Card Games 🇺🇸United States21st century

Skull King

PIRATE-THEMED TRICK-TAKING CARD GAME with BIDDING by BRENT BECK + published by GRANDPA BECK'S GAMES / SCHMIDT SPIELE (US/Germany, 2013). 2-8 players play 10 rounds where they BID exactly how many tricks they'll take that hand. Score = 20×bid if correct, -10×|bid diff| if wrong. Cards: 4 suits + Escape (worst), Pirates (beat suits), Mermaids (beat Pirates + Escape), Skull King (beats Mermaids). NEGATIVE POINTS possible! High Interaction + Pirate Theme + Fast 30-min games. Won 2022 Deutscher Spiele Preis + 2022 Kennerspiel des Jahres Recommended.

📐Small tabletop⏱~30 min🌤indoor

What is Skull King?

SKULL KING is a PIRATE-THEMED TRICK-TAKING CARD GAME with BIDDING designed by BRENT BECK + illustrated by GRANDPA BECK (Grandpa Beck's Games, US) + LATER PUBLISHED BY SCHMIDT SPIELE (Germany) with revised rules + editions. Original 2013; SCHMIDT SPIELE 2022 EDITION won multiple awards including DEUTSCHER SPIELE PREIS 2022 (2nd place) + KENNERSPIEL DES JAHRES 2022 RECOMMENDED. 2-8 PLAYERS play 10 ROUNDS where they BID exactly how many TRICKS they'll take that hand. GAMEPLAY: Round N = N cards dealt (Round 1 = 1 card, Round 2 = 2 cards, ..., Round 10 = 10 cards). Before playing, each player secretly BIDS the number of tricks they expect to win (0-N). Then play out the hand using trick-taking rules. SCORE = 20 × BID if EXACTLY correct (30 for higher bids in later rounds); -10 × |actual - bid| if WRONG. NEGATIVE POINTS POSSIBLE — get too many tricks OR too few tricks = penalties! CARDS: 4 SUITS (Yellow, Green, Purple, Black — Black is trump); ESCAPE cards (never win a trick — safe way to bid 0); PIRATES (beat all suits including trump; Pirate vs Pirate = first-played wins); MERMAIDS (beat Pirates + Escape); SKULL KING (single card; beats Mermaids). BLACK is trump suit; must follow suit if possible. BONUS POINTS for capturing Skull King (30) + Mermaids (20) + Pirates (30) with your Skull King. FAST 30-MIN games; HIGH INTERACTION + PIRATE THEME + accessible + rewarding skilled play. Small tin package. Perfect for family + gamer nights. Won 2022 Deutscher Spiele Preis + Kennerspiel des Jahres Recommendations = MODERN TRICK-TAKING CLASSIC. Multiple expansions + Legendary edition.

Quick facts

How it works

Objective

Score most points across 10 rounds by accurately bidding + winning tricks.

Rules

Basic rules

Round N = N cards dealt; bid before playing
Round 1 = 1 card, Round 10 = 10 cards.
Secret simultaneous bid (0 to N)
All reveal at same time.
Play trick-taking hand; must follow suit if possible
Black is trump.
Cards: Yellow/Green/Purple/Black suits + Escape + Pirates + Mermaids + Skull King
Card hierarchy: Skull King > Mermaids > Pirates > Trump > Suits > Escape.
Score: correct bid = 20 × bid; wrong = -10 × diff
Reward precision, punish estimation error.
Bonus points for capturing special cards
Pirate/Mermaid/Skull King capture rewards.

Scoring

Rounds accumulate points/penalties; highest total after 10 rounds wins.

Action	Points
Correct bid = 20 × bid	+20/40/60/80/... pts per bid level
Wrong bid = -10 × diff	-10 per trick over/under
Bid 0 correctly (in round N>1)	10 × N (bonus for zero bid)
Capture Pirate with Skull King	+30 pts each
Capture Mermaid with Skull King	+20 pts each

Win condition · Most points after 10 rounds.

Playing area

Called

Small tabletop

Dimensions

Small tabletop or coffee table

Home tabletop; portable + travel-friendly.

Equipment

Skull King (Schmidt Spiele) ($15-20 USD)
2022 award-winning edition
Skull King Legendary Edition ($25)
Deluxe with additional cards
Skull King App (iOS/Android)
Digital adaptation

Strategies

Bid conservatively early rounds; more aggressively later
More cards = more information.
Bid 0 with weak hand for round bonus
Zero bid rewarded in higher rounds.
Skull King captures score bonus points
Time SK for max captures.
Escape cards guarantee losing tricks
Play Escape when you want to lose.
Track played Pirates/Mermaids
Card counting for late round advantage.

Terminology

Bid: Predict tricks you'll win (secret).
Trick: One round of card play; highest wins.
Trump: Black suit (highest priority in normal cards).
Escape card: Never wins a trick.
Pirate card: Beats suit cards; first-played wins Pirate vs Pirate.
Mermaid card: Beats Pirates + Escape.
Skull King: Single card; beats Mermaids; bonus for captures.
Round N: N cards dealt per player.
Zero bid bonus: 10 × N points for correct 0 bid in round N (N>1).

Major competitions

Deutscher Spiele Preis 2022 (2nd place)
annual · Germany · since 2022
Kennerspiel des Jahres 2022 Recommendation
annual · Germany · since 2022

Where it is played

Governing bodies

Grandpa Beck's Games (original publisher)
Founded 2005 · USA
Schmidt Spiele (award-winning publisher)
Founded 1907 · Berlin, Germany

Famous names & records

Famous athletes

Brent Beck (US) — Designer
Grandpa Beck (Beck family, US) — Publisher + illustrator

Learn this sport

beginner

1
Buy Skull King Schmidt Spiele edition ($15-20)
Award-winning modern refresh.
2
Play 4-6 players
Ideal player count.

intermediate

1
Learn bid estimation from card counting
Skill develops with experience.

advanced

1
Add Rascal expansion
New card types.

Frequently asked

What is Skull King?+

Skull King vs traditional trick-taking (Hearts, Spades)?+

SKULL KING IS MODERN + THEMATIC + STREAMLINED. Traditional trick-takers like HEARTS + SPADES + BRIDGE use standard 52-card deck + established rules; more classic. SKULL KING uses PIRATE-THEMED CARDS + BIDDING mechanic (like Oh Hell/Wizard but simpler) + special card interactions (Pirates capture, Mermaids beat Pirates, Skull King bonus). RECOMMENDATION: Traditional players → stick with Hearts/Spades/Bridge. NEWER players + families → Skull King ($15-20) is more fun + accessible + faster + rewarding. Both offer great trick-taking; Skull King is modern gateway.

Sources & provenance

Grandpa Beck's Games — Skull King— Grandpa Beck's Games
BoardGameGeek — Skull King— BoardGameGeek

Last verified 2026-08-27.verified