Keeping score in Skyjo, doubled score included
At the end of each round, you type everyone's score, doubled for whoever ended it without the lowest: Teamzy adds up the totals, ranks from lowest to highest and ends the match as soon as someone reaches 100.
Skyjo in 30 seconds
Skyjo is a card game by Alexander Bernhardt, published by Magilano, for 2 to 8 players. Everyone lays out 12 cards face down in front of them, in 3 rows of 4, and turns 2 of them face up. On your turn, you take the top card of the discard pile and swap it for one of yours, or you draw: you keep the card by swapping it, or you discard it and turn one of your hidden cards face up. When a column shows three face-up cards of the same value, the whole column goes to the discard pile. As soon as a player has turned all their cards face up, everyone else takes one last turn, then you count. Points add up from round to round, and the match ends as soon as a player reaches 100: the lowest total wins.
What each card is worth
At the end of the round, everyone turns over their remaining hidden cards and adds up the value of all the cards in front of them, from −2 to 12. A column discarded during the round no longer counts. Whoever ended the round must have the lowest score, on their own: if another player has fewer points or the same, the score of whoever ended the round is doubled, as long as it is positive. Everyone then adds their score to their total.
The points of a round
| What counts | Points |
|---|---|
| Each card (−2 to 12) | its value |
| Column of 3 matching cards | 0 |
| Whoever ends it, without the lowest score | × 2 |
The example's score sheet
The six rounds of the match told below, with each score as you write it down. The dot ● marks whoever ended the round: they have the lowest score every time, except in round 6, where Lucas's 11 points are doubled.
| Round | Emma | Lucas | Chloé | Nathan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | 6 (Ended the round) | 23 | 14 |
| 2 | 3 (Ended the round) | 21 | 12 | 27 |
| 3 | 16 | 25 | 30 | 5 (Ended the round) |
| 4 | 22 | 17 | −3 (Ended the round) | 11 |
| 5 | 4 (Ended the round) | 13 | 19 | 26 |
| 6 | 7 | 22 (Ended the round)11 × 2 | 14 | 9 |
| Total | 70 | 104 | 95 | 92 |
The score sheet to print
A Skyjo score sheet in US Letter, for 2 to 8 players and 16 rounds: in each box, the points of the round, the new total and a circle to tick for whoever ended the round. The scoring rules are recapped at the bottom, doubled score included. Print it for your next match, or let Teamzy keep score.
Download the Skyjo score sheet (PDF)The end of a match, with a doubled score
Emma, Lucas, Chloé and Nathan are playing a four-player match. After three rounds: Emma 37, Nathan 46, Lucas 52 and Chloé 65.
- 1Round 4: Chloé has three 10s in a column, so she discards the column. She then turns over her last card, and her nine cards add up to −3. After the others' last turn, Emma has 22, Lucas 17 and Nathan 11. Chloé has the lowest score: nothing is doubled.
- 2The totals become Nathan 57, Emma 59, Chloé 62 and Lucas 69. Round 5: Emma ends it with 4 points, the lowest score. Lucas has 13, Chloé 19 and Nathan 26: Emma 63, Chloé 81, Lucas 82 and Nathan 83.
- 3Round 6: Lucas turns over his last card with 11 points. The others take their last turn: Emma ends on 7, Nathan on 9 and Chloé on 14.
- 4Emma and Nathan have fewer points than him: his 11 points are doubled. Lucas takes 22 and goes from 82 to 104. Without the doubling, he would be on 93 and the match would go on.
- 5Lucas is past 100: the match ends at the end of this round, and the lowest total wins.
Emma wins with 70 points, ahead of Nathan (92), Chloé (95) and Lucas (104).
In Teamzy, you type everyone's score at the end of the round, already doubled for whoever ended it without the lowest: 22 for Lucas. A negative score goes in with the ± button. The app adds up the totals, ranks from lowest to highest and ends the match as soon as someone reaches 100.
The questions that come up at the table
At the end of the round, everyone turns over their remaining hidden cards and adds up the value of all their cards, from −2 to 12. A column discarded during the round no longer counts. Whoever ended the round has their score doubled if they do not have the lowest on their own. Everyone adds this score to their total, and the match ends at the end of the round in which a player reaches 100: the lowest total wins.
Skyjo on BoardGameGeekWhoever turns all their cards face up first triggers the end of the round, and must then have the lowest score, on their own. If another player has fewer points or the same, it is the score of whoever ended the round that is doubled. The doubling only applies to a positive score: at 0 or below, it stays as it is. In Teamzy, type the doubled score directly: 22 for Lucas's 11 points in the example.
Nothing: as soon as the three cards of a column are face up and of the same value, the whole column goes to the discard pile, and it does not count when you score. The rule also applies during the last turn of the round. For a column that only shows up at the count, when the remaining hidden cards are turned over, not every table plays it the same way: agree on it before you start.
At the end of the round in which a player reaches or passes 100 points. Reaching 100 does not win the match: the lowest total does, like Emma in the example. For a shorter match, aim lower, 50 points for example: in Teamzy, the target of 100 can be changed in the game's settings.
The lowest total wins. If two players finish tied for the lowest, the rules have no tiebreaker, and Teamzy shows a tie. It is up to the table to share the win or play one more round. Within a round, it works differently: if whoever ended it has as many points as another player, their score is doubled.
The game has 150 cards: 5 cards of −2, 10 of −1, 15 of 0, then 10 cards of each value from 1 to 12. Negative cards are rare, 15 out of 150: ending a round below 0, like Chloé on −3 in the example, does not happen often.
The number keypad has no minus sign: tap the ± button next to the player's box, then type the number. The score turns negative and shows in purple. In the example, Chloé ends round 4 on −3: her total drops by 3 points.
Skyjo Action, released by Magilano in 2019, adds action cards and changes some of the rules. Teamzy follows the rules of the base game: for Skyjo Action, type everyone's score the way you counted it, and the app adds up the totals.
Your next Skyjo match, without pen and paper
Type everyone's score at the end of the round, negative or doubled when needed, let the app add up the totals and find your matches in the history. Free to start, Premium as a one-time purchase, no account and no ads.
