Skat: Four German natives in Texas keeping card game alive [Video]

DALLAS — Every Thursday, four friends gather around a table at a senior living facility in Dallas for a ritual rarely repeated anywhere else in Texas — or the country, for that matter.

“He likes to get his butt kicked,” said Roman Thelen, 74.

Trash talk comes with a lot of games, but this one is different.

“Yes, I think we are the only ones who play in this country — because I don’t know anybody else who plays Skat,” said Lawther Kaemper, 80.

Skat is a card game. Pronounced correctly, it sounds like “scott.”

“We play once a week for two and a half hours,” said Walter Levy, 101. “It’s the best therapy.”

The game requires a special deck. Each player …