SkatGUI Table Window Guide

Controls Overview

Game Play Overview

Noob Mode Overview

Modes

• Playing: a game is underway. The player to move is indicated by a blue or red panel background. If it's red, it's your turn. You'll see your clock ticking. The hand panel titles provides information about the bidding values, the declared game, and whether players have resigned.
• Observing: you are observing a game. The player to move is indicated by a blue panel background.
• History: the entire game history is displayed in the trick panel. You can click on the skat, discarded cards, tricks and hand panels to display information prior to that trick in the view of that particular player.

Buttons

• Show Cards: The declarer can show his cards to the defenders to speed up the game. Unlike in over-the-table skat, the declarer is not claiming to get all remaining tricks! On ISS the game proceeds normally.
• Give Up: As declarer, you choose to give the remaining tricks to the defenders (in case you got more than 60 card points already, for example), or - in null games - you resign. As defender, you need your partner to also shortcut the game, in which case the remaining tricks go to the declarer, or - in null games - the declarer wins. If the declarer concedes the game during the first trick, there is no schneider/schwarz penalty.

• Grand: choose grand game / arrange hands accordingly. Jacks are trump (base value 24)
• : choose clubs game / arrange hands accordingly. Jacks + clubs are trump (base value 12)
• : choose spades game / arrange hands accordingly. Jacks + spades are trump (base value 11)
• : choose hearts game / arrange hands accordingly. Jacks + hearts are trump (base value 10).
• : choose diamonds game / arrange hands accordingly. Jacks + diamonds are trump (base value 9).
  [Card ranks in trump games are: A (11 pts), 10 (10 pts), K (4 pts), Q (3 pts), 987 (0 pts); Jacks (2 pts) are the highest trumps; their order (highest to lowest) is J J J J; in order to win the declarer needs at least 61 card points]
• Null: choose a null game / arrange cards accordingly. There is no trump in null games, and the declarer loses instantly after making one trick. Card ranks: A K Q J 10 9 8 7. Bidding values: 23, 35 (hand), 45 (ouvert), 59 (ouvert hand)
  
  
• Ouvert: declarer reveals hand before first card is played. In trump contracts, ouvert implies hand and schwarz announced (see below).
• Hand: declarer does not pick up the skat
• Schneider: declarer announces schneider, meaning he thinks the opponents get at most 30 card points. Declarer loses if defenders get more than 30 points.
• Schwarz: declarer announces schnwarz, meaning he thinks the opponents get no tricks. Declarer loses if defenders get a trick.
  
  
• Declare: declarer submits chosen contract to the server
• Bidding (Yes/Pass/Bid): when bidding, you decide to raise the bid to the next number or to pass, meaning you don't want to go any higher. When answering the bid, you decide whether you hold the bid (Yes) or not (Pass).

• Noob: toggles trick panel from regular view (trick in the middle, last trick at the left hand side) to Noob mode, which shows you the entire game history including accumulated card points and cards still in the game. Use with caution - this feature will make you lazy.
• Invite: sends invitations to the players you selected in the main window with left/right click. You can also invite people by typing @invite playername in lower left input line followed by the enter key.
• 34: toggles the number of players at the table between 3 and 4. If all players set this flag, the table size will change.
• Talk: toggles your game talk flag. If all players set their flag, talk during the game is permitted.
• Ready: toggles your ready status. When all players are ready, a new game begins.
• Leave: leave table.
• +: increase window size.
• --: decrease window size.
• Help: fires up a browser showing this page.
• SMW: show main window. Turns orange if someone talks to you, or yellow if somebody speaks in the lobby.

• Pick Up Skat: after winning the auction the declarer wants to see the skat cards. The game then is no longer a hand game.
• After picking up the skat the declarer chooses two cards to discard. Clicking on cards toggles their status. The two raised cards will be discarded after choosing the contract and pushing the declare button.
• In hand games the declarer chooses the contract and submits it by pushing the declare button.

Result Table Columns

• Player: the player's name. [.] indicates a vacant spot at the table. [name] means the player with that name has left. He can still return to the table to continue the series. If a new player arrives, a new series begins.
• Lang.: Languages the player speaks (E=english, D=german, F=french, S=spanish, C=czech, P=polish)
• IP: when symbols other than . appear in this column, this indicates that players are sharing the same IP (internet protocoll) address. This COULD mean that the players are the same persons. However, this could also mean that players are using the same gateway, or that two or three programs are running on the same computer (hopefully not exchanging card information ...)
• Pos.: player's game position (FH,MH,RH)
• Wins: number of wins of this player in the current series
• Losses: number of losses
• Prev.: score of previous game
• Total: total score so far
• 34: X indicates that the player wishes to change the table size
• T: X indicates that the player likes to be able to talk while playing
• R: X indicates that the player is ready for the next game