Thirty-one is a simple card game also known as Scat and Blitz. You can play 31 with two to 10 players and a standard deck of cards. The game is simple enough for younger children and requires both skill and luck as players try to balance getting a good hand and catching others with bad hands. Place a bet to begin! How to play scat /31 card game This is a simple draw and discard game, suitable for players of all ages. Players have a three card hand and the aim is to collect cards in a single suit worth 31 points or as near as possible to that total. Skat (German pronunciation: ˈskaːt) is a 3-player trick-taking card game of the Ace-Ten family, devised around 1810 in Altenburg in the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. It is the national game of Germany and, along with Doppelkopf, it is the most popular card game in Germany and Silesia and one of t.

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

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.

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.

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

• 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.

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.

Scat Card Game Strategy

One of the most fascinating aspects of Skat is that the Player has more options than just calling trumps. The Player has a variety of options or games he/she can play, and this gives Skat its depth and variety.

One of the ways to learn Skat, is to understand that the options for play, allow the Player many choices, and once you see that those choices are to be exploited, this is a game I truly recommend. If you want to learn to play cards, and enjoy doing it, then learn this game and its nuances.

The Cards

32-card deck, shortened to 7 and up. Cards rank A, 10, K, Q, J, 9, 8, 7.

When there is a trump, the four Jacks are always trumps and from highest to lowest rank, J♣, J♠, J♥, J♦.

The remainder of the trump suit rank under the Jacks from Ace down through 7. (i.e. A, 10, K, Q, 9, 8, 7)

The Deal

Players cut to deal, and each player is dealt ten cards in batches of 3 and 4, with two for the center, the Skat.

Designation of Players

The player to the dealer’s left is called the ‘Forehand’ or ‘Leader’, the next player is called the ‘Middlehand’, and next to him/her, (the dealer), is called the ‘Rearhand’ or ‘Endhand’.

The player who finally wins the bidding is called the ‘Player’.

Objective

In most bidding games, the winner of the bidding simply calls trumps, with few other options. In Skat, however, the Player has an array of options or game formats which can be taken that best fits their hand.

Bidding

Skat games have an unusual bidding sequence. The first to speak is the Middlehand who, if he/she chooses to bid, announces how many points they think they can win, beginning with 10, and increasing in increments of 2.

In reply, the Leader will say “Yes” or “Stay”, meaning he/she can equal or exceed the bid. In which case, if Middlehand wants to continue bidding, must increase their bid.

This continues until one of them, Middlehand or Leader, passes. At which time, the Rearhand enters the bidding and bids against the ‘survivor’ of these two in the same manner.

If both Middlehand and Rearhand pass, the Leader is required to name the game and play out the hand even if he/she would prefer to pass.

Naming the Game

A player can choose to play with or without a trump and with or without using the Skat, or by using only the four Jacks as Trump.

Tournée: On declaring Tournée, the player picks up the top Skat card. The player may use it to establish trumps, in which case he/she shows it to the other players, OR, may reject it as trumps and turn the next card of the Skat face up and this established trumps. In this latter case, the game is know as ‘second turn’.

If the card is a Jack, the Player may either select that suit as trumps or may declare that only Jacks are trumps, in which case the game becomes Grand Tournée, and can only be announced if a Jack is turned up at the Skat.

Whether the trump is fixed by the first or second card, the player is entitled to take up both Skat cards and put them in his/her hand and discard two face down.

Solo: Without looking at the Skat, the player declares a trump suit, and then plays their hand without using the Skat.

Grand Solo: Grand Solo is played with only the Jacks as trumps. The player does not take the Skat in hand.

Gusker: the player picks up the Skat cards without showing them and discards any other two cards face down. Play proceeds with only the Jacks as trumps.

Nullo: Is a contract to lose all tricks without looking at the Skat. The hand is played without a trump suit.

Ouvert: The player exposes their entire hand before the opening lead, contracting either to win all tricks with Jacks as trumps – Grand Ouvert – or to lose all tricks – Null Ouvert.

Ramsch: Played only when all three players pass without bidding, and the Leader must play the hand.

With only Jacks as trumps, each player tries to win as few tricks as they can. Skat cards are not used in play and at the end of the hand, go to whoever won the last trick.

Scat Card Game How Many Players

The Play

The Leader makes the opening lead, and thereafter the winner of the trick leads to the next.

The Rules

Standard trick taking rules apply

• You must follow suit to the card led, if possible.
• If unable to follow suit, you can play any card
• The trick is won by the highest trump played to it. If no trumps are played, then the trick goes to the highest card of the suit led.

Value of Games

The Multipliers

A player may multiply the basic value of whatever game they elect to play.

Card Values

Except for the 7, 8, and 9, each card captured in a trick has a specific value

Ace = 11
Ten = 10
King = 4
Queen = 3
Jack = 2

Thus there are 120 points in the deck – 30 points per suit.

Schneider: If a player takes cards worth 91 points or more, he/she is said to have “schneidered” the other players. This achievement multiplies his score.

Schwartz: To win every trick is to score a “Schwartz” or “Grand Slam”. Except at Nullo, failure to win a trick incurs the penalty of Schwartz.

Announcing: Before the opening lead is Solo games, the player may multiply his/her potential winnings or, for that matter, penalties, by announcing that they expect to score Schneider or Schwartz.

Matadors: The player who holds the Jack of Clubs is said to be “with” as many Matadors as he/she holds in sequence down from that card. For example, to hold J♣, J♠, J♥ and Ace of Trumps, is said to be with three Matadors, the J♦ missing.

Conversely, a player who does not hold the J♣ is said to be “without” as many Matadors as there are trumps higher than his/her highest trump. Therefore, a player holding, say, the J♥ as his/her highest trump, is said to be “without two”.

The Multipliers are valued as follows:

Using the Multipliers

Except when playing Nullo or Ramsch, the score for a fulfilled contract is arrived at by
a) Adding together the applicable multipliers
b) And then multiplying the basic game value by that number.

In Nullo, no multipliers are used. In Ramsch, the player taking the fewest tricks scores 10 points. If a player takes all tricks at Ramsch, they lose 30 points.

Other Scoring

A player who fulfils their declaration and the full value of their game equals or exceeds their bid, they score the value of their actual game, which may be higher than what was bid, plus any multipliers that may apply.

Scat Card Game Tricks

If a player falls short of the necessary points for the game, they lose the basic value of the game. The penalty is doubled at Gusker or second turn.

If a player fulfils their declaration but gains fewer points than they bid, they lose whatever multiple of their declared game’s basic value exceeds their bid. For instance, if the player were to declare and play Heart Solo Tournée, and get 72 points in high cards, and is with one Matador, the game is worth 20 points. If the player had bid 22, they’re in trouble. The penalty is computed by multiplying the basic value of the declared game, in this case 10, by whatever number it takes to exceed that bid. In this case, that number is 30, as 30 is the first multiple of 10 exceeding 22. Thus the penalty is calculated 3 x 10, which = 30. The penalty is 30 points.

Game

The game should consist of a previously agreed number of deals, that number being a multiple of the number of players participating. That way everyone gets to deal an equal number of times.

Scat Card Game Online

L I N K S

Rules for Skat - Card Games Website
Skat - Germany's National Card Game David Parlett's Skat pages
How to Play Skat - Cats at Cards
A History of the Card Game Skat

Scat Cat Card Game