How to Play Skat
How to Play Skat
Skat is a classic German trick-taking game for three players. You need a normal deck of cards, and you can find a regular deck of playing cards from Playmore. Each round has a bidding contest, a hidden two-card pile called the skat, and a battle between one player and the other two. This guide uses one common beginner version; house rules and regional details can vary.
Quick facts
| Players | 3 |
|---|---|
| Cards | 32 cards: 7 through ace in each suit |
| Goal | The declarer usually needs 61 of 120 card points |
| Round length | 10 tricks |
| Main ideas | Bid, choose a contract, follow suit, and win tricks |
What you are trying to do
In each round, one player becomes the declarer, the person who plays alone. The other two players form a temporary team and try to stop the declarer. The declarer first bids for the right to choose the contract, then picks up the skat and decides which kind of game to play.
In a suit game or Grand, the declarer wants at least 61 card points. The two defenders together need at least 60 points to win. A card’s card point is its scoring value: aces are worth 11, tens 10, kings 4, queens 3, jacks 2, and sevens, eights, and nines 0. These are different from game points, which are used to record the value of the contract.
What you need
Use a 32-card deck. Remove every card from 2 through 6, leaving 7, 8, 9, 10, jack, queen, king, and ace in clubs, spades, hearts, and diamonds. You also need paper and a pencil or a notes app for scores. Choose a first dealer at random. After each round, the deal moves clockwise.
Set it up
Shuffle the deck and deal clockwise in this pattern: three cards to each player, two cards face down in the middle for the skat, four cards to each player, and three more cards to each player. Everyone therefore has 10 cards, while the skat has two. The player to the dealer’s left is called forehand, the next player is middlehand, and the dealer is rearhand.
Keep your cards hidden. Before the bidding begins, sort your hand by suit so you can judge whether you have strong trumps, aces, and tens.
How to play
- Bid for the chance to play alone. Middlehand starts by either passing or naming a bid value, usually beginning at 18. Forehand may say “yes” to match that bid or pass. If the auction continues, players raise to higher legal values. Once you pass, you are out of that auction.
- Finish the auction. The player who remains from the first exchange faces rearhand. Rearhand bids higher than the current number or passes, and the other player answers “yes” or passes. The last player still competing becomes the declarer, and the final accepted number is the bid.
- Pick up the skat. The declarer looks at the two middle cards and adds them to the hand. Then the declarer places any two cards face down as the discard. The discarded cards count for the declarer’s card points at the end, so do not forget them.
- Announce a contract. The simplest contract choices are a suit game, Grand, or Null. In a suit game, choose clubs, spades, hearts, or diamonds as trump. Trump cards beat cards from the other suits. In every suit game, the jacks are the four highest trumps in this order: jack of clubs, jack of spades, jack of hearts, then jack of diamonds. The rest of the chosen trump suit follows ace, 10, king, queen, 9, 8, 7. In Grand, only the four jacks are trump. In Null, there are no trumps, and the declarer must avoid taking any trick.
- Start the tricks. Forehand leads the first card. A trick is one card played by each player. Play proceeds clockwise. On your turn, you must follow suit if you can, meaning you must play a card from the suit that was led. If you cannot follow suit, you may play any card, including a trump.
- Find the winner. In a suit game, the highest trump wins. If no trump was played, the highest card of the led suit wins. In Grand, compare jacks as trumps first; otherwise compare cards in the led suit. In Null, there are no trumps, and the lowest card of the led suit wins. The winner collects the trick and leads the next one.
- Play all 10 tricks. Keep the captured cards in separate piles for the declarer and defenders. The defenders may discuss strategy, but they should not show their cards or reveal information that is not part of normal play.
- Count and record. In a suit game or Grand, add the declarer’s captured card points and the two discarded skat cards. A total of 61 or more wins the contract. A total of 60 or less defeats it. For a first game, you can simply record a win as the bid value and a loss as minus twice the bid value; standard scoring can become more detailed as you learn game values and matadors.
How you win
The declarer wins a suit game or Grand by reaching 61 card points, counting the skat. The defenders win by reaching 60 points together. Null works differently: the declarer wins only by taking no tricks at all. If the declarer takes even one trick in Null, the defenders win. After deciding who won the hand, write down the round’s agreed score and rotate the deal.
Easy first-game tips
Bid carefully. A hand with several high jacks, a strong trump suit, and valuable aces or tens is more promising than a hand full of scattered low cards. Remember that the four jacks are trumps in every suit game, even when they do not match the named suit. Count the skat before deciding what to discard, and try to keep an outside ace that may win a trick early.
When defending, remember that you are partners for this round. Lead a suit where your teammate may have strength, and watch which suits players cannot follow. Keep track of the jacks and the high cards, but do not worry about perfect memory at first. Following suit correctly is more important than making a clever play.
Quick questions
Can three people play Skat with an ordinary deck?
Yes. Use 32 cards, deal 10 to each player, and place the two remaining cards in the middle as the skat.
What happens if the declarer loses the bid?
The declarer still plays the announced contract, but the defenders win the hand. In standard scoring, an unsuccessful contract usually costs twice its game value.