Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-18

books on card games was asked the other
day what he thought about skat.
Endorsement Of the King.
while have played skat for years." he
said, land belong to both the German and
the American skat leagues. my attention
was first called to the possibilities Of the
game by a story told me by Lady - In
London last spring. 1t appears that some
people at dinner party were praising the
attractions of bridge in the presence of the
king. WREN the king remarked that he
thought skat was the better game.
Il quite agree with the king that in some
respects skat Is better game. In fact, It
has several points In its favor that no other
game can boast Of.
ITO begin with. It is one of the few really
good games for three players. but IL there
are four or five candidates they can all
play. and even six may make up table.
This Is Infinitely better than whist or bridge,
In which IL there are not exactly four 1t is
either impossible to play or some one must
sit out and watch the game all through a
rubber. In skat a newcomer never has to
wait for a seat and the game is finished
any time you want to stop.
Skat does not require the gambling ele
ment to make 1t Interesting like bridge or
poker. In bridge you must play for money
or there would be no restraint on the decla-
rations.
mo matter how rash the make may be
IN bridge 1t Is possible to pull 1t Off. but in
skat 1t is useless to overbid your hand be-
cause you know In advance that you must
lose. In bridge you declare with a view
to winning as much money as possible: in
skat you declare in order to get the prlvi-
lege of playing.
I'm the one you must declare, win or
lose; in the other you declare only when
you have the odds in your favor.
MANY of the elements that make bridge
so popular are to be found in skat. such as
the sole responsibility for the result Of the
declaration resting with the player who
two adversaries against him. But in skat
there Is the added interest that the adver-
saries are not always the same pair. as
they are in bridge With a table of four
different ways in which one player. naming
the trump, may be opposed to different
partnership.
I'm bridge there are only two games.
trumps and no trumps, and there Is only
one way of selecting them-to name them
In skat there are seven games, and there
are three different ways of selecting them,
considerable Judgment being required in the
choice Of methods"
AS to the game itself, there seems to be a
general but mistaken impression that 1t is
complicated and difficult to learn Judging
from the description of 1t, this idea Of the
game must be mistaken one.
Both the teachers quoted above insist
that II the game Is properly presented to the
pupil 1t is easily mastered in ten lessons of
an hour each. and at the end of that time
any person of ordinary intelligence will be
better skat player than the majority of
those who have simply picked up the game,
even If they have played 1t for years.
Rules Of the Game.
Skat Is played with a pack of thirty -two
cards. all below the seven being thrown
out. AS in all German games the ten ranks
next to the ace, and then come the X @
8 8 Z. The four jacks are always the best
cards in the pack. no matter what the
trump suit may be.
There are never more than three active
players in each deal. although four or five
may sit at the same table and take their
turns to become active players Each in
dividual is for himself and the final result
rs an Individual score. Each deal Is prac-
ticaliy complete game In itself, but it is
usual to finish round so that each may
have dealt an equal number Of times
Any one can have the first deal, after
which 1t passes in order to the left The
cards are given out three at time for the
1rst round; then two are laid aside, face
down. for the skat; then four more to each
player, and finally three, so that each hand
consists of ten cards.
When four play. the dealer takes no cards
When five play, he gives to the two on his
left and the one on his right.
There are several varieties of game to be
played, and the players bid against one an
other for the privilege of saying what the
game shall be. the one Offering to play the
game which will win or lose the greatest
| VI pOlI1tS having the cnOlCe-
This bidding is done by naming the figure
value or game such as twelve, sixteen or
thirty. as the case may be. If no one bids,
the player on the dealers left has the right
I Any bids the made to him first by the
player on his left. If he has game worth
as much himself he says so, and the other
must bid higher or pass. The survivor
Of this fist bidding is then open to bids
from the third man, who must offer higher
than the last bid or pass.
The successful bidder, who is called the
player, can name much more expensive
a game as he pleases. but he cannot name
a cheaper one. II the bid on which he
holds 1t Is twenty, he must play a game
worth at least twenty.
Having stated what he is going to play
the two others become partners against
him for that deal, but there is no change
in the original lead. which is always with
the player on the dea1ets left. Players
must follow suit If they can. but there is
no obligation to win a trick or to lead any
particular suit
There are three kinds Of game to be
The successful bidder can play with a whole
suit for trumps as well as the four jacks
or with only the jacks as trumps, or with
no trumps at all.
ways what the trump shall be: by taking
both the skat cards into his own hand and
then picking out the trump; by turning
UP whichever skat card he pleases the suit
1t belongs to being the trump; or by leaving
the skat cards alone and declaring on his
original ten cards.
II he means a suit for trumps 1t is to his
advantage to pick out the one that will give
him the most points, II he has a choice;
because the suits vary in value. just as they
do in bridge, clubs being the best. spades
next, then hearts and diamonds.
AS the four jacks are always the best
trumps there are eleven cards in the trump
suit, and only seven in each Of the plain
suits. These Jacks outrank one another
just as the suits do, the club jack being
the best card in the pack. When jacks are
the only trumps the plain suits are all
equal, so that there are four plain suits of
seven cards each and a trump suit of four
cards. all Jacks: but the jacks still outrank
one another.
The object Of the game Is not to win a
certain number Of tricks, but to get GER
tain number OF points in the tricks won.
These points are reckoned by giving the
five highest cards in each suit a fixed
value.
The ace counts II. the ten 10. the king 4.
the queen and the jack 2. The Z, 8 and
have no value.
There being four suits with thirty points
in each. there are 100 in the pack. and the
successful bidder, who names the game.
must get home the majority of this 100
that Is, sixty-one or more-or he loses his
game.
The amount won by a player when he
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