Printable Skat rules
Download PDFThe rules of Skat on two pages at most: everything you want to look up at the table. The numbers come from SkatGo's rules engine; the full rules with examples are on the rules page.
Cards and card points
Three players, 32 cards (♣ ♠ ♥ ♦, each 7 to Ace). Everyone gets ten cards; two lie face down in the middle as the skat. The deck holds 120 card points:
| Card | Card points |
|---|---|
| A | 11 |
| 10 | 10 |
| K | 4 |
| Q | 3 |
| J | 2 |
| 7 | 0 |
| 8 | 0 |
| 9 | 0 |
| Card | A | 10 | K | Q | J | 7 | 8 | 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Card points | 11 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Trumps and following suit
- The four Jacks are always the highest trumps: ♣J, ♠J, ♥J, ♦J. In a suit game the trump suit follows with A, 10, K, Q, 9, 8, 7 – eleven trumps. In Grand only the Jacks are trumps.
- Side suits run A, 10, K, Q, 9, 8, 7. Null has no trumps, and every suit runs A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7.
- You must follow the suit led; trumps count as one suit, so a Jack follows trumps. If you cannot follow, you may trump or throw off. The highest trump wins the trick, otherwise the highest card of the suit led.
Bidding
Forehand sits on the dealer's left, then middlehand; the dealer is rearhand. Middlehand bids to forehand ("yes" or "pass"), then rearhand bids to the winner. Whoever is left is the declarer, and their game must reach the last bid. If all pass, the cards are dealt again. Only these values may be bid:
18, 20, 22, 23, 24, 27, 30, 33, 35, 36, 40, 44, 45, 46, 48, 50, 54, 55, 59, 60, 63, 66, 70, 72, 77, 80, 81, 84, 88, 90, 96, 99, 100, 108, 110, 117, 120, 121, 126, 130, 132, 135, 140, 143, 144, 150, 153, 154, 156, 160, 162, 165, 168, 170, 176, 180, 187, 192, 198, 204, 216, 240, 264
The full bidding table, to look up and printThe skat: pick up and discard, or Hand
The declarer picks up the skat and discards any two cards face down; their points count for the declarer. Or they play Hand and leave the skat untouched – one level more, and only then may they announce Schneider or Schwarz. A suit game or Grand Ouvert is Hand only too; Null Ouvert may also follow a pick-up. Then they name the game. Forehand leads.
Games and game value
Game value = base value × multiplier. The multiplier is: matadors with or without so many (from ♣J down, counted over hand and skat) + 1 for game + 1 each for Hand, Schneider, Schneider announced, Schwarz, Schwarz announced and Ouvert. The base values:
| Game | Base value |
|---|---|
| Diamonds ♦ | 9 |
| Hearts ♥ | 10 |
| Spades ♠ | 11 |
| Clubs ♣ | 12 |
| Grand | 24 |
| Game | Diamonds ♦ | Hearts ♥ | Spades ♠ | Clubs ♣ | Grand |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base value | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 24 |
Null is not multiplied: the declarer must take no trick, at fixed values:
| Game | Value |
|---|---|
| Null | 23 |
| Null Hand | 35 |
| Null Ouvert | 46 |
| Null Ouvert Hand | 59 |
| Game | Null | Null Hand | Null Ouvert | Null Ouvert Hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | 23 | 35 | 46 | 59 |
Winning and scoring
- The declarer needs 61 card points (skat included); 60 each is a loss. Schneider: one side has 30 points or fewer. Schwarz: one side takes no trick.
- Won: + game value. Lost: − 2 × game value. The defenders score nothing.
- Overbid: if the game is worth less than the bid, it is lost and scored at the lowest multiple of the base value that reaches the bid.