History of Skat History of Skat The history of the game of Skat began in the early 19th century in Thuringia. The game spread rapidly within German-speaking Europe and is now one of the most popular card games in Germany as well as being considered Germany's national card game. The early history of the game of Skat has not been fully researched. Many anecdotes about its origins cannot be proven and should be considered as legends. What is certain is that the game was developed between 1810 and 1817 in the Thuringian town of Altenburg from older card games. It was based on
History of Skat Altenburg suit bidding ("Altenburger Farbenreizen") and the point bidding system used today was that the suit bidding offered only the basic values of the games. Except in special cases, a player could not be overbid by an unfavourable Unter/Jack in the Skat, since the position of the Unters was not taken into account when bidding. "Matadors" ("Spitzen") were not taken into account until after the game. In addition, the game types differed from today's: Little is known about the early history and origins of point bidding. The first Skat Congress failed in its attempt to found an all-German Skat Association