Skat: rules and basics

In short: Skat is a German card game for three players, played with 32 cards. One player plays as declarer against the other two.

In more detail: First comes bidding: whoever announces the highest game becomes the declarer and may pick up the skat (two face-down cards).

In detail

• Trumps: The four jacks are always trumps, plus the announced suit, or in grand only the jacks.
• Card values: Ace 11, ten 10, king 4, queen 3, jack 2, nine to seven 0 points.
• Goal: The declarer needs at least 61 of 120 points.
• Types of game: Suit game, grand, null.
• Bidding: Bidding goes in fixed values that depend on the game value.
• Trick: Following suit is mandatory, otherwise one may trump or discard.
• Tip: Count which cards have already fallen (spiele-ki-schach-go-und-poker, brettspiele-fuer-einsteiger).