Skat (card game)

Lore & Background

It is based on the three-player Tarot game of Grosstarock and the four-player game of Schafkopf (forerunner of American Sheepshead). In the earliest known form of the game, all three players were dealt 10 cards each, with the remaining two cards forming the Skat. The main innovation of this new game was that of the bidding process. These describe a game for 3 players with German-suited cards who received 10 each in packets of 3, 2, 3 and 2, the two remaining cards being dealt to the table as a talon known as the Scat. There were just two contracts – Frage and Solo – and forehand opened the bidding or passed. F. L. Hempel. Historical consensus credits the Brommesche Tarok-Gesellschaft collectively, not Hempel individually, as the developer of Skat. The word Skat is a Tarock term derived from the Latin word scarto, scartare, which means to discard or reject, and its derivative scatola, a box or a place for safe-keeping. Skat is completely unrelated to an American game called Scat.

Reader's Guide

Skat is particularly popular in Germany, where tournament Skat is regularly held in restaurants. In contrast to most other card games, Skat is organized as a sport, with Skat associations, clubs, ranking lists and even a national league. Most German Skat clubs are affiliated to the German Skat Association (DSkV), which organizes the championships. The global organisation, the International Skat Players Association, is primarily responsible for organising the World and European Championships. Skat is played on a lesser scale in countries bordering Germany, including the Netherlands, Denmark (especially southern Jutland), Poland and Austria. The member countries of ISPA include Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, Namibia, Netherlands, Paraguay, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, UAE, Uruguay, and the USA. The current rules, followed by both the International Skat Players Association, German Skat Federation and British Skat Association, date from Jan. John McLeod considers it one of the best and most interesting card games for three players, and Kelbet described it as 'the king of German card games.'

Did You Know?

• The word Skat derives from the Latin scarto, meaning to discard or reject.
• The German Skat Association estimates that around 25 million Germans play Skat, though this figure is unverified and not an official comparison to football participation.

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