Skat – With Ramsch

Player: 3 active (4 at the table: the dealer sits out) · Cards: German or French Skat deck, 32 (7 to Ace) · Type: Trick-taking game with bidding (1 against 2)

Play Skat against the computer

Objective

Normal game: as in the basic form. In Ramsch: take as few card points as possible.

Equipment & setup

The dealer deals 3 – Skat (2) – 4 – 3 cards. Positions: forehand (left of dealer), middlehand, rearhand.

Card ranking & card values

Card points: A 11, 10 10, K 4, Q/O 3, J/U 2, 9/8/7 0 (total 120). Trump order in a suit game: Jack of Clubs, Jack of Spades, Jack of Hearts, Jack of Diamonds, then A, 10, K, Q, 9, 8, 7 of the trump suit. Side suits: A, 10, K, Q, 9, 8, 7. Grand: only the 4 Jacks are trump. Null: no trump, order A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7.

Gameplay

1) Bidding as usual. If a game results, it is played normally.

2) If all three players pass, Ramsch is played.

3) The Skat stays face down and goes to the winner of the last trick at the end (house rule: pass the Skat around).

4) Only the four Jacks are trump – as in Grand.

5) Forehand leads, everyone plays for themselves.

Special rules & special cards

Matadors: number of Jacks 'with' (held in sequence from the Jack of Clubs) or 'without' (missing in sequence). Ouvert: play with cards face up (suit/grand only with schwarz announced).

Scoring & points

Normal games: as in the basic form. Ramsch: whoever has the most card points loses and gets that number as minus points. Virgin: if a player hasn’t taken a single trick, the Ramsch counts double. Durchmarsch: if one player takes all tricks, they get +120.

End of game & winning

After an agreed number of games (tournament: series of 36 or 48 games) or a points target.

Origin & history

Emerged around 1810–1820 in Altenburg (Thuringia) in the 'Brommesche Tarok-Gesellschaft' from Schafkopf, Tarock and L'Hombre. First Skat congress in 1886, German Skat Association founded in 1899; today the International Skat Rules (ISkO) apply. Added to Germany’s national inventory of intangible cultural heritage in 2016.