Pinochle The word is also possibly derived from the French word "binage" for the combination of cards called "binocle". This latter pronunciation of the game was adopted by German speakers. German immigrants brought the game to America, where it was later mispronounced and misspelled "pinochle." Auction pinochle for three players has some similarities with the German game skat, although the bidding is more similar to that of bid whist. During World War I, the city of Syracuse, New York outlawed the playing of pinochle in a fit of anti-German sentiment. Pinochle was the favorite card game of Ashkenazic American Jews and
German Skat Association system, that is divided into federal ("Bundesligen") and regional leagues ("Regionalligen"). There are also parallel competitions because the IPSA, in addition to its focus on the World and European Skat Championships is also the organiser of German championships for individuals and teams, and its own federal league. German Skat Association The German Skat Association () or DSkV is the umbrella organisation for German Skat clubs. It was founded on 12 March 1899 in Halle an der Saale and the headquarters of the club is the Skat town of Altenburg. From 1954 to 2001, Bielefeld was the location of the Association's