + 1 game) × 10 = 30

Without 1, clubs, Hand

(1 + 1 game + 1 Hand) × 12 = 36

With 3, Grand, Schneider

(3 + 1 game + 1 Schneider) × 24 = 120

With 1, spades, Hand, Schneider announced and made

(1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1) × 11 = 55

Schneider, Schwarz and Ouvert

<strong>Schneider</strong>: one side ends with 30 card points or fewer. A declarer with 90 or more wins Schneider; a declarer with 30 or fewer loses Schneider. Either way the game is worth one level more. <strong>Schwarz</strong>: one side takes every trick, which adds another level on top of Schneider.

In a Hand game the declarer may announce Schneider or Schwarz before the first lead, for one more level each. An announced Schneider or Schwarz has to be made, or the game is lost.

<strong>Ouvert</strong> means playing with your cards face up on the table from the first lead. A suit game or Grand ouvert must be a Hand game and counts as Schwarz announced, so you have to take every trick. Null Ouvert can be played with or without picking up the skat.

Winning, losing and overbidding

In a suit game or Grand the declarer wins with 61 card points or more, counting the skat; 60 is not enough. In Null the declarer wins only by taking no trick at all.

The game must also be worth at least the bid. If it isn't, the declarer is overbid (überreizt) and loses, and the game counts as the smallest multiple of its base value that reaches the bid. For example, a bid of 36 and a game of hearts with 2 (worth 30) is lost as a game worth 40.

Scoring: the Seeger-Fabian list

Skat clubs and tournaments use the Seeger-Fabian list, and bs.fyi uses it by default. A won game scores its value plus 50 for the declarer. A lost game costs the declarer twice its value plus 50, and at a table of three each of the two defenders gets 40 points.

You can also choose the plain list before a game: a won game scores its value, and a lost game costs twice its value, with nothing for the defenders.

Won, worth 30

Declarer +80 (Seeger-Fabian) or +30 (plain)

Lost, worth 30

Declarer −110 and each defender +40 (Seeger-Fabian), or declarer −60 (plain)

Thrown in

Nobody scores

Ramsch and Einpassen

When all three players pass, the standard rule is <strong>Einpassen</strong>: the cards are thrown in, nobody scores and the next player deals.

Many home games play <strong>Ramsch</strong> instead, and you can choose it before a game at bs.fyi. Everyone plays alone, only the four jacks are trumps (as in Grand), nobody picks up the skat, and Vorhand leads. The skat goes to whoever takes the last trick. The player with the most card points loses that many points; players tied on the most all lose. A player who takes no trick at all is a Jungfrau (virgin), and each Jungfrau doubles the loss. A player who takes all ten tricks makes a Durchmarsch and scores 120.

House rules on bs.fyi

Skat strategy tips

• •Count your trumps before you bid. A suit game usually wants five or more trumps, jacks included, plus an ace or two on the side. Grand wants two or more jacks and strong side suits with aces and tens.
• •Know your limit. Work out what your best game is worth before the bidding starts, and stop there. Remember that "without" counts too: a hand without the top jacks can be worth more than it looks.
• •Discard points and voids. When you pick up the skat, put away a bare ten or a lone ace you can't protect, and try to empty a short suit so you can trump it later.
• •Fetch the trumps. As declarer in a suit game, lead trumps early so the defenders can't trump your aces and tens later.
• •Feed your partner. As a defender, when your partner is sure to win the trick, throw your highest points on it (schmieren). When the declarer is winning, play your smallest card.
• •Count to 61. Keep track of the points taken by each side. Knowing that the declarer has 55 or the defenders 60 tells you which trick decides the game.

Frequently asked questions