The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-18

pack of cards Is used from which all the
twos, threes, fours. flves and skies are
removed, Seaving in the pack thirty-two
cards.
To start the game one player takes I'm
the assorted pack and begins to deal them
around, face upwards. The player TO whom
is dealt the first jack secures the privilege
of the leading deal. Then skat is begun in
earnest. The cards dealt three all around
then two all around; next two are laid
aside face downwards for 1.-The skat'-and
here lies the significance of the meaning
treasure" as this "skat" counts in the
game when the latter is over, and is the
perquisite of the one who leads. After the
skat is laid down the dealer continues to
deal the remaining cards, three all around
and then two.
Each player arranges her hand in suites
in the order of clubs spades. hearts dia-
monds, the jacks first, then ace, ten spot
king, queen, nine, eight, seven.
Now comes the first peculiar feature
of skat. You do not go right on and
play one game as is usual, but one Of
nine auxiliary games is decided upon.
These are known by the names of Grand,
Nullo Ouvert, Solo in Clubs, Nullo Solo
in Spades, Solo in Hearts, Solo in Dia-
monds, Tourne and Ramsch. Grand is
the most difficult and counts the most in
scoring, the others less intricate in the Or
OtI llltH nave D6en UdiDGu.
Ramsch is the easiest and the players
never choose it, for it Is the unwritten law
that if none Of the harder games can be
played Ramsch must be settled upon. In
deciding which one shall be played, the
player at the right of the dealer has the
first say. She makes the game in accord
ance with the cards she holds, and usual
ly ventures forth with Tourne, the next
easiest to Ramsch, but if she has a fine
hand of clubs she will probably make it
Solo in Clubs.
After she has made it what best suits
her, the dealer has a turn to make it,
and then the third player may agree to
one of the games already named, or may
choose another if desired The game final
ly settled upon is the hardest one that has
been named by any of the three. If they
all pass, as they have the privilege Of
doing, Ramsch is settled upon.
Tourne is the game oftenest played, and
if you know this, ii is easy to learn the
others, as they are all very similar. To
play Tourne, the player on the right of the
dealer turns, one at a time, the two cards
composing the skat The first one turned
is trumps. She then takes them into her
hand and discards two of her poorer ones.
The player to the dealers left leads off,
the others in turn following suite, If pos
sible, if not, trump or throw away. All
jacks are trumps and must be used as
such if the player has no others. Inc
scoring only counts for the one who takes
the trick, the losers are marked minus
the sum.
Space does not admit of more details
here, but handy little volume on how
to play skat has appeared in this country,
printed in English, and can be found OF
ordered at almost any reliable bookseeir $
The chief different in the various games
which go to make up skat, lies in the
scoring In Nullo the aim of each player
Is not to take a single trick, while the two
opponents combine to make each other
take as many as possible. The rule Oh
the game is if a player takes trick she
loses it, if she takes none she wins
Nullo Ouvert is the same, only after
the first trick has been played, the leader
lays her cards face upwards on the taole,
and defies her opponents to make her take
a trick They in turn try to defeat her.
In both Nullo and Nulio Ouvert there are
no trumps.
In the game of Grand only the four
jacks are trumps, and the skat is not
used. The tricks are not counted, only
the points made For instance, one -
counted for the game if it is Tourne, two
If it as Solo, more if it is Grand That
is, if you win you score so much for tho
game. so much for each jack, and so on.
The scoring in all the games is unique
and varied, indeed the great and last
charm of skat Is it's diversity, and the
most intelligent the player the greater en-
joyment found in playing skat, though Il
is not too intricate for the possessor OF
moderate brains to learn readily and take
pleasure in. Carolyn Halsted'