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Skat Glossary
Skat is a German game, and the rules are usually explained in German even in English — pagat.com, Wikipedia, and most rulebooks all use terms like Schneider and Ramsch without translating them. Here's every one you'll actually run into, with pronunciation and what it means. For the rules themselves, start at How to Play Skat.
- Skatskaht (rhymes with "hot," not "hat")
- The two cards dealt face down before play. Also the name of the whole game, taken from an Italian card-game term (scartare, "to discard") by way of the game's 19th-century origins in Altenburg, Germany.
- VorhandFOR-hahntliterally “forehand”
- The player to the dealer's left. Leads the first trick, and gets the final say in the first round of bidding (Mittelhand bids numbers; Vorhand says yes or passes).
- MittelhandMIT-tel-hahntliterally “middlehand”
- The player to Vorhand's left. Bids first, calling numbers for Vorhand to accept or pass.
- HinterhandHIN-ter-hahntliterally “rearhand”
- The dealer. Bids last, against whichever of Vorhand or Mittelhand is still standing.
- ReizenRY-tsen (rhymes with "dicing")literally “bidding”
- The auction phase, where players call numbers to win the right to become the solo player. See our full guide to Skat bidding.
- Matadormah-tah-DOR
- One of the unbroken run of top trumps a player holds ("with," starting from the Jack of Clubs) or is missing ("without"). The count sets part of the game-value multiplier. Also called Spitze(n) in German rule texts.
- SpitzeSHPIT-tsehliterally “point, tip”
- The native German term for a matador (above) — the two words mean the same thing in Skat scoring.
- SchneiderSHNY-derliterally “tailor”
- Winning (or losing) with 90 or more of the 120 card points — a clean, decisive margin. Adds a multiplier to the game value.
- Schwarzshvartsliterally “black”
- Winning (or losing) every single trick. Adds a further multiplier on top of Schneider.
- Handhahnt
- Playing without ever picking up the Skat. Riskier (you're stuck with your original 10 cards) and worth more as a result. Required before you can announce Schneider or Schwarz in advance.
- Ouvertoo-VAIRliterally “"open," borrowed from French”
- Playing with your entire hand face-up on the table for everyone to see. In a suit or Grand game, only legal after a Hand game with Schwarz announced; Null Ouvert is its own fixed-value variant, open from the very first card.
- Ramschrahmshliterally “junk, rubbish”
- The game many tables play when all three players pass during bidding: nobody is the solo player, and everyone tries to take as few card points as possible instead of as many. Some tables redeal instead — not universal, so it's worth agreeing on with your table.Common variant — not every table plays this.
- KontraKON-trahliterally “against”
- A defender's declaration, before the first card is played, that doubles the game's value — a bet that the solo player will lose. Common in club play, but not part of every table's rules; it doesn't appear in the core rules taught elsewhere on this site.Common variant — not every table plays this.
- Reray
- The solo player's response to a Kontra, doubling the value again (four times the base value in total). Only meaningful at tables that play Kontra.Common variant — not every table plays this.
- Bockbock (rhymes with "lock")literally “buck, billy goat”
- A club-specific rule where certain results (a lost game, everyone passing, and similar) trigger one or more upcoming hands to be played at doubled stakes. House rules vary a great deal on exactly what triggers it — ask before you sit down at an unfamiliar table.Common variant — not every table plays this.
Ready for the full rules?
The glossary makes more sense once you've seen these terms in context.
How to Play Skat