Skat Fundamentals

Defense

  1. There are exceptions to every rule but following the rules is better than a guess.
  2. Keep the bidder in the middle.
  3. On the first lead, do not cut on your partner.
  4. Return your partners lead.
  5. A doubleton is the world’s worst lead. However, sometimes it can’t be helped.
  6. In the backhand, lead a singleton.
  7. In the forehand, lead long.
  8. Do not lead a singleton forehand. Repeat, do not lead a singleton forehand.
  9. When you have four trumps, do not lead a singleton. Even if you are backhand.
  10. Remember the Holy Grail of Skat and play your three card suit accordingly. See Solos.
  11. Pay attention, when it is obvious that a hand cannot be beat, run your ace to get out.
  12. Think before you discard from a K-8-7 holding. It may be your only way out.
  13. If you cannot catch a trick with your Jack, show your partner so he can save his ace.
  14. In Grand lead aces.
  15. In Grand, pay attention to what was bid and lead accordingly to your partner, especially if you don’t have an ace.
  16. In Null lead your singleton.
  17. In Null, return your partners lead before leading your singleton. His lead may have been a singleton. You will have to look at your cards and read the mail.
  18. Pay attention to what was bid and what suit was declared trump. A sure sign of who holds the Jack of clubs. Example: the bidder bids 20 and picks up the skat. If he plays diamonds most likely he is against or with two or he plans on a Schneider hand.
  19. Do not lead a singleton in the middle of the game.
  20. In the middle of the game, do not open the last suit backhand.
  21. If your partner does not bring back your lead, it’s probably because he cannot.
  22. Once the ace and 10 fall of a suit, switch suits.
  23. 39 is the magic number and why counting trumps is important. It’s late in the game and because you have counted the trumps you know that you will capture only one more trick, hail Mary, lead your 10 and hope your partner has the ace. If he doesn’t it makes no difference. But if he does and you didn’t, well that did make a difference. Sounds good to me :-).
  24. Watch for the hesitation move, is it real or BS!
  25. If you have the Ace-King-Queen and you are mouse trapping, lead the Queen.

Offense

  1. With five trumps expect the following split:          5-4-2.
  2. With six trumps expect the following split             6-3-2.
  3. Lead trumps to catch the third trick.
  4. Leading two blackjacks to get the trumps out has resulted in the loss of many hands. See rule three.
  5. With seven trumps, be prepared for an opponent holding three trumps. Prior planning prevents piss poor performance.
  6. When you encounter adverse trump distribution, switch to your forcing suit ASAP (you do have a long forcing suit, don’t you?).
  7. Remember the “Holy Grail” of Skat. If you have three cards of a suit 40% of the time they will be sitting 3-2-2, 50% of the time 3-3-1 and 10% of the time 3-4-0(approximately).
  8. When sitting backhand your opponent will try to lead a singleton.
  9. When sitting middle hand your opponent should be leading long.
  10. When playing with rookies, forget about the rules. Expect the unexpected.
  11. Many players are “Singleton Challenged”. They will lead a lone card no matter what their position or how many trumps they hold. You should be able to locate this type of player by the third round.
  12. Pay attention to the bid. From the bid, you should be able to deduce what their strong suit is.
  13. If an opponent bids the value of your suit, he may be playing the same suit that you are trying to play. Is your hand strong enough to win if you run into five or six trumps?
  14. Sitting middle hand is not the time to gamble on the skat.
  15. Pay attention to the type of players at the table, are they aggressive or tight. When an aggressive player passes he probably didn’t have anything. Watch out for the tight player. Usually it is the tight player who will be holding the trumps and full cards against you. Take note where his position is.
  16. Don’t fall asleep on weak hands. Count your trumps and your points and be prepared to make a run to 61 points. Example you’re sitting on 39 and have two aces. It’s time to play the two aces.
  17. Stay calm and focused. Going on tilt after a loss can lead to disastrous results. I know!
  18. Don’t get caught up with the BS at the table. This can lead to loss of concentration.
  19. Five trumps and five suit cards have a very low batting average especially if it’s not your lead.
  20. Points per trick is what it’s all about. Look for opportunities to discard a losing card for less.
  21. Be careful of thinking too far ahead, it’s a renege fixing to happen. Stay focused.
  22. When you win show some humility. When you lose don’t be an ass, just smile and bear it.
  23. You’re going to have days you can do no wrong and you will have days when nothing goes right. That’s part of the game. Have patience.
  24. Two black jacks does a skat hand not make.

I’m sure there are some other jewels of wisdom. If you have some, send them to me and I will include them in this list. Below are some links where you can pick up more information on the fundamentals of the game from the Cleveland Skat Club .

Tip 1
Tip 2
Tip 3
Tip 4

Thanks Bill