In America, Reichs-Skat is no longer played; the value of some of the games is changed, and all the bidding is by Zahlen-reizen. In all the text-books on Skat which we have examined, this fact has been entirely overlooked.
SKAT.
The etymology of the word Skat, sometimes spelt Scat, is a matter of doubt, but the most plausible explanation is that it is a corruption of one of the terms in the parent game of Taroc; “scart,” from “scarto,” what is left; or “scartare,” to discard or reject. “Matadore” is another word from the game of Taroc, still retained in Skat. Others attribute the word to “Skatt,” the Old-German or Anglo-Saxon for money; the modern German, “Schatz,” a treasure, referring to the forms of the game in which good counting cards are laid aside in the skat for the count at the end of the hand. This derivation would account for both spellings of the word, with a “k” and with a “c.”
The student is advised to make himself familiar with the German terms in the following description, as they are in common use wherever skat is played. Many American players who use the English language in bidding by figures, still adhere to the German names for the suits and positions at the table.
CARDS. Skat is played with a pack of thirty-two cards, all below the Seven being deleted. The rank of the cards differs according to whether the players are attempting to win or to lose tricks. If the object is to win tricks, it is known as a “game;” if the object is to lose, it is called a “nullo.” In nullo the cards rank in their natural order; A K Q J 10 9 8 7, the Ace being the highest. In the various “games,” the four Jacks are always the best trumps, and are known as Wenzels. The other cards follow the usual German rank; A 10 K Q 9 8 7, the Ace being the highest in plain suits.
The German names for the cards are as follows;—Jack: Wenzel, Bauern, Bube, Jungen, or Unter. Ace: As, or Daus. Ten, Zehn. King, König. Queen: Dame, Ober, or Königen. Nine, Neun. Eight, Acht. Seven, Sieben. The most common terms are; Bube, As, Zehn, König, Dame, etc. The words Unter and Ober for the Jack and Queen, refer to the manner of marking the suits on the German cards. In the Queens, the mark of the suit is always above the figure, which has a single head; in the Jacks the suit mark is always under the figure. This distinction is necessary, because in the German cards the Queen is a male figure. The King has two suit marks, one on each side of the head. When the French or American double-head cards are used, with suit-marks in both corners, the words “ober” and “unter” have no meaning; Dame and Bube being used instead.
Rank of the Suits. In addition to the rank of the cards themselves, the suits outrank one another, except in Nullo, clubs being always the best, then spades, hearts and diamonds. The Germans have various names for the suits, that first given in each instance being in common use among modern Germans. Clubs: Kreuz, Trefle, Eicheln, Eckern, or Braün. Spades: Pique, Schüppen, Laub, or Grün. Hearts: Hertzen, Cœur, or Roth. Diamonds: Carreau, Schellen, Eckstein, Ruthen, or Gelb. In the German notation of card games and problems, the suits are indicated by the French terms: clubs, tr for trefle; spades, p for pique; hearts, co for cœur; diamonds, car for carreau. The cards are indicated by the initials; A K D B Z 9 8 7, which stand for As, König, Dame, Bube, Zehn, etc. The winning card in each trick is always printed in full-faced type.
The cards of each suit are divided into two parts, known as counting cards, Zahlkarten, and those having no counting value; Fehlkarteten or Ladons. The counting cards and their values are as follows:—Ace 11, Ten 10, King 4, Queen 3, and Jack 2. These are used in reckoning up the value of the tricks won by each side in counting toward 61 in all the “games,” but not in Nullo. The Seven, Eight and Nine have no counting value.
The rank of the suits has no influence on their trick-taking powers, nor on the value of the Zahlkarten; but it increases or diminishes the value of the “game” played for. When any suit is made the trump, it takes the precedence of the three others only in so far as trumps will win other suits, and the suits which are not trumps are equal in value so far as trick-taking is concerned. As the four Wenzels are always the highest trumps, there will always be eleven cards in the trump suit, and seven in each of the plain suits; so that if clubs were trumps, the rank of the cards would be:—
