Pinochle is forced to bid when holding meld. Play is often to 1000 but can increase to 1500 during partnership. Games with five hands or more typically modify partnership pinochle in a variety of ways. They are generally played with 1 1/2 or doubled decks, with extra dix added or withheld to make an even deal. With an odd number of players, the bidder asks for a desired card in the trump suit, with the first matching player being partner for that hand. Everyone else plays against the team. In larger groups, one or more players can sit out each hand
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