Game instructions
How to play
- 3–4 players
- ranked
Aim and preparation
Three or four people sit at the table. Three receive cards in each deal; at a four-player table the dealer sits out, and the dealer role rotates. Each active player gets ten cards from a 32-card pack, seven through ace. Two face-down cards form the skat. A match lasts 1–4 complete dealing cycles, with three deals per cycle for three players or four for four. The highest total match score wins.
Bidding
The player after the dealer responds to the next player's offer by holding or passing. The offering player may raise or pass. The third active player then challenges the survivor. The auction winner becomes declarer against two defenders. Bidding starts at 18; the interface offers valid values. If both challengers pass without a bid, the first player may take 18 or pass too. All passing ends the deal without points.
Skat and declaration
The declarer may pick up the skat and bury any two cards, or choose Hand without seeing the skat. Then choose a trump suit, Grand or Null. An Ouvert hand is visible to everyone. Open suit and Grand games and Schneider or Schwarz announcements require Hand; Null Ouvert also permits picking up the skat.
Cards and tricks
A trick contains one card from each active player. Forehand, the first player after the dealer, leads initially; each trick winner leads next. Follow the led suit when possible; otherwise play any card. In suit games all four jacks are the highest trumps: clubs, spades, hearts, diamonds. Below them, trump and plain suits rank A, 10, K, Q, 9, 8, 7. In Grand only jacks are trumps. A jack belongs to the trump suit, not its printed suit. Highest trump wins, or highest card of the led suit without a trump. Null has no trumps and ranks A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7.
Winning the contract
An ace scores 11 card points, ten 10, king 4, queen 3, jack 2 and other cards zero: 120 altogether. Skat points belong to the declarer. A basic contract needs at least 61; Schneider announced needs at least 90, Schwarz and open suit or Grand contracts require all ten tricks. A Null declarer must avoid every trick; taking one ends the deal as a loss.
Match scoring
Base values are diamonds 9, hearts 10, spades 11, clubs 12 and Grand 24. The engine multiplies the base by consecutive top trumps held or missing from the club jack down, plus game levels: basic, Hand, Schneider, Schneider announced, Schwarz, Schwarz announced and Ouvert. Schneider means one side has at most 30 card points; Schwarz means no tricks. The skat counts when evaluating top trumps. Null has fixed values: 23, Hand 35, Ouvert 46 and Hand Ouvert 59. A won contract adds its value to the declarer's score; a loss deducts twice its value. Defenders score zero for that deal. Overbidding loses even with enough card points; the charged value must cover the bid.
Leaving and restarting
With four players, a resting dealer may leave without interrupting the deal. If an active player leaves, the remaining three receive a new deal without points for the interrupted one. Fewer than three remaining players ends the match with a forfeit for the person leaving. The final table remains visible; another START begins a new match. Clock time and increment come from table settings.
You know the rules — time for a game.
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