Pinochle with two pinochle decks, without the nines. This makes for an 80 card deck. Play is similar to regular pinochle, except 20 cards are dealt to each person and minimum bid is increased to 500 points. In some variations, bids are made in increments of 10 or more points until 600 is reached, then by 50 points. This version often features "meld bidding", a bid made to let a partner know what is in the bidder's hand. The only communication during bidding should be a numerical number or "pass", any other way of communicating is called "talking across the table"
German Skat Association the club is the German Skat Court ("Deutsches Skatgericht"), which rules on disputes in tournament games. In addition, it organises open tournaments and the German Skat Championships. The German Skat Association has almost 26,000 members, organised into 13 state associations and 1,666 clubs. The DSkV organises German championships for individuals, teams and pairs. There are also open tournaments in which any interested Skat player may take part - without having to prove membership of a club (German Ladies Cup, German Mixed Championship, Germany Cup and the biennial International DSkV Skat Cup). As well as these tournaments there is a league