Skat rules

Skat is Germany's national card game. You need three or more players and 32 cards. The highest bidder plays alone against the other two and needs at least 61 of the 120 card points.

Quick start

A whole game in five steps. Enough for your first round. 2 min

1
The table
With four or more players the dealer sits out, so three always play. The deal moves clockwise and a round ends once everyone has dealt. That way everyone deals and leads equally often.
2
Deal
Dealt 3 - 2 - 4 - 3: everyone gets 3 cards, then 2 go face down in the middle. That's the skat. Then everyone gets 4 and finally 3 more, 10 cards each. The deal passes on after every game.
3
Bidding
You bid with game values: 18, 20, 22, 23, 24, 27, 30 … Only bid as high as your game is worth. Middlehand bids to forehand, who says yes or passes. Then rearhand bids against whoever's left. If everyone passes, the game is passed in.
4
Skat or hand
The declarer can pick up the skat and put two cards away. Those points count for the declarer. Or they play hand and never look at the skat.
5
Games
Pick a suit game (clubs, spades, hearts or diamonds), grand (only jacks are trumps) or null (the declarer can't take a single trick).

Rules in detail

Card points, tricks, matadors and game value, each with examples to work through. 10 min

How to read the pictures Gold border: counts or wins Faded: missing or loses Green: won Red: lost

Card points: what each card is worth

Ace 11, ten 10, king 4, queen 3, jack 2. 120 card points in total.

Only five ranks carry card points. The 9, 8 and 7 are worth nothing, but they can still win tricks in their suit. At the end, the two skat cards count for the declarer.

11+10+4+3+2+0+0+0=30 per suit× 4 =120 card points in the deck

Which card is higher?

Jacks are always the highest trumps, except in null.

The order depends on the game. Trumps beat every other card. Within a suit the order below applies, 1 is the highest card.

Suit game (example: hearts)

11 trumps: the four jacks, then the ace, 10, king, queen, 9, 8, 7 of the trump suit. Jacks don't belong to their suit, they are always trumps. The other suits only have 7 cards.

Trumps, highest first

Other suits (e.g. spades)

Grand

Only the four jacks are trumps. All four suits are equal and have 7 cards each.

Trumps, highest first

Every suit

Null

There are no trumps. Jacks are ordinary suit cards and the 10 ranks below the jack.

Every suit

Who wins the trick?

Follow suit. If you can't, you may trump or throw off any card.

Forehand leads to the first trick, after that whoever won the last trick leads. You must follow the led suit if you can. If you can't, you may trump or throw off any card. The highest trump wins. With no trump in the trick, the highest card of the led suit wins. The winner takes all card points in the trick.

(You never have to play higher or overtrump. A card thrown off never wins a trick.)

Game: HeartsTrick: 25 card points

leads

wins

Spades are led and both follow with spades. With no trump in the trick, the highest spade wins: ace over ten over king.

Game: HeartsTrick: 21 card points

leads

wins

Middlehand has no spades left and trumps with the 7 of hearts. Any trump beats any card of another suit, even an ace or a ten.

Game: HeartsTrick: 25 card points

wins

Rearhand has no clubs and throws off the ace of diamonds. Diamonds aren't trumps and a thrown-off card never wins: the 10 of clubs takes the trick and the ace's 11 points with it.

Game: HeartsTrick: 15 card points

leads

wins

The ace of hearts is a trump, so everyone must follow with trumps, and jacks are trumps. The jack of clubs is the highest trump and beats everything.

Game: HeartsTrick: 23 card points

leads

wins

The jack of diamonds doesn't belong to diamonds, it is a trump. Middlehand has no diamonds left and trumps with it. Holding any diamond, they would have had to follow suit.

Game: GrandTrick: 15 card points

leads

wins

In grand only the jacks are trumps. The jack of clubs beats the jack of spades. Rearhand has no jack left and must throw off another card.

Game: GrandTrick: 25 card points

leads

wins

In grand every suit ranks ace, 10, king, queen, 9, 8, 7. The ace of hearts wins and takes 25 card points.

Game: NullCard points don't count in null

leads

wins

In null there are no trumps and the 10 ranks below the jack: the jack of hearts wins. If the declarer takes a trick, the null is lost.

Won or lost?

The declarer needs 61 card points. 60 is not enough.

The declarer counts the card points in their tricks plus the two skat cards and needs at least 61 of 120. A side with 30 card points or fewer is schneider. A side without a single trick is schwarz. Schneider and schwarz raise the game value, even when the declarer is the one who is schneider.

Schneider

lost

won

Schneider

0306190120

61 : 59
Won · 61 points are enough, the game is won.
60 : 60
Lost · 60 to 60 isn't enough, the declarer needs more than half.
95 : 25
Won · The defenders only have 25 points, 30 or fewer: they are schneider, which adds one level.
120 : 0
Won · The declarer takes every trick, the defenders are schneider and schwarz: two more levels.
24 : 96
Lost · The declarer only has 24 points and is schneider. They lose and the schneider level counts against them.

Counting matadors

Count the trumps without a gap from the jack of clubs: with or without.

Matadors are the trumps in an unbroken row from the jack of clubs. The two skat cards count too, even in a hand game. Holding the jack of clubs, you play "with" as many as you hold in a row. Without it, you play "without" as many as are missing above your highest trump. Each matador is one level, "without 2" is worth as much as "with 2".

Gold frame: counts as a matador (+1 level). Faded: you don't have it, neither in your hand nor in the skat.

Game: Heartswith 2

Jacks of clubs and spades are there, the jack of hearts is missing: with 2. The jack of diamonds and the ace of hearts don't count because of the gap.

Game: Heartswith 1

Only the jack of clubs, the jack of spades is missing: with 1. The jacks of hearts and diamonds don't help any more.

Game: Heartswithout 2

Your highest trump is the jack of hearts. Above it the jacks of clubs and spades are missing: without 2.

Game: Heartswithout 4

Not a single jack: all four are missing above the ace of hearts, without 4. That is worth as much as with 4.

Working out the game value

Levels × base value: diamonds 9, hearts 10, spades 11, clubs 12, grand 24.

Game value = levels × base value. The levels are the matadors, +1 for the game, +1 for hand, +1 for schneider, +1 for schneider announced, +1 for schwarz, +1 for schwarz announced and +1 for ouvert. Announcements are only possible in a hand game. Null has fixed values: null 23, null hand 35, null ouvert 46, null ouvert hand 59.

Diamonds 9Hearts 10Spades 11Clubs 12Grand 24

Clubs

Bid 36 · declarer has 72 points

Matadors: with 2	+2
game	+1
Game value	3 × 12 = 36

The skat was picked up, so no hand level. 72 points are enough, the defenders have 48 and aren't schneider.

Won+36

Hearts Hand

Bid 30 · declarer has 66 points

Matadors: without 1	+1
game	+1
Hand	+1
Game value	3 × 10 = 30

Only the jack of clubs is missing above: without 1. Playing without the skat adds the hand level.

Won+30

Grand

Bid 48 · declarer has 97 points

Matadors: with 4	+4
game	+1
schneider	+1
Game value	6 × 24 = 144

All four jacks: with 4. The defenders only have 23 points and are schneider.

Won+144

Spades

Bid 33 · declarer has 52 points

Matadors: without 3	+3
game	+1
Game value	4 × 11 = 44

The jacks of clubs, spades and hearts are missing: without 3. With 52 points the game is lost and twice its value is subtracted.

Lost (2 × 44)−88

Diamonds

Bid 24 · declarer has 78 points

Matadors: with 1	+1
game	+1
Game value	2 × 9 = 18

Overbid: the game is only worth 18, but the bid was 24. It is lost despite enough card points. It counts the next multiple of 9 that reaches the bid: 27.

Lost (2 × 27)−54

Clubs Hand Schneider announced

Bid 48 · declarer has 93 points

Matadors: with 1	+1
game	+1
Hand	+1
schneider	+1
Schneider announced	+1
Game value	5 × 12 = 60

Hand with schneider announced: schneider and the announcement add one level each. 93 points fulfil it, below 90 the game would have been lost.

Won+60

Null

Bid 23 · declarer takes no trick

Fixed value	23
Game value	23

The declarer takes no trick. In null neither matadors nor card points count, only the fixed value.

Won+23

Null Hand

Bid 35 · declarer takes a trick

Fixed value	35
Game value	35

A single trick and the null is lost, no matter how many card points are in it.

Lost (2 × 35)−70

Only the declarer is scored: a won game adds its value, a lost game subtracts twice its value. The defenders get nothing. Whoever has the most points at the end of the list wins.

Reference

Bids, common questions and terms. For looking things up during a game. as needed

Bids

Never bid more than your game is worth.

You bid with game values. Every bid is the value of a possible game, so there is no 19 or 21, for example. Never bid more than your game is worth, or you are overbid.

18Diamonds 2 × 9
20Hearts 2 × 10
22Spades 2 × 11
23Null
24Clubs 2 × 12Grand 1 × 24
27Diamonds 3 × 9
30Hearts 3 × 10
33Spades 3 × 11
35Null hand
36Diamonds 4 × 9Clubs 3 × 12
40Hearts 4 × 10
44Spades 4 × 11
45Diamonds 5 × 9
46Null ouvert
48Clubs 4 × 12Grand 2 × 24
50Hearts 5 × 10

Example: you hold the jacks of clubs and spades and lots of clubs. Clubs with 2 is worth 3 × 12 = 36, so you can go up to 36. At 40 you pass.

Common questions

Situations people often argue about at the table, and how they are handled here.

What happens if everybody passes?

The deal is thrown in: nobody scores and the next dealer deals again. If Ramsch is switched on in the lobby, Ramsch is played instead.

Can I still play hand after looking at the skat?

No. Hand means the skat stays face down until the end. Whoever picks it up plays without the hand level.

Do I have to overtrump or play a higher card?

No. You only have to follow the suit that was led. Which card of that suit you play is up to you.

Does a jack belong to its suit?

Only in null. In suit games and grand, jacks are always trump. When spades are led, the jack of spades doesn't follow suit: you must play another spade if you have one.

Who gets the skat in a hand game?

The declarer. The card points of both cards count for them, and the cards count for the matadors too.

What if I fail to follow suit?

That can't happen here: cards you may not play right now are greyed out and can't be played.

Terms

The words you'll hear all the time at a skat table.

Declarer: Wins the bidding and plays alone against the other two.
Defenders: The two players against the declarer. Their card points are added up together.
Forehand: Sits left of the dealer, is asked first in the bidding and leads to the first trick.
Middlehand: Sits left of forehand and is the first to bid.
Rearhand: Sits right of forehand. Bids against the winner of forehand and middlehand.
Skat: The two face-down cards in the middle. They belong to the declarer.
Card points: The points of the cards in the tricks. 120 in the whole game.
Levels: Matadors plus game, hand, schneider and so on. Multiplied by the base value.
Schneider: A side has 30 card points or fewer.
Schwarz: A side has not taken a single trick.
Hand: Played without picking up the skat. Adds one level.
Ouvert: The declarer plays with their cards face up on the table.

Quick start

The table

Deal

Bidding

Skat or hand

Games

Rules in detail

Card points: what each card is worth

Which card is higher?

Suit game (example: hearts)

Grand

Null

Who wins the trick?

Won or lost?

Counting matadors

Working out the game value

Clubs

Hearts Hand

Grand

Spades

Diamonds

Clubs Hand Schneider announced

Null

Null Hand

Reference

Bids

Common questions

Terms