How to Play Skat
Germany's greatest card game — bid, pick up the Skat, and declare.
Also known as German Skat
Learn three-player Skat: declarer versus defenders, suit games, Grand and Null. Separate the 61-point winning target from the value you bid.
61 card points and a bid of 24 mean different things
In a clubs game, you hold J♣ but not J♠ across your hand and skat: with one, game two. With no extra multipliers, 12 × 2 = 24 game value. You still need at least 61 card points to win.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Clubs base value | 12 |
| Multiplier | 2 |
| Game value | 24 |
| Card points needed | 61 |
Do not bid above the value your contract can reach. Null is different: taking even one trick loses, regardless of card points.
Practise this game in your browser🎯 Objective
As declarer, win your game: usually 61 of the 120 card points, alone against two. First to the target score wins: 120 unless you change it at setup (30 to 300, in steps of 30).
🃏 Skat Setup & Rules
- Uses a 32-card deck (7–Ace). Each player gets ten cards and two go face down as the skat.
- Card values: A=11, 10=10, K=4, Q=3, J=2. Total in deck = 120.
▶ How to Play Skat
- BIDDING: a say/hold auction. Forehand sits left of the dealer, middlehand next, and the dealer is rearhand. Middlehand bids values from the ladder (18, 20, 22, 23, 24, 27, 30, … up to 264) to forehand, who holds each one (Hold 18) or passes; then rearhand bids to whichever of the two is left. The player being bid to never bids higher, and a pass is final. The last player left is the declarer and must play a game worth at least the bid. If middlehand and rearhand both pass without a bid, forehand may still play for 18 or pass; if all three pass, the hand is thrown in.
- The declarer picks up the skat (Pick Up Skat) and puts two cards back face down (Put in Skat), or plays a hand game (Hand Game) without looking at it. Either way the skat's card points count for the declarer.
- DECLARE: Suit game (the Jacks and one suit are trump), Grand (Jacks only), or Null (win no trick; worth 23, so never for a higher bid).
- Trump ranking in Suit games: ♣J > ♠J > ♥J > ♦J, then A, 10, K, Q, 9, 8, 7 of trump. Plain suits run A, 10, K, Q, 9, 8, 7; in Null A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7.
- Declarer needs 61+ card points to win a Suit/Grand game. Only the declarer's total moves: the defenders never score.
🎬 Watch: How to Play Skat
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📖 Detailed Guide
The deck and card values
- Skat is played by three people with a 32-card deck, 7 through Ace. Ten cards go to each player and two are set aside face-down as the skat.
- Card values total 120 points across the deck: each Ace 11, each 10 is worth 10, King 4, Queen 3, Jack 2, and 9s through 7s nothing.
- 10s rank second, above the Kings, in trick-taking as well as in value, so a 10 falls only to the Ace of its suit or a trump; protecting your 10s is a constant concern.
- The four Jacks are always trump in suit and grand games, ranking Clubs, Spades, Hearts, Diamonds from highest to lowest.
The bidding
- One player becomes the declarer and plays alone against the other two, who defend as a temporary partnership.
- Bidding is a say/hold auction of numbers, each the value of a game someone is willing to play: middlehand bids to forehand, who holds (Hold 18) or passes; then rearhand bids to the survivor. The player being bid to never bids higher — they hold or pass, and a pass is final. You are bidding how much your contract is worth, not tricks.
- A game value is a base value for the suit multiplied by factors from your matadors — the unbroken run from the Jack of Clubs through the Jacks and on into the trump suit — so counting them before bidding is essential. The ladder runs 18, 20, 22 … up to 264.
- The last player still in wins the auction and becomes the declarer. If middlehand and rearhand both pass without a bid, forehand may still play for 18; if all three pass, the hand is thrown in and the next player deals.
Choosing your game
- Suit game: you name a trump suit, and the four Jacks plus that suit form the trump. You need 61 of the 120 card points to win.
- Grand: only the four Jacks are trump, making the plain suits far more dangerous. It carries the highest base value.
- Null: an inverted contract where you must lose every trick. There is no trump and card points are irrelevant — a single trick loses it.
- You may pick up the two skat cards and put two of your own back (Put in Skat), or play a hand game without touching them. A hand game adds 1 to the multiplier.
Playing and scoring
- The player left of the dealer leads. Following suit is compulsory when you can; otherwise any card is legal.
- Remember that Jacks belong to the trump suit, not their printed one. Leading a Club does not oblige anyone to play the Jack of Clubs.
- Beyond 61 points there are bonuses: 90 or more card points is schneider and taking every trick is schwarz; each adds one to the multiplier — and the same applies against you if you are held to 30 or fewer, or win no trick, making the loss bigger.
- Win and you add the game value to your score; lose and you subtract double, and the defenders never score. That asymmetry is why overbidding is the most expensive mistake in Skat.
📊 Skat Scoring
Game value = base value (♦ 9, ♥ 10, ♠ 11, ♣ 12, Grand 24) × (matadors + 1), +1 for a hand game, +1 for Schneider and +1 for Schwarz; Null is 23. The matadors are the unbroken run of top trumps from ♣J — through the Jacks and on into the trump suit's A, 10, K, Q, 9, 8, 7 — that the declarer holds ("with") or lacks ("without"), the skat included. Win: + game value. Lose: − double; the defenders score nothing either way. A game worth less than the bid is lost whatever the card points, at the lowest multiple of its base value that reaches the bid. No announcements, Ouvert or Kontra in the app.
❓ Skat — Frequently Asked Questions
How many players do you need for Skat?
Skat is played with 3 players. On Vanikar, empty seats can be filled with AI opponents so you can always start a game.
How does bidding work in Skat?
Middlehand bids to Forehand in game values, 18, 20, 22 and upward, and Forehand says yes or passes; the winner then bids against Rearhand. The last player standing becomes declarer and plays alone against the other two.
What is the Skat itself?
The two cards left face down after the deal. The declarer may pick them up and discard any two before naming the game, or play a hand game without looking for a higher value. The discarded cards count toward the declarer's tricks.
What are Schneider and Schwarz?
Schneider is holding the opponents to 30 card points or fewer; Schwarz is taking every trick. Each adds one to the multiplier, and the defenders can also put the declarer in Schneider by taking 90.
What is a Null game in Skat?
A contract to take no tricks at all, with no trumps and the cards ranked 7 to Ace. It is worth 23, or 35 played open, and is lost the moment the declarer takes a trick.
📱 Skat in the app
A step-by-step look at a real game on the table.
