SCHAFKOPF

SCHAFKOPF is an old game which lent some of its principles to the highly organized game of skat. Schafkopf is less complex and is enjoyed widely without having had codified rules.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS

Schafkopt is for three players.

CARDS

A short pack of 32 is used , i.e. a standard pack from which are removed the 6s, 5s, 4s, 3s and 2s.There is a trump suit which consist of all the Queens, all the Jacks and all the diamonds. The trump suit, consisting of 14 cards, ranks as follows: ♣ Q, ♠ Q, ♥ Q, ♦ Q, ♣ J, ♠ J, ♥ J, ♦ J, ♦ A, ♦ 10, ♦ K, ♦ 9, ♦ 8, ♦ 7.

In the plain suits the cards rank as follows: Ace, 10, King, 9,8,7.
The high cards have point values as follows:

One player shuffles the pack and deals the cards face up to each poker player clockwise, and the first to receive a Jack is the first dealer. The deal subsequently rotates to the left.

The dealer shuffles, the player to his right cuts, and the dealer deals first three cards to each player clockwise, then two to the centre to form a skat or widow, then the remainder to the players in lots four and three.

THE PLAY

The player to dealer’s left is called Forehand, and the player to dealer’s right is called Middlehand. The object is to win in tricks cards of scoring values as detailed above.
The player who picks up the skat becomes the player, and plays the poker hand in opposition to the other two players.

Forehand has the first option, and may pick up the skat or pass. If he passes, Middlehand has the next option, and if he passes the dealer has the option. If all three pass the hand is played as Least, to be described later.

When a player picks up the skat, he discards two cards face down, and a tick-taking phase begins. Forehand leads to the first trick, thereaf5ter the winner of a trick leads to the next.

Players are required to follow suit to the card led, and if unable to can trump or discard. The trick is won by the highest trump it contains, or if it contains none, by the highest card in the suit led. The Player adds any points among his discards to his own total.

The player scores points as follows: if his tricks plus his discards contain cards worth 61 to 90 points, two game points; 91 or more, four game points (known as Schneider). If he wins all the tricks, he scores six game points (known as Schwartz).

For failing to score 61 points, the Player is debited as follows: if his poker trick and discards contain 31 to 60 points, he is debited two game points; 30 or fewer, he is debited four game points. If he loses all the tricks, he is debited six game points. Game is to ten points.

When all three players pass, Least is played. The uninspected skat is set aside, the cards it contains to be added later to those of the player who takes the last trick. forehand makes the opening lead as usual, but this time the objects is to win as few as possible cards of point value. Each player plays for himself, there being no player.

If one player takes no tricks, he scores four game points. If one player takes all the tricks, he is debited four online poker game points. If each player takes a trick, then the player with the fewest points among his cards scores two game points.

If two tie for fewest points among his cards scores two game points. If two tie for fewest, the one who collected his last trick earliest wins the two game points. If all three tie with 40 points each among their cards, the dealer wins the two game points.

It should be remembered that of the 30 cards in play, 14, or nearly half, are trumps, so the requirement to pick up the skat is something like seven trumps, including four Queens and Jacks.

Remember the odds are very much against a plain suit going round twice, as there are only six cards in each plain suit, and it is actually slight odds against all six being in play. So Ace, 10 in a side suit is likely to make two tricks only if all trumps are draw first.

The Player should consider that high-scoring cards like 10s and Aces might be best left in the skat, where the Player will score for them without risking having them taken in play by the opponents.