Editing Skat (card game) (section)

=== Ramsch ===
{{main|Ramsch}}

'''Ramsch''' ("junk") is not part of sanctioned Skat rules, but is widely practiced in hobbyist rounds, and is the variant most often suggested to be officially sanctioned. It is played if all three players pass in the bidding. There is no declarer in ''Ramsch''; every player plays for himself, and the goal is to achieve as ''low'' a score as possible. The idea behind ''Ramsch'' is to punish players who underbid their hands.<ref name="Hertefeld">A. Hertefeld, [https://books.google.com/books?id=HZBWVICd9xQC&dq=ramsch+game&pg=PA36 ''The Game of Skat in Theory and Practice''], pg. 36, BiblioLife (2009), {{ISBN|1-115-53837-3}}</ref>

To make ''Ramsch'' more interesting, an additional rule is often played that adds a second winning condition: the ''Ramsch'' is also won by a player if that player manages to take ''all'' tricks ({{langx|de|Durchmarsch}} i.e. "[[march (cards)|march]]"). At first, this seems to be not too difficult, since the other players will initially try to take as few tricks as possible and to get rid of their high-ranking cards. Once they get suspicious, however, they may thwart the effort simply by taking one trick from the player trying for the ''Durchmarsch''.

Suit ranks in ''Ramsch'' are the same as in the ''Grand'' game, with only the four Jacks being trumps.<ref name="Foster"/>

Hobby players often add the following rule: 10s are lower in trick taking power than Queens and Kings, but still count as ten points. Sometimes, they only count one point. There are a couple of variants to the rules concerning 10s, so this should be sorted out before starting the game. Often, the players are allowed to check and exchange cards with the skat, or decline to do so and pass the skat on to the next player, doubling the score (known as ''[[Schieberamsch]]''). Jacks are not allowed to be passed on in this variation. The two cards in the ''Skat'' are usually added to the tricks of the player who takes the last trick. After all ten tricks are played, the player with the highest number of card points (or alternatively, every player) has their card points amount deducted from their score as negative game points. If one player takes no tricks at all (''Jungfrau'', {{langx|en|virgin}}), the points of the losing hand are doubled. Some players also give a fixed value of 15 negative points to the loser and if there are two "virgins", 20.<ref name="Hertefeld"/>

Another variation used in smaller tournaments is the Gewinner-Ramsch (''winner-rubbish''). If none of the players bid a Ramsch is played. Unlike the original negative game the winner is who achieves the lowest score and is awarded 23 points, the score of a won Null. Additionally they are awarded the won game. The skat is given to the player with the highest score. If two players achieve the same lowest score they will both be awarded the 23 points and the won game. While not very widely spread this variation is a nice addition as it rewards the player who most rightfully did not bid.