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
History of Skat association was founded. The second Skat Congress also failed due to this issue. On 12 March 1899, in Halle (Saale) at the Third Skat Congress, the German Skat Association was founded.Those present could still not agree on a final set of rules. Although suit bidding was declared an official form of the game, point bidding was still allowed. The Congress chose Altenburg as the headquarters of the new association. A year earlier a comparable association had been founded in the United States: the "North American Skat League". Skat had been played in the USA since at least 1876. Up to