What is Bock rounds?
Bock rounds raise the stakes for a while after an unusual deal, so they need a game of several deals. The Play button starts them as they are often played at the club table: three rounds, which is nine deals at three players, with Kontra and Re and Ramsch switched on too. The number of rounds can be changed in the table setup.
Three events start a Bock round: a deal that ends with the declarer and the defenders on 60 card points each, a Grand Hand, whether it is won or lost, and, when Kontra and Re are switched on, a Kontra the defenders lose or any Re. A deal with more than one of these still starts a single Bock round.
A Bock round begins with the next deal and lasts one deal per player at the table: three deals at three players, four at four. Every deal in it counts double, on top of any Kontra or Re. A trigger during a Bock round adds another Bock round after the current one. Bock deals still owed when the last deal is over are not played.
Rule changes
| Rule | Standard Skat | Bock rounds |
|---|---|---|
| Game length | Standard SkatA single deal, without Kontra and Re or Ramsch. | Bock roundsSeveral deals: three rounds with Kontra and Re and Ramsch on when started from this page, or any number of rounds chosen in the setup. |
| What starts a Bock round | Standard SkatNothing: every deal counts once. | Bock roundsA 60 to 60 split, a Grand Hand, and with Kontra and Re on, a Kontra the defenders lose or any Re. |
| Length | Standard SkatNot used. | Bock roundsOne deal per player at the table, starting with the next deal: three deals, or four at a four-player table. |
| Scoring in a Bock deal | Standard SkatThe game value, or twice it for a lost game. | Bock roundsThe same, doubled. Kontra and Re double it further, so a Bock deal with both counts eight times. |
| More triggers | Standard SkatNot used. | Bock roundsA deal with several triggers starts one Bock round. A trigger during a Bock round adds another round after it. |
| Ramsch in a Bock round | Standard SkatNo Ramsch is played. | Bock roundsWith Ramsch on, a Ramsch loss or a Durchmarsch in a Bock deal counts double too. |
| Other options | Standard SkatKontra and Re, Ramsch, tournament scoring, the number of rounds and a four-player table can be chosen. | Bock roundsBock rounds work with all of them. With tournament scoring only the game value is doubled, not the 50, 40 or 30 points. |
History
A Bock round is a set of deals played for double stakes, three deals at a three-player table and four at a four-player table, in which the doubling affects only the scores and not the bids. The usual triggers are a deal in which declarer and opponents take 60 points each, a successful Kontra, a successful Grand Hand, any Rekontra, and a running total that reaches some special value, and they are best agreed in advance.
German house rules commonly name a 60 to 60 split, a lost Kontra, a won Re and a Grand Hand as conditions under which a round is scored double, and mentions that some tables add a round of Ramsch after it. Bock rounds are a house rule and are not part of the official Skat rules. This game follows that German list: a 60 to 60 split, a Grand Hand whether won or lost, a Kontra the defenders lose and any Re; it has no trigger based on the running total.