(Translation from the original German by John Sell)
A tutorial to accompany the Macintosh Skat Software Products of,
Fa. Rasche
Soldiner Str. 17
12305 Berlin
Germany
© Fa. Rasche, Berlin 1993-1994
This handbook and the associated software are protected by copyright. All
rights are reserved. Neither the handbook nor the software may be copied,
duplicated, translated, or altered, in whole or in part, without prior written
permission of the author.
1. The History of Skat
2. The Basics
3. Bidding
3.1 Card Values
3.2 Calculating Bid Values
3.3 Criteria for a Suit Game
3.4 Criteria for Grand
3.5 Criteria for Null
3.6 The Bidding Process
3.7 All Players Pass Immediately
4. Once the Soloist is Determined
4.1 A Hand Game
4.2 Using the Skat
4.2.1 Putting Away Cards in a Suit or Grand Game
4.2.2 Putting Away Cards for a Null Game
5. Leading
5.1 Rules & Guidelines for Grand & Suit Games
5.1.1 Soloist
5.1.2 The Opponents (Defenders)
5.2 Rules & Advise for Null
5.2.1 Soloist
5.2.2 The Opponents (Defenders)
5.3 Rules & Advice for Ramsch
6. Scoring & Scorekeeping
6.1 Performance Rating
Witnesses from that time substantiate that Skat came from the game of Sheepshead. By 1810, Sheepshead was a game played by four people. The Brommisch Tarot Club of Altenburg, Germany preferred three-handed games, however, such as the Spanish game of Hombre and the Italian Tarot. The groups of three who had become accustomed to playing together were reluctant to add a fourth player. Because of that, some players tried to accomodate the 32-card German-suited Sheepshead pack to three players. Each player received ten cards and the two remaining cards were set aside by the Tarot players.
The new game was mentioned for the first time in 1818 in the weekly paper, the Eastland Pages ("Osterländische Blätter"), and one might suppose that this was when Skat was born. Of course, one must admit that the game played in those days was not exactly played according to the current rules - the games of Grand and Null were added later, for example. It is also true, that the current method of bidding by number had not yet been born.
It is interesting that Skat was played in two forms in 1818. Originally, the dealer always had to play a game no matter whether he had any hope of winning or not. More often than not, he probably lost. The newer method was more sporting. Whoever thought they had the best cards opposed the others. This really wasn't yet bidding, however. The Altenburgers simply worked it out among themselves. Bidding proper, was first promoted by the players in Leipzig as they began to operate with numbers. Up to this time, the bidding process was still child's play and had little in common with the clever, interesting, and often-dramatic process that preceeds the playing of the first trick today.
But, how did Skat jump the border of eastern Thuringia and spread to other locations? Here everyone agrees that it was primarily carried by students, and primarily those studying in nearby Leipzig since Altenburg had no university of its own. They then carried the game back home with them when their studies were over. These students also developed bidding by numbers. To them, it seemed much more logical since the other players would not know in advance what each wanted to play, as was the case when it was simply worked out. Besides, the bidding went much more quickly this way.
Around 1840, the games of Grand and Null were introduced. The Jacks, however, were not included as Trumps in all locations. Not until 1860 were Jacks counted as Trumps everywhere. Even at this time, though, some other game types did not exist. Among them, Ramsch, which continues to be popular even to this day.
It should be clear at this point that the development of Skat was not always smooth and unified. Many locations played different versions of the game. In this regard, it should be remembered that not too long ago the base value of Grand was commonly 20, not the 24 specified today.
How many deals of the Skat cards would it take - ten to each player and two for the Skat - before the players held the same hands that they had on the first deal? One might suppose that this question is silly and the calculation simple. The truth is, however, that the probability is so small that this situation likely has never occured and may not occur in 1000 years. This surprising result makes more sense when one considers that the total number of possible card distributions is 2,753,294,408,504,640. Everyone should try to pronounce this number at least once!
One could certainly write a lot more about the founding of Skat. We'll let it go with this: From August 7 - 9, 1886 the first German Skat Congress took place and the stage was set for future developments.
Before we confront the specific details of Skat, we want first to give you a basic outline of what happens so that you have a better overview of the game.
Skat is played with exactly three people. The card pack consists of 32 cards with the suits Diamonds, Hearts, Spades, and Clubs, each suit containing the cards 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, and Ace.
As is typical in card games, a hand begins with the shuffling of the cards. One should note, however, that the dealer changes after each hand. More precisely, the player to the current dealer's left, deals next. The dealer distributes the cards face down to the individual players in the pattern 3-4-3. The last two cards form the so-called Skat and remain for now in the middle of the table.
The individual players take up their cards so that only they can see what is on them. According to the Skat rules, the so-called bidding process begins at this point. They have looked at their cards and in a preliminary way determined whether they want to play a suit, Grand, or Null game or to pass. On what basis one determines this will be carefully explained in the next chapters. The purpose of bidding is to determine which player will become the Soloist who plays against the other two. An exception is Ramsch in which all three players play alone.
Before the game can begin, it is necessary to explain the terms "Forehand," "Middlehand," and "Rearhand." Let's assume that our three player are called Meyer, Miller, and Smith. Meyer has dealt the cards. Miller sits to his left and Smith to his right. Play always moves clockwise. The player to the left of the dealer, Miller in our case, is Forehand, Smith is Middlehand, and Meyer is Rearhand.
Miller Smith
(Forehand) (Middlehand)
Meyer
(Dealer, Rearhand)
Once each player has figured out how high he or she wants to bid, it is up to Middlehand to make a bid. This is directed to Forehand, in our case Miller. Let's suppose that Smith is willing to bid and makes the lowest bid, 18. For Miller there are two alternatives: she either holds the value and says, "Have it" or she answers, "Pass." In the latter case, she is letting it be known that her cards are not sufficient to allow her to bid this high. If Smith as Middlehand cannot bid a higher value, he must pass. Irrespective of who passes first, the person in Rearhand may now bid a higher value. If he is unwilling or unable to do so, he must pass too. If he makes a bid, it is directed toward the person who has not yet passed. In any case, this process results in a player who has bid the highest value or who has not passed in the face of the bids from others. This person becomes the Soloist and must now determine which game is to be played, Null, Grand, or a suit game.
What happens when all players pass and no one makes a bid? According to the official rules, all the cards must be thrown in. The deal rotates and the cards are shuffled and re-dealt. Quite often, however, Ramsch is played in which each player plays alone. The loser is the one who captures the most points.
A Quick Review:
A Skat game begins with the shuffling and dealing of the cards and the bidding process. What comes next? After the bidding the Soloist is determined. He or she can either take up the two face-down cards, the so-called Skat, or play with the hand as dealt and leave the Skat untouched. If the Skat is used, two cards must be then be laid aside restoring the hand to ten cards. The Skat cards belong to the Soloist in any case regardless of whether they are seen, used, or left untouched. The other two players are then informed about the game the Soloist desires to play. As an example, let's suppose it's a suit game with Clubs as trump. After everything is known about what will be played, the first card can be led.
The first card is played by the player to the dealer's left. In our example this would be Miller. Then Smith plays a card and then it is Meyer's turn. When one card from each player is on the table -altogether 3- this so-called "trick" is won by the player who, according to the rules, has played the highest card. This person then lays the trick face down next to him or her. If the trick is won by either of the defensive partners, it is usually collected in a common pile. Whoever wins the trick, plays the first card of the next one, after which a card is played by each of the others in a clockwise rotation. It continues this way until the tenth trick is played after which the hand is over.
At this point, each party takes up the cards they have won and counts the points contained in their tricks. The winner or winners is then determined, the corresponding game values are entered into the score sheet, and the next dealer deals the cards again to begin a new hand.
Shuffle & Deal ----> Players determine options ----> Bidding ----> Soloist takes Skat (or not) and announces game ----> Play of cards (clockwise rotation) ----> Determine winner ----> return to Shuffle & Deal
This ends our discussion of the basics of the game. As a beginner, you must still have a lot of questions. The main purpose of this overview was to show you the main phases of the game. We will now go into more detail about the specifics in the chapters that follow.
We need say no more about shuffling and dealing since these chores are handled by the computer. The computer also determines the proper dealer. Now, we want to concern ourselves with themes that cannot be handled by the computer. As a first step, we should learn the individual card values.
As already mentioned, the Skat pack consists of 32 cards divided into 4 suits - Diamonds, Hearts, Spades, and Clubs - each of which contains 8 cards. These eight cards rank as follows: 7, 8, 9, Q, K, 10, Ace, and Jack. The Jacks are thus the highest trumps, the Aces the second highest, and so on. The suits rank as follows: Diamonds (lowest), Hearts, Spades, and Clubs so that the Club Jack is the highest trump card; the Spade Jack is higher than the Heart Jack, and so on. All four Jacks are counted as Trumps. Thus, if a suit game is played, there are 11 trump cards (7 in the suit plus the four Jacks).
In determining a winner(s), the question that is decisive is whether the Soloist captured the most card points. The values of the individual cards follow:
7, 8, 9 count 0 card points
Queen 3 card points
King 4 card points
10 10 card points
Ace 11 card points
Jack 2 card points
The detailed calculation follows in a later chapter.
To be completely upfront about it, no one can be forced to make a bid. Every player can pass no matter how strong his or her cards. One should, however, always bid a hand as far as reasonably possible. Suppose just once that you had a sure winner of a hand, but passed right away so that the person who ended up as Soloist would most likely lose. You can imagine that you wouldn't be particularly popular and such players are called "Maurer," Masons (= "wall builders") because they build up a defensive wall around themselves.
In Skat there are three basic game types that can be bid: Suit games, Grand, and Null. The maximum bid that a player may make without overbidding the hand, is found by calculating the product of a base value and a multiplier.
The base values are:
Diamonds base value of 9
Hearts 10
Spades 11
Clubs 12
Grand 24
Grand Ouvert 36 (Ouvert described later)
The question of how one determines the multiplier is somewhat more complicated to explain. The primary factors in determining it are the Jacks. In a suit game, the Aces, Tens, and so on may also play a role. We first discuss the role of the Jacks.
What is important is the sequence in which the Jacks are held. The Club Jack is the highest (also called "Alte," - the old one), followed by the Spade, Heart, and Diamond Jacks in exactly this order. The multiplier depends only incidently on the number of Jacks held. What is most important is their sequence.
Suppose first that Miller has only the Club Jack in her hand. She could bid, "with one" Jack. If she held both the Club and Spade Jacks, she could bid "with two" Jacks, and so on. The word "with" important here because it is used only when one holds the highest (Club) Jack and one counts downward as long as there is no break in the sequence. If she held the Club and Heart Jacks, for example, she could bid only "with one" although holding two Jacks. The second (Spade) Jack is missing.
Important: The counting stops as soon as a Jack is missing from the hand. In order to make these concepts clearer, consider the following additional example.
Miller holds the Club, Spade, and Diamond Jacks. She holds the highest Jack and thus is said to play "with." Viewing from the top downward, she playes "with two" since the Heart Jack is missing.
What happens when a player doesn't have the highest (Club) Jack? It's quite simple. He or she then plays "without" a Jack or Jacks. Contrary to the previous situation, what matters now is how large the gap is, i.e., how many Jacks in the sequence are missing.
If Miller, for example, had only the Heart Jack, she could bid "without 2." Holding the Spade and Diamond Jacks, she could only bid "without 1" since the Spade Jack breaks the string of Jacks that is missing. Without any Jacks, she would play "without 4." These multiplier values are valid for all suit games and also for Grand.
The way things are counted in Skat, one additional multiplier is always added to the with/without count in order to recognize that the player has undertaken a game. Consider an example:
Suppose Miller wants to play a Club game, but has only the Heart Jack. The maximum bid would then be, "without 2 plus one, 3" (usually spoken, "without 2, game 3") times the base value of Clubs, 12, for a total of 36. Smith, on the other hand, considers that he can easily play Grand since he holds both the Club and Spade Jacks. He calculates, "with 2, game 3" times the base value for Grand, 24, thus resulting in a maximum bid value of 72.
If someone holds cards that are so good that he or she doesn't need to pick up the Skat and discard two cards, then he or she can simply leave the cards alone and announce a game played "HAND." Doing this, increases the multiplier by one more value.
Supposing Meyer wants to play Diamonds without 3, Game 4, Hand 5, then the highest possible bid is 45 (Diamonds' base value is 9).
So far so good, but in Skat this is not all there is to the story. Recall the values of the individual cards. If all the point values are added together, they total 120. In order to win, the Soloist must capture 61; he or she loses with a count of 60. If either the Soloist or the opponents have fewer than 31 card points, then that party is said to have been played SCHNEIDER (rhymes with "spider," means "Taylor," i.e., "cut down to size") and the multiplier in raised yet another value. In the case where either the Soloist or the opponents have not taken a single trick, this is called being played SCHWARZ (= "black," i.e., has been tarred) and another multiplier is added.
If playing hand, one can also predict and announce in advance that Schneider or Schwarz will be reached. In each case, this adds another multiplier.
Example: Spades, Hand, Schneider announced, with 4 Jacks:
The calculation is: with 4, game 5
hand 6
Schneider 7
announced 8
That is, 8 times 11 (Base Value for Spades) making the highest bid 88.
The Soloist may consider a game with Schwarz announced to be so invincible that he or she is willing to play with his or her hand exposed. In this case, the Soloist plays OUVERT (= open) and exposes his or her cards face up on the table before the first card is played (the others continue to hold their cards hidden). This add yet another multiplier or, in some cases, changes the base value of the game as described below.
You can see that a player must consider a large number of things in order to determine the highest bidable value. Under which circumstances one should play which game will be discussed more completely in the next chapter. We'll avoid further discussion at this point except to comment on something that has not been mentioned yet in the interest of simplicity. In a suit game, the game value can be even higher under certain conditions.
These cases can, however, occur only when the Soloist either holds all four Jacks or none of them. If he or she holds, for example, 4 Jacks, Club Ace, Club 10, Club 9, 8, 7, the calculation is "with 4," game 5, Ace 6, Ten 7, multiplied by 12 (Base value for Clubs) resulting in the highest bid value of 84. That is, all the cards are counted downward until the first break in the sequence is reached. If playing without any Jacks, one counts the missing cards in sequence until the first card in a suit is encountered.
Null Games are an exception to the calculation of bid values described above. They always have the same bid values regardless of how many Jacks a player holds. The maximum bid values for the Null games follow:
Null 23
Null Hand 35
Null Ouvert 46
Null Ouvert Hand 59
You can see which values are possible in each case by using Pop-up menus in the program
We still haven't discussed the question of which cards are necessary in order to play a particular game. A simple answer to the question is not possible since, in principle, you can always play most any game. The only question is whether you will win or not.
A suit game is the most typical game in Skat. Let's remember that, in this type of game, Diamonds, Hearts, Spades, or Clubs are the trump cards along with the Jacks. Thus, there cannot be more than 11 trumps in a game. The more trumps a player has, the higher the probability that he or she will win the game.
Assume that you have 6 trumps. Then, your opponents can have no more than 5 which, in the best case, will be divided between them 2 and 3. At most, you will have to lead trump 3 times before you opponents can no longer win a trick with trump.
Of course, it's not only the number of trumps that determine whether one plays a suit game or not. It obviously also depends on the rank of the trumps and the cards held by your opponents must also be considered. One must also pay attention to the maximum number of cards that will be lost and the likely number of card points that will be given up in these tricks. If Miller, for example, had only the Heart 9 in the hand (with Clubs trump), she would calculate that the opponents would win a 21-point trick, if the Ace and 10 are divided, and would be almost out of Schneider.
Caution:
Remember that you must always follow the suit led whenever you hold a card of that suit (Jacks are part of the trump suit, not necessarily the suit shown on the card). If and only if a suit is missing from the hand, may one either throw off an unwanted card of another suit or play a trump. We want to explain this further with a couple of examples. You should recognize, however, that the art of bidding can only be learned through much practice.
First, consider carefully whether you prefer to use the Skat or to play a Hand game. In either case, the cards in the Skat count in the bidding process. Suppose at first that you want to play Hearts without two Jacks, have bid to 30, and pick up the Skat only to find the Club Jack. Oh no! Suddenly without 2, game 3 has turned into with 1, game 2 and the maximum bid is 20 not the 30 you have bid. Because of the Skat, you have overbid. What can you do? One possibility is to try a higher-valued game (Grand, for example) or to try to Schneider your opponents; the other possibility is simply to give up. Experienced players plan for such things and don't necessarily fully bid their "without" games.
Now for some Examples:
1. Diamonds: 7, 9, Q, K
Hearts: None
Spades: 8, 10, A
Clubs: 9
Jacks: Spade, Club
With a Diamonds game, 6 trump are available. The job of the Soloist in a Suit game is normally first to pull the trumps from the opponents. Two trump tricks are certain in any case, since the Club and Spade Jacks are the highest trumps. If the remaining trumps are divided normally (3-2), the opponents will have only one trump remaining after these two Jacks are played. Thus, as far as trump is concerned, there will be no immediate danger. It will hardly ever be the case that the Soloist cannot trump when not able to follow suit.
The Spade suit is secure. The Ace and probably the 10 can be brought home. The Heart suit is missing and can be trumped, possibly resulting in 11 or 21 points (Ace and 10). Clubs will likely lose a trick. Perhaps something useful is in the Skat and the Club can be put away. Thinking this way, one can bid to 27.
2. Diamonds: 9, Q, K, A
Hearts: 9, A
Spades 9, A
Clubs: A
Jacks: Heart
Here there are only 5 trump (Diamonds) in the hand and not especially high ones so the previous hand was better. 33 points (the Aces) seem somewhat secure. Playing correctly - as we will see later - may contribute a few more points from the opponents. One doesn't dare to count on the contents of the Skat to help.
We'll avoid further examples at this point, since the best teacher is simply to practice. You'll quickly see what must be played. One thing must be mentioned, however. The fewer the available trump in the hand, the better the so-called "side" cards must be. An Ace is an absolute requirement. On the other hand, if many trumps are available, it is rather important to have as many missing suits as possible. If an opponent plays an Ace and his partner the 10, the Soloist by trumping can win at least 21 card points. Trumping with the trump Ace will even yield 32, more than half of the amount required to win.
Of course, a little luck is required since a bad card distribution can lead to a loss even with a good hand. If one opponent had no Clubs and the other no Hearts, then the two Aces in the second example would be lost. On the other hand, don't make the mistake of playing only sure hands that can't be lost. Such players are not popular with other Skat players. Don't be a "Maurer."
Contrary to a suit game, in Grand only the 4 Jacks are trump. For the Soloist it is important to have as many Aces and 10s as possible. The base value for Grand is 24. At one time it was often valued at 20, but this is no longer permitted by the official rules. A base value of 36 is counted, if one plays ouvert. In this case, however, the Soloist must take all tricks, and loses otherwise.
The Grand games can be classified into 2 categories. Typically, the Soloist holds at least three Aces and sometimes the associated 10, so that he or she is confident of at least 50 card points. Also assumed is an even distribution of the cards, 2-3 per suit. If none of the 4 Aces is held, at least a high Jack must be available so that an Ace can be captured when led from a suit that the Soloist lacks. To summarize: if a sufficient number of Aces and 10 are available, the role of the Jacks is less significant.
In order to understand this better, consider the following examples:
1. Diamonds: 10, A
Hearts: 9, Q, A
Spades: 9, 10, A
Clubs: 10, A
Jacks: None
Although the Soloist holds no Jacks as trump, this hand is an excellent one for Grand. If the remaining suit cards are somewhat evenly divided, the Aces and 10s will go through and, with a few cards from the opponents, will total the required 61 for the win. There are 74 secure points in the hand, but one would not bid this hand assuming Schneider since the Jacks are missing.
2. Diamonds: 10, A
Hearts: 9, Q, A
Spades: 9, 10, A
Clubs: None
Jacks: Heart, Club
One would also bid Grand with this hand. Only 52 secure points are available. Holding no clubs, however, one would hope to trump the Club Ace with one of the two Jacks.
Two categories of Grand were mentioned above. In the second category, the primary requirement is not Aces and 10s, but rather a holding of at least 2 Jacks and a long suit.
Example:
1. Diamonds: 8, 9, Q, 10, A
Hearts: 7, A
Spades: None
Clubs: None
Jacks: Diamond, Spade, Club
This hand is actually a clear Diamonds game, but a Grand should be preferred because of the high base value. The first play by the Soloist should be Jacks (so that the opponents cannot trump the long suit). After that, play down the long suit (Diamonds in this case) from high to low. The defenders cannot then win these tricks and are compelled to throw off cards, even Aces and 10s of other suits at the end. With some luck, one can even win Schwarz since the opponents fortunately don't know that you hold the Heart 7.
Mixtures of the two categories also occur of course. This clear distinction in our examples is intended only to clarify how these hands look.
Null is a completely different game in Skat. In this case there are no trumps at all. The Jacks are no longer on top but are rearranged along with the 10s. The order of the cards is shown below:
Thus, the highest card in a suit is the Ace.
Goal of the Game:
In this type of game, the Soloist has the goal of taking no tricks. When and if he or she takes a single trick, then the game is lost, even if the trick contains no points. Analogously, the opponents try to arrange things in such a way that the Soloist is forced to take a trick.
How does a typical Null game look? In order to make this clear, we must first study when a suit is secure and when it is not. A suit is absolutely secure only when one holds the 7. When it is missing, an unlucky card distribution can force one to take a trick.
Example:
Meyer: 8, 9 (of a suit)
Miller: Q
Smith: 7, 10, J, K, A
Meyer holds the 8 and 9, Miller has the Queen, while Smith holds all other 5 cards among them also the 7. If Smith leads the 7 directly, Meyer must surely play a higher card, but Miller would win the trick with her Queen. So, this doesn't work out for the defenders. If Smith leads the King, however, he wins the trick for certain and can lead again. Since Miller has no more cards in this suit, Smith can immediately lead the 7, Meyer must play a higher card, and Miller can throw off. The Soloist has thus lost. This outcome is likely only when the Soloist plays "ouvert," since the opponents can see the weak point. In a normal game, it is unlikely since Smith doesn't know for sure how many cards Miller has and he must also figure that Meyer has put unsafe cards away in the Skat. If he leads a card from a suit that Meyer is missing, Meyer can throw off the unsafe cards and thus possibly win the game.
That also means that the more cards one holds in a suit that lacks the 7 the less secure it is. A lone Ace in a suit is certainly a card one would try to put away.
Even holding the 7, however, doesn't necessarily mean that a suit is secure. That depends heavily on the remaining cards held. A holding of a 7 and a King is very dangerous. One either tries to put the King away in the Skat or hopes that it can be thrown off when a blank suit is led. In the second case, one would never play ouvert.
There is, of course, no problem with a holding of 7 and 8. A holding of 7, 9, Jack, and King (alternating cards) is also completely safe if played correctly. If Smith holds all of the other cards and leads the 8, 10, Queen, or Ace, all the Soloist must do is to play the next lowest card until there is no possibility of losing. Not following this method, may lead to an unexpected loss. Suppose Smith leads his Ace and Meyer plays his Jack. The following cards remain:
Meyer: 7, 9 and King Smith: 8, 10 and Queen
Smith can now play the 10 and Meyer must follow with the 9; then Smith plays the 8 and Meyer plays the 7; finally Smith plays the Queen and the Soloist takes the trick with the King!
What must the Soloist consider when he or she must lead to the first trick (remember, take one trick and Null is lost). One should select a card that doesn't leave any suit unprotected after the card is played. Leading the 7 when it is the only card held in a suit, leaves the suit blank and is a secure play when one figures that the opponents will play their highest cards from this suit. Similarly, one can safely lead the 7 in the following cases:
- 7, 8
- 7, 8, 10
- 7, 8, 9, Q
One must already have considered these issues when one announces a game in which one must lead the first card. The specific strategy of leading both for the Soloist and for the defenders will be discussed in a later chapter.
Up to this point we have learned when a suit is secure in a Null game and when not. When a suit is not 100% safe, this is not necessarily a reason for avoiding a Null bid. It may mean only that one must not play it ouvert. A simple Null can be played since the opponents must determine the weak suit through the play. Holding only the 8 in a suit is certainly no great problem since the 7 and other cards will likely be divided among the other players. It is unlikely that any one play will hold all of the remaining cards. If the soloist is missing both the 7 and 8, however, then the situation is dangerous. One would for sure use the Skat in order to try to put these dangerous cards away.
One would normally avoid bidding a Null game when one holds two or more dangerous cards, since it is unlikely that two usable cards will be found in the Skat. It could even be worse. Despite that, give it a try! You'll soon learn from experience when it makes sense to play a Null and when not. Remember, in the end, your opponents don't know your cards.
Remember:
When playing "ouvert," the Soloist must place his or her cards face up on the table as soon as the game is announced.
The necessary fundamentals of bidding have now been discussed. We will now discuss more precisely how the bidding in Skat works.
As discussed previously, Skat is always played in a clockwise direction. The player to the dealer's right (Middlehand) must bid first, either saying, "I pass" or naming a bid value. It's best to begin with the smallest value so that the bidding can be won with the minimum bid. This minimizes the chance that one will overbid the hand.
The player to the dealer's left (Forehand) responds to the bids from Middlehand. Either the bid is accepted by saying, "Have it" or one indicates that the bid is too high by saying, "Pass."
At some point during the bidding, one of these two players will pass. The dealer must then bid. He or she either passes immediately or makes a higher bid to the player who remains. The Soloist is determined when one of these two remaining bidders passes. The winner can then decide whether or not to pick up the Skat or to play Hand. How the game continues from here can be read in the next chapter.
3.7 All Players Pass Immediately
Sometimes it happens when playing Skat, that no player knows what he or she should bid. This may result in a case when all players pass immediately. In this case, the official rules say that the cards should be thrown in and the next dealer should deal again. Commonly, however, a game of Ramsch is played. The Skat remains face down and the first card is led immediately by Forehand. More exact rules will be given in the chapter on playing strategy.
At this point, the Soloist has been determined. What happens now?
If the Soloist wants to play "Hand," he or she may not look at the cards in the Skat. For the same reason, no cards are put away in the Skat. The Soloist simply announces right away what game is to be played and the first card is then led by Forehand.
In this case, the Soloist picks up both cards in the Skat and puts them in his or her hand which now contains 12 cards. Before announcing to the other players what game will be played, two cards must be put away to restore the hand to 10 cards. Forgetting this means that the game is lost.
Any two cards may be put away. The Soloist must make the difficult decisions as to which two cards are the best for each game type.
Once the decision is made, the two cards are placed face down on the table and may not be looked at again until the end of the game. This goes for the opponents too.
4.2.1 Putting Away Cards in a Suit or Grand Game
Which are the smartest cards to put in the Skat when one plays a suit game or Grand? Trump cards are certainly not an issue. Thus, one should first determine which suit will give you as Soloist the most likely tricks. There is never 100% certainty, however, since the exact distribution of the cards is not known by the Soloist.
Card constellations like:
- A
- A, 10
- A, 10, ...
are somewhat secure, since one holds the highest cards of the suit. You should consider how many cards the opponents could have. More than two tricks (with an equal distribution of the cards) cannot be obtained in the above examples. After two tricks, six cards will have been played and there are only 7 in a suit altogether (7, 8, 9, Q, K, 10, and Ace).
If additional cards are held in a suit in addition to the ones above (for example, Ace, 10, King, and 8), then it might be worthwhile to put an Ace in the Skat insofar as no other cards are made insecure.
Suits from which the Ace is missing are the first from which cards should be put away. Certainly first among these is suits where only one card is held since this will produce a void suit. One can then trump, if cards with high point values (Ace or 10, for example) are played from this suit or throw off a card of low value and let the opponents win the trick.
Things look different, if two cards of a suit are in the hand. If they are smaller than the 10, they should be considered good candidates for putting away. If the 10 is held, then holding the suit is somewhat secure. If an opponent plays the Ace, then you can play the lower card and use the 10 to take a later trick.
This doesn't always work. For example, if one holds the Queen and uses the Queen to follow the first lead, the opponents could try to capture the 10. This would mean that they take the trick with the King and then re-lead with the Ace, thus capturing the 10. Certainly, the opponents must consider the possibility that the Soloist has put the 10 away in the Skat so that the lead of the Ace will be trumped for an 11 point loss. The choice that the Soloist makes depends critically on the remaining cards that are held. If these cards are safe, then the 10 should be put away.
Two cards out of a holding of three cards are also candidates for putting away, if the Ace of the suit is not held. Generally, however, suits with less than three cards are a better choice since putting them in the Skat will create a blank suit so that the opponents' Ace can be simply trumped when led.
Typically, the Soloist will have more than one option for cards to put in the Skat, however. In this case, one should choose the option containing cards counting the most points. One would prefer to give up a card counting 0 points than one with point value since the same 61 points are always necessary for the win.
Example:
Diamonds: 8, K
Spades: Q, K
The opponents hold the 10s and Aces in both of these suits. It doesn't make sense to put away a card from each suit (Diamond Kind and Spade King). If the Aces and 10 are divided, then the opponents will win tricks with 10 + 10 + 11 + 11 + 3 (your Queen) = 45 card points, leaving them only a few points shy of victory. Thus, one must put away both cards of a suit, since the Ace and 10 of this suit can then be trumped.
Which Suit Should One Select?
If the Ace and ten of one of these suits is in the same opponent's hand, then one will give up two tricks. In this event, it would be better for the Soloist to minimize the points lost. Since there are 7 points in Spades (Queen and King) and only 4 in Diamonds (King), put away the spades.
To conculde this discussion, consider the following examples of a complete hand plus the Skat.
Diamonds: 8, 10
Hearts: 7, 8, Q, K, 10, A
Spades: None
Clubs: 9
Jacks: Heart
Skat: Clubs: Q, 10
Hearts is a sure game with 7 trump. The Spade suit is missing. Diamonds and Clubs are unsafe and should be put away. Preference should be given to putting away cards that will void a suit. In this case, the two Diamonds are the best choice.
Diamonds: A
Hearts: 9, Q, K, A
Spades: 7, K, 10
Clubs: None
Jacks: Diamond, Heart
Skat: Spade J; Club K
The Club King is a clear choice to put away here. The second card should be a Spade, but which one? Choosing the 7 gives the opponents the chance to underplay on the first lead and capture the 10 with the Ace the second time around. Four points will still be lost even if the Ace is played first. Thus, it is better to put the 10 directly away so that it can't be lost. If all goes well and the opponents don't underplay, then the King can even win a trick.
4.2.2 Putting Away Cards for a Null Game
Which cards are most sensible to put away when playing Null? First, each suit must be considered to determine how secure it is. Please read section 3.5, "Criteria for Null" to see how this is determined. Don't forget that there are no trumps in Null and, thus, 8 cards per suit, not the usual 7.
One should first select the most unsafe card, a single King, for example, any single card of a suit greater than 7 or 8. After that come the suits with only two cards, and so on. In any case, it is the highest card that should be put away, since this makes the suit more secure.
Here are a couple of examples:
Diamonds: 7, 8, 9, 10, A
Hearts: Q, K
Spades: 8
Clubs: 7, 8
Skat: Clubs: J, Q
Diamonds and Clubs are secure because there is no distribution of the opponents' cards such that one can be forced to take a trick. The situation is different with Hearts and Spades. The Spade 8 is not completely safe, but the two Hearts are deadly for a Null game. They must be put away no matter what.
Diamonds: 7, 8, 9, A
Hearts: K
Spades: 7, 8, K
Clubs: 7, 8
Skat: Clubs: J, Q
Only Clubs are secure here. All of the other cards are more or less unsecure. The Heart King, being the least sure, should be put away first after which comes the Spade King. The Diamond Ace is still safe unless one opponent holds all the remaining Diamonds.
Diamonds: 7, 8, A
Hearts: 7, K
Spades: 7, 8, Q
Clubs: 7, 8
Skat: Clubs: J, Q
This example is similar to the preceding one. One would first select the Heart King. Two remaining suits with the same number of cards are still unsafe. In this case, one would put away the Diamond Ace since all of the remaining five cards held by the opponents are lower. With the Spade Queen, there are three lower and two higher cards held by the opponents. If one of the higher cards is forced to be played later, the Soloist can still remain under it and the suit remains secure.
You've learned a lot up to this point: how to evaluate your cards in order to figure the highest bid value, how one bids, and how the Soloist determines 2 cards to put away in the Skat. All of this is necessary to decide on what game to play and who plays against whom. Now it's time for the play to begin!
At this point, many players use a rule that is not allowed as part of the official regulations. When one of the non-Soloist players thinks that the Soloist cannot win the game that he or she announces, he may say "Double." Win or lose, double the game value will then be entered into the score sheet after the game is completed. The Soloist may respond by saying, "Redouble." This means that he or she still expects to win, the claim of the opponent notwithstanding. This doubles the score again meaning that the game value is quadrupled. As a beginner, you should handle doubling and redoubling very carefully, since much experience is required in order to predict how a game will go.
One limitation to this is that only those who themselves have bid at least 18 may say double or redouble.
One thing is consistent between all of the games. Whatever card is led, the suit must be followed by the others, if possible. The lead of a trump calls for a trump. It is the same with non-trump leads. One may throw off a card or use a trump on a non-trump lead only when unable to follow the suit led. This is one rule of Skat from which one may not deviate.
Important: Not following a lead when it is possible to do so, results in an immediate loss for the side failing to follow.
5.1 Rules and Guidelines for Grand and Suit Games
For the Soloist there are really two main strategies. One either already holds a long trump suit and bids on that basis or one depends on good side-suit cards.
In the first case, one must pull trump and continue to make trump leads until the opponents have none left. Holding the three highest Jacks, for example, one would lead them one after another. In this case, it might be good strategy to lead with the Heart Jack. When sure trump winners are missing, one can't lead from the top down. Here, a better strategy is to lead low following the rule, "Small fish can catch big ones." This also generally works well unless most of the remaining trump are held by one of the opponents in which case one would probably have heard "double" and would have to play more carefully. If the outstanding trumps are not evenly divided, then there are good possibilities for the player lacking trump to smear, i.e., play high counting cards to tricks won by the other opponent. Another difficult possibility is that opponents can lead cards that force you as Soloist to trump thus depleting your hand of trump cards. In the end, the opponent holding several trump may have more than the Soloist and even lead them weakening the Soloist's hand further.
In the second case, the Soloist would initially lead the side suits (not trump), first the Aces then the 10s. With luck, all these cards will go through and the game may already be won before any trump are played.
Finding yourself in Middlehand so that another player plays before and after you, you should always try to win the trick with a safe card.
The decision of whether to underplay or not is important only when playing the last card of a trick. Normally, this is a question of possibly catching a 10. Suppose that you hold the Ace and King of a suit and the opponents lead a 9 followed by the partner's Queen. One could first win the trick with the King and then immediately re-lead the Ace. With a little luck, the 10 will fall. But, consider carefully whether you want to take this risk because it may well be that one of the opponents will be out of the suit and can trump your Ace. It's also important to know how many card points you already have won. If you are missing only the last 11 or fewer, then you would never underplay the Ace. On the other hand, if you are certain that the opponents are out of trump, then there is no risk to underplaying the Ace and you have only to gain since the trick is secure.
The Soloist must also consider what to do when he or she is out of the suit that is led. If opponents lead a high-counting card (e.g., an Ace), then one would play a trump. This might not pay for a trick containing few card points in which case one might simply throw off a card from another suit.
Example: The opponents have played the Club Queen and 9. The Soloist lacks Clubs, but holds a single Spade (non Trump) Queen. It this case, it makes sense to give up the Queen's three points, voiding the Spade suit with the possibility of trumping the Club Ace and 10 later. Holding onto the Spade Queen could mean a loss of 24 points, if the Ace and 10 are both played on a trick and the Soloist must follow suit.
5.1.2 The Opponents (Defenders)
What's the best strategy for the defensive partners when they lead? This is not an easy question to answer. It depends heavily on where one sits relative to the Soloist. We consider first what a defender sitting in Forehand should lead when the Soloist is in Middlehand (i.e., the Defender leads a card and the Soloist plays the second card to the trick). The partner, then, plays the last card in the trick.
The beginner should follow the rules, "Long route, short suit" and "Short route, long suit." Route means "distance" to the Soloist. With the Soloist in Middlehand, the route is short and the Defender should lead the from longest suit that he or she holds. The reason for this is that probability is highest (since only a few cards are not held by the leader) that the partner will be out of the suit. The partner in Rearhand can then react to the card played by the Soloist. Either Rearhand must follow suit, and gives up the fewest card points possible, or has the opportunity to trump or overtrump should the Soloist play a card higher than the one led. This situation allows the defenders to optimize their decisions.
It's a somewhat different situation when the Soloist is in Rearhand. In this case, the opponents have already played their cards to a trick and the Soloist can figure how best to react without worrying about the cards that follow. Because of this, the defenders should always try to keep the Soloist in the middle position. In this way, the Soloist is always "in the dark" about the last card that will be played in the trick. If the Soloist is already in Rearhand, then the defender in Forehand should follow the rule above, "Long route, short suit," that is, play from the shortest suit so that the partner can try to take the trick.
Some defenders lead trump right away, but only if they hold only one. This lets their partner know that they have no more trump in their hand and enables a calculation of how the remaining ones must be divided.
How does one respond to a lead made by one's defensive partner? If the partner's card is already winning the trick, one would generally contribute a card with the highest point value. When holding the Ace of the suit led and knowing that the 10 sits elsewhere, one must consider underplaying as already described in the chapter on the Soloist.
The most important thing for all players, however, is to keep close track of which cards have already been played, who is out of which suits, and how many cards points one has already collected. Only by doing this can one correctly evaluate whether taking a risk is worth it or whether one has already won.
In this game, the Soloist may take no tricks. Winning even one trick means an immediate loss and the cards are re-shuffled and dealt again.
The decision for the Soloist is quite simple. When leading to the first trick, he or she should select a safe card. If several cards of a suit are held, one must be sure that the remaining cards are secure after the first one is led. The Soloist must assume that the Defenders will play their highest cards to the trick. A lead of a 7 by the Soloist requires the Defenders to take the trick, so they might as well do so with their highest cards.
The Soloist is still required to follow suit, however. When unable to follow suit, you should throw off from the least secure suit. What "least secure" means has already been more fully explained in Chapter 3.5 "Criteria for a Null Game."
When following, the Soloist should choose the highest card held that is still lower than the highest card already played.
Example
The Soloist holds the Club 7, 9, and Jack and the Club 10 has been led. Following the rule above, play the 9. It would be wrong to play the Jack because the Soloist will take the trickand lose if the Club 8 is held by the other Defender. The Club 7 is not correct either because the 9 would then becore vulnerable should the 8 not be played.
What should the individual defenders do? Let's begin with a simple "ouvert" game. The Defenders see the cards of the Soloist right away and can focus on their considerations. Which suit is vulerable? Who must throw off what and in which sequence must the cards be played for the win?
Unfortunately, there is no rule of thumb since what must be played depends heavily on how the cards are divided. Nevertheless, the following example should clarify things somewhat.
Soloist: Diamonds: 7, 8, 10
Hearts: 7, 10
Spades: 7, 8, 9, K
Clubs: 7
Miller: Diamonds: 9, J, Q, K
Hearts: J, Q
Spades: None
Clubs: 8, 9, 10, A
Meyer: Diamonds: A
Hearts: 8, 9, K, A
Spades: 10, J, Q, K
Clubs: K
The Soloist plays Null ouvert and Miller must lead. The only weak spot for the Soloist is Hearts. All of the other suits are absolutely secure. Playing the Hearts out straightaway will not work because Miller has only high cards. The only thing that will work is for her to throw off the Hearts.
How does this work?
The Spades must be used. Thus, Miller first leads a Diamond in order to give Meyer the lead. Meyer plays his Ace, wins the trick, and leads Spades two times. Since Miller cannot follow the Spade leads, she throws off her two Hearts. Meyer then leads his Heart 8 and Heart 9 and the Soloist loses taking the Heart 9 with his Heart 10.
It goes somewhat differently with a normal Null game. Exact calculations are not possible as they were with the "Ouvert" game. The Soloist probably has a weak point (since he's not playing Ouvert), usually a single 9. One of the defenders should first lead cards from the shortest suit (often a suit with only two cards) so that the partner will know better which suits are short. The other defender can then analyze carefully whether the Soloist might also have a weak point in this suit. If so, then then continue leading this suit. If not, try another short suit and give your partner a chance to analyze things with your short suit.
If this sounds a little abstract, consider this example played with the same cards as before (but not Ouvert).
Meyer (now in Forehand) leads his single Club King. Miller takes the trick with her Club Ace and, seeing that the Soloist has played the Club 7, figures that the Defenders cannot win with Clubs. She leads her Heart Queen which Miller takes with his Heart Ace. The example then continues with Spades followed by the Heart 8 and 9 and before. With luck, the Soloist will be forced to take a trick on the lead of the Heart 9.
5.3 Rules and Advice for Ramsch
Sometimes the cards are so well distributed that none of the players has a good hand for playing a game. In this case, all of the players pass. Under the official rules, the cards are thrown in, shuffled again, and re-dealt by the next dealer. Many people play Ramsch ("Junk" = poor hand) in this case, however. The two Skat cards remain face down and the individual players play for themselves without partners. The goal is to capture the fewest card points. Whoever takes the most card points is also credited with the points in the Skat and the total is subtracted from his or her score.
The card ranks in Ramsch are the same as they are in Grand. Only the Jacks are trump. Which card should one lead? The best choice is to lead a card from a suit where only one of the suit is held. With the suit then blank, one can then throw off a high counting card when the missing suit is led again by another player.
Suppose that the Heart 9 is led. How should the other players react? Playing a 7 or 8 keeps the leader in the lead but can have negative consequences later since higher cards remain in the hand. The more times a suit is led, the higher the probablity that someone will be out of a suit and can throw off a high counting card such as an Ace or 10. One can easily lose in the flash of an eye.
As mentioned before, there are no direct partnerships in Ramsch. How should one treat the Jacks? Commonly it happens that one or even two jacks are in the Skat since no one felt confident bidding on the hand they were dealt. Thus, one can't count on losing an Ace or 10 to a trump at the end of the game on the last trick or two.
Holding the Club Jack, one should lead it as quickly as possible before the opponents have thrown off their Jacks. If the others must follow with a Jack then the result is only six points for the player who takes the trick.
In general one must try to limit the ability of the opponents to throw off cards from their short suits. Otherwise, one may end up with many points even on leads of low cards when opponents throw off cards when they cannot follow.
Scoring:
Once all ten tricks have been played, each player counts up his or her card points. Whoever has the most loses and is credited with the points in the Skat as well. This value is subtracted from his or her score (Two players with the same highest score each lose this value). If a player succeeds in taking no tricks, then the negative score of the loser is doubled. On the other hand, if someone can take all of the tricks, this is called a "forced march" and counts 120 positive points for the player who succeeds in doing it.
After each player has played his or her last card, the hand is over. In a Suit, Grand, or Null game, each side counts up its card points and determines who has won or lost.
In Ramsch the player with the most points loses. The total is subtracted from his or her score. If one of the other players took no tricks, this loss is doubled. If neither opponent has taken a trick, then the player who captured all the cards scores a "forced march" which is valued at +120 points.
In Null the Soloist wins if he or she has taken no tricks. The maximum bid value (Null = 23, Null Hand = 35, ) is scored even if a lower bid was required to get the game.
In Suit or Grand games the card points captured by the two sides is again the deciding factor. An exception is games played "Ouvert." In this case, all tricks must be captured to win. Failing that, the game is lost.
Less than 61 points always means a loss for the Soloist. If he or she captures at least 61 points the game may be won. It can be the case that the Soloist must have reached Schneider or Schwarz to win and this requires correspondingly more card points. In any case, a win scores the maximum bid value even if the bidding was won with a lower value.
What happens when a player overbids? That means that a player makes or accepts a bid with a higher value than the game actually played. How can this happen? One way is to have bid on the basis of achieving Schneider and then not capturing the required 90 points. The other is to discover a high Jack in the Skat when one was bidding "without" so that the multiplier is reduced (e.g., without 3 becomes with 1). In either case, the result is a loss for the Soloist and the loss is doubled.
One exception to this is when one plays, "Hand" (without using the Skat). According to the official rules, the point value of lost games played Hand is not doubled, but simply recorded as a single loss.
If Double or Redouble had been said, then the score as calculated above will be further doubled or quadrupled.
At the end of all of the games, the player with the highest total score wins.
In addition to the calculations above, a performance rating may also be figured. This calculation also values the quantity of games won and successful defensive strategy. How does this work? The game values are the same as above, but there are bonus points! If the Soloist wins, he or she receives an additional 50 points over and above the game value independent of the game played. If the Soloist loses, an additional 50 points are subtracted from his or her score. The Soloist's loss also credits the defensive opponents each with 40 points.
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© 1995, John W. Sell