Welcome to the New York City Skat Association in Astoria, Queens!

If you are interested in playing or learning the great German card game of Skat, send me an e-mail.

Games are played about once a month (most of the time) in Astoria, Queens.

All players, including beginners, are welcome!

Next game is not scheduled. Please contact Peter if you're interested in playing.

NYCSA Skat Scorecard

NYCSA Rules:

The NYCSA plays with standard DSkV rules with the following exceptions:

Contra (X2) may be declared up to and included when a player plays his or her first card. Re-contra (X4) allowed. One must bid to declare Contra.

If no bid is placed (a passed hand), one hand of Ramsch is played with the cards in hand (no grand-hand offered, no Schieberamsch, and Skat goes to last trick).

One round of Bock (double value), followed by one round of Ramsch is played following grand hand won, contra won, re-contra won, or a 60-60 game. Only one round of Bock and Ramsch will be played per scoresheet page (usually 32 hands).

Games are played for 1/2 cent per point.

Ramsch rules:

Grand hand is offered (not when Ramsch is played after a passed hand).

If grand hand is played, the same dealer deals the next round of Ramsch.
Schieberamsch. Jacks may not be passed. Not looking at the cards doubles the final point value. Additional increases multiply the loss (ie: 2, 3, 4, 5X the value) but do not continue to double the point value (ie: 2, 4, 8, 16X)

Last trick takes skat.

Taking no tricks (Jungfrau) doubles point values.

Taking all tricks shoots the moon (120 points to the player).

There is only one loser, who loses 50 points (not doubled for the lost hand). On a tie there can be two losers. On a tie there cannot be two winners.

Links:

• Skat is a three-person trick taking game related to bridge and euchre. As card games go, skat is quite complicated. But it's still just a card game. Everybody can learn it. Learn to play Skat in 3 pages is the shortest complete set of rules I know.
  
• A more complete set of rules: skat for beginners.
• My book (and absolutely nothing to do with skat)!
• English-language Skat forum.
• PlayOK (formerly Kurnik). Play skat online in Poland (or at least in Silesia or Śląsk, the part of Poland that used to be Germany). It's a great website. The interface is in English or German. And it's free! Polish language lesson: cze means hello and goodbye, dz means thanks, and gr means congrats. You're good to go.

Notes:

April 2013: Yes, it's a been a long while, but things are picking up.
July, 2010:It's been a while since we've played, but we're still active..
July 7, 2009: Four players, Kai won.
March 13, 2009: Back in fine form, a good time was had by all. After 5 hours of furious play, I won 60 cents. Kai was the big winner.
November 9, 2008: The game wasn't played as there were only two willing players.
August 14, 2008: After a summer break, the fourth match was played. It was fun. I lost.
May 24, 2008: Our friends at the Santa Monica German-American Club donated three (3) gen-U-ine Skat decks to our club. Our first three. Thanks! Now we can play in hoch-German style.
May 15, 2008: The third meeting of the NYCSA went off without a hitch.
April 15, 2008: The second meeting of the NYSCA was a gem! Thanks to all.
March 17, 2008: The first meeting of the NYCSA was a smash success!
March 8, 2008: The next (and first!) meeting of the New York City Skat Association will be held Tuesday, March 18, 2008, at the Bohemian Beer Hall in Astoria, Queens. If you wish to attend, please get in touch. All are welcome.