Scat Card Game
Skat Skat is regarded to be one of the best three-player card games in the world and unlike many games, Skat is actually designed for three and works best that way. Skat came to America with German immigrants, where it peaked in popularity in the 1940s. Skat is Germany’s No.1 card game. This popular card game can train your brain to think strategically. The card game Skat is played with 32 cards from ace to seven. You need three players for each Skat game and everyone gets 10 cards. Traditional German card game for three players played with a standard card deck (2-6 removed), roughly 200 years old. The game is based on Schafkopf, Ombre (bidding) and Tarock (remaining cards). The latest revision of rules as approved by both the International Skat Players Association (ISPA) and the German Skat Association (DSkV) dates back. Skat, card game for three players, but usually four participate, with each player sitting out a turn as dealer. It is Germany’s national card game. It originated in Altenburg, near Leipzig, about 1817 and is played wherever Germans have settled; the International Skat Players Association (ISPA) has affiliates in more than a dozen countries. Officer's Skat uses the same 32 card Skat deck as used in the standard game of Skat. As in the standard game, the ranking of the cards are dependent on the specific trump suit decided for the hand. Determination of first dealer can be determined by a number of methods, with drawing for high card a common method.
OBJECTIVE OF SCAT: Collect cards of a single suit totaling 31(or as close to 31 as possible).
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2-9 players
NUMBER OF CARDS: standard 52-card
TYPE OF GAME: Draw and Discard
AUDIENCE: All Ages
INTRODUCTION TO SCAT
Scat, also known as 31 or Blitz, shares names with other games and is not to be confused with:
- The German game ‘Skat’
- The banking game 31, which is played much like 21.
- The German game 31 or Schwimmen
- Dutch Blitz
THE PLAY
Dealing
Dealers may be chosen however players wish and pass clockwise with each hand. After the cards are shuffled, starting with their left, the dealer passes each player cards one at a time until everyone has three cards.
After each player has a full hand, the top card of the deck is flipped over, this will start the discard pile. Discards piles are kept ‘squared up,’ so that the top card is visible and free to be taken.
Playing
The player to the left of the dealer starts and play passes clockwise. A turn consists of:
- Drawing a card from the top of the deck or discard
- Discarding a single card
You are not permitted to draw the top card from the discard and then immediately discard it. Cards drawn from the top of the deck (or stock), however, may be discarded in the same turn.
Knocking
If on your turn you believe your hand to be high enough to beat at least one opponent you may knock. If you choose to knock your turn ends and you stick with your present hand. Once the player to the right of the knocker discards, players reveal their cards. Players decide which is their ‘point suit’ and totals up the value of their cards within that suit.
The player who has the lowest hand loses a life. If the knocker ties with another player(s) for lowest hand, the other player(s) loses a life and the knocker is saved. However, if the knocker has the lowest score they lose two lives. In the event there is a tie for the lowest score between two players (neither of which were the knocker), they both lose a life.
Declaring 31
If a player reaches 31, they immediately show their cards and claim their victory! All other players lose. A player can declare 31 even if another player has knocked. If you lose while you are out of money (“on the dole,” “on welfare,” “on the county”), you are out of the game. The game continues until one player remains.
SCORING
Ace = 11 points
King, Queen, Jack = 10 points
Number cards worth their pip value.
A hand consists of three cards, you may add up three cards of the same suit to determine your score.
Typically, Scat is played with each player having 3 pennies. If a player loses a life, they put a penny in the kitty (and if you lose two lives you put two pennies in the kitty).
If a player calls 31 all players puts a penny in the kitty (including the knocker).
If you run out of pennies you are out of the game. The game ends when one player remains.
VARIATIONS
Three of a Kind counts for 30 points.
Straight Flush counts for 30 points. Except for A-K-Q which is 31 points.
Minimum Knock Score, could be 17-21, for example.
“Throw Down,” is a common variant. Without looking at the cards a player can call a throw down and expose their hand. Other players must follow suit. Throwdowns are treated like knocks in respect to lives.
Skat is a strategic, trick-taking card game played with three players. Bid wisely and play correctly to maximize your points. Find the video tutorial and written explanation for how to play the card game skat below.
Skat Tutorial
Needed
32 card deck (Aces - 7s); three players, pen and paper for scorekeeping
Deal
Ten cards are dealt to each player. First, three cards are dealt to each player. Next, two cards are dealt face down into the middle to form the Skat. Then, four more cards are dealt to each player, and finally, three more cards are dealt to each player.
Objective
The object of the game is to win the most points by winning the bid and making the contract announced.
Card Rank
Highest to lowest - Jack of clubs, Jack of spades, Jack of hearts, Jack of diamonds, Ace, 10, King, Queen, 9, 8, 7
Bidding
The player left of the dealer is called the forehand, the player right of the dealer is called the middle hand, and the dealer is called the rear hand.
The opportunity to determine trump, or call null, is given to the forehand. The middle hand gets the first chance to steal that opportunity by stating a bid amount.
If middle hand bids, forehand can accept the bid or pass. If forehand thinks he/she can make that many points, he/she will accept it. At this time, middle hand can increase the bid, and forehand has the option to accept it again. This goes back and forth between middle hand and forehand until one passes.
The winner between forehand and middle hand will then repeat the process with the rear hand.
If middle hand and rear hand both pass without making a bid, Ramsch (see below) may be called by forehand.
The winner of the bid will get to choose the game type for the round and can exchange cards from his hand with the cards in the Skat if he/she chooses. The two players that lost the bid become partners.
Game Types
Trumps: the bid winner will determine a trump suit for the round. All the jacks are always considered part of the trump suit.
Grand: jacks are the only trump cards for the round.
Null: the bid winner will try to avoid taking a trick during the round. Card rank changes to Aces, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7.
Ramsch: jacks are the only trumps, and the player that wins the most card points loses the game. There are no partnerships in this game style, and the Skat is not used.
Game Play
Forehand plays the first card into the middle. Every player must follow the lead suit by playing a card in the same suit that was led whenever possible. If a jack is led, a jack or trump suited card must be played to follow the lead.
The winner of the trick is the player who played the highest ranking trump card. If no trump card was played, the winner is the player with the highest ranking card in the lead suit. The player that wins the trick leads the next trick.
The winner of the game is the player with the most points after an agreed upon amount of deals. Each player should deal the same number of times.
Scoring
Scat Cat Card Game
Players review the cards taken in from the tricks they won. The two players that lost the bid combine their cards won. The cards in the Skat are counted by the bid winner. The value of the cards are calculated.
Each Ace = 11 points
Each 10 = 10 points
Each King = 4 points
Each Queen = 3 points
Each Jack = 2 points
The bid winner needs a card total of 61 or more points to get the win for the round.
If the bid winner gets the win, he/she is awarded the base value of the game chosen times the appropriate number of multipliers.
Base Values
Diamonds - 9
Hearts- 10
Spades - 11
Clubs - 12
Grand - 24
Multipliers
Win - getting 61 or more card points
Matadors - how many of the top cards a bid winner was with or without in his hand. Matadors Examples:
A player whose highest card is the Jack of Hearts is without two matadors. This equals a two matador multiplier.
A player with the Jack of Clubs, Jack of Spades, and Jack of Hearts, but without the Jack of diamonds is with three matadors. This equals a three matador multiplier.
A player without the Jack of clubs, but with the jack of spades is without one matador. This equals a one matador multiplier.
A player with the Jack of clubs (top ranked card), but not the Jack of spades (next top card), is with one matador. This equals a one matador multiplier.
Hand - playing a trump or grand game without using the Skat.
Schneider - winning 91 or more card points.
Announcing Schneider - announcing you will get 91 or more points before the game play begins. (Can’t use Skat)
Schwarz - winning every trick
Announcing Schwarz - announcing you will win every trick before the game player begins. (Can’t use Skat)
Open - Placing your cards face up on the table for everyone to see during game play and winning all the tricks. (Can’t use Skat)
Announcing and making Schneider gives the player both the Schneider and Announcing Schneider multipliers. Announcing and making Schwarz gives the player the Schneider, Announcing Schneider, Schwarz, and Announcing Schwarz multipliers. Playing open gives a player every multiplier.
Scat Card Game How Many Players
Going Set
A player loses double the game value played if he/she does not get 61 game points, gets less points than bid, does not get Schneider when announced, or does not get Schwarz when announced.
Null Game
If successful in avoiding all the tricks in a null game, the bid winner is awarded 23 points if the Skat was used, or 35 points if the Skat was not used. The points are doubled if the player plays the hand open.
Scat Card Game App
Ramsch
The player that got the most card points in the round would lose 20 points if each other player took at least one trick, or 30 points if one player took zero tricks.
Rules
Scat Card Game Tricks
If a grand game is called, only the jacks are trump. This means if a jack is led, a jack is required to be played to follow suit.
The minimum bid is 18. Every hand will have a minimum multiplier of two for the win, and being with or without a matador. The lowest base valued suit is the diamonds at nine. Nine times two is 18.
A player’s matador multiplier could change based on the cards in the Skat, even when a player does not look at the skat. For example, a player that was without two matadors could get the jack of clubs in the skat at the end of the game. This changes his/her without two matadors to with one matador.