Deal each player 10 cards and deal 2 facedown to a pile called the "skat". Typically, this is done as 3 to each player, then 2 to the skat, then 4 to each player, then 3 to each player.
The dealer is known as the "rearhand", the player to the dealer's left is the "forehand", and the player to the dealer's right is the "middlehand".
The forehand is considered to be senior to the middlehand which is senior to the rearhand. Bidding begins with the forehand, who bids by asking the middlehand "do you accept 18?" With 18 being the lowest possible bid. The forehand then can respond "yes" or "pass." The middlehand then must decide to raise or pass. If the middlehand and forehand each pass on a the same level of bid, the forehand wins the first part of the auction since it is the more senior hand. The winner of the first part of the auction then continues the auction from the same level of bid with the rearhand. The winner of the auction becomes the declarer. If all players pass without bidding, then the hand is redealt.
Bids must always increase by one level each time they are raised. There is no advantage to jump bidding. The acceptable bid values are those which are possible scores (see "scoring"), which are: 18, 20, 22, 23, 24, 27, 30, 33, 35, 36, 40, 44, 45, 46, 48, 50, 54, 55, 59, 60, etc. Multiples of 9, 10, 11, and 12 as well as the special null scores (see below). The maximum bid is 264.
The declarer must choose a contract. There are six different contracts: clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades, grand, and null.
In a contract of clubs, diamonds, hearts, or spades, the chosen suit becomes trump and the goal is to win as many points as possible. All jacks are considered to be part of the trump suit. The order of cards in the trump suit, then, is 7,8,9,Q,K,10,A,J♦,J♥,J♠,J♣. Order of cards in the non-trump suits is 7,8,9,Q,K,10,A.
In a grand contract, only jacks are trump, and they form a special fifth suit. The order of jacks is the same as in a suit contract (J♦,J♥,J♠,J♣). The goal is still to win as many points as possible.
In a null contract there are no trumps, and the goal is to win no tricks. The order of cards is 7,8,9,10,J,Q,K,A. Note that jacks are not trump and tens are now after nines.
After choosing the contract, the player may specify any of the following conditions. Note that choosing a condition listed below implies all the conditions written above it (for example, declaring schneider implies a hand game). Schneider and schwarz do not apply do null contracts. In null contracts only, open can be declared without declaring a hand game.
If the declarer did not declare a hand game, they add the skat to their hand then discard two cards back to the skat. Points in the skat count for the declarer at the end of the hand(even if a hand game was announced).
The forehand leads the first trick by playing one card to the table. Play proceeds clockwise, with each player putting one card into the trick. Players must follow suit when they can. Jacks are considered part of the trump suit in suit contracts. In a grand contract, a trick led by a jack must be followed by other jacks when possible. The winner of the trick is the highest trump card played, or if there are no trumps, the highest of the leading suit. The next trick is led by the player who won the last.
When all tricks have been played, players add up the values of the cards they took. To win a suit contract, the declarer must score at least 61 points. To achieve schneider, 90, and schwarz, 120. For a null contract, players must receive no cards. While playing a null contract, play stops as soon as the declarer wins a trick.
Contracts are scored the same whether a player won or lost. If a player lost, then the final contract score is multiplied by -2. The score consists of a base contract score times a multiplier.
The base contract score depends on the contract announced. For scoring null contracts, see the section below, since null contracts score differently.
The multiplier always starts out with one. For the purposes of counting multipliers, consider the two non-declaring players to be a team, with combined hands and score. Then a value from 1-4 is added for the number of "matadors." Before beginning a hand, players should note the amount of jacks they have. Jacks in sequence, from the top down count as matadors. For example, if the declarer has the jacks of clubs and spades (either in the hand or the skat), they are "with 2." If the declarer has the jack of hearts, but not the jacks of clubs or spades, they are "without 2". If the dealer has the jacks of spades, hearts, and diamonds, they are "without 1" since they do not have the highest-ranking jack. See below for a full list of multipliers. Note that all multipliers which apply are taken. If the dealer declared and won a schwarz game, they get both schwarz multipliers, both schneider multipliers, and the hand game multiplier. Schneider and schwarz can be achieved by either team.
To calculate the final contract score, multiply the base contract score times the total multiplier. These points are positive for the declarer if they made the contract, and are multiplied by -2 for the declarer if they failed the contract.
Scoring null contracts: Null contracts do not have multipliers. The declarer simply recieves the score according to the table below:
| Contract | Win | Loss |
|---|---|---|
| Null | 23 | -46 |
| Null hand game | 35 | -70 |
| Null open | 46 | -92 |
| Null open and hand game | 59 | -118 |
Games are played to a preset number of rounds. The player with the highest score at the end of the game wins.
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