Game Rules Dialog

The Game Rules dialog controls how you play the game of Spades. In network games, only the host can change the rules of the game. 

Game To
This pop-up menu allows you to select the victory threshold for the game.

Handicap
Allows you to adjust your starting score to adjust the difficulty of the game.

Lead Style
This pop-up menu allows you to determine which player gets to lead after bidding, as well as how the first trick is played. There are four options for this menu:

     Dealer’s Left Leads Any Card 
               The player to the left of the Dealer may lead any card except for Spades.

     High Bidder Leads Any Card 
               This option has the highest bidder leading any card except for Spades. If two or more players have equally high bids, the first high bidder to the Dealer’s left gets to lead.

     Two of Club Leads 
               With this option, the player holding the two of clubs must lead it. The remaining players may then play as normal.

     Two of Club Leads, All Play Lowest 
            With this option, the player with the two of clubs once again must lead it, but the remaining players must then play their lowest club. This option can be particularly tricky when bidding nil.

Nil Bid Passes
This pop-up menu allows you to vary the number of cards passed on a nil bid. Note that the more cards you pass, the easier it is to make nil bids. This is true both for you and for the computer players!

Blind Nil Passes
This pop-up menu allows you to vary the number of cards passed on a blind nil bid (see below).

Collecting n sandbags is an m point penalty
When checked, Sandbags are scored. A Sandbag is defined as any tricks taken in excess of your bid. (If a player bids nil and takes tricks, then all of their tricks are counted as sandbags). When a specified number of Sandbags are collected (usually ten), a team is penalized a specified number of points (usually one hundred). Expert Spades players (including the computer AI) will try very hard not to take any unnecessary tricks! See Rules of the Game for more information.

Play Ten for Two Variation
When checked, Ten for Two is on. This variation of Spades declares that when a team bids ten, they are playing for two hundred points instead of one hundred. All other game play is the same. 

Play with Blind Nil Bids
When checked, each player will be asked before each hand whether or not they want to bid Blind Nil. Likewise, the computer players will have the option of bidding blind nil at this time as well. A blind nil bid is worth two hundred points, but must be made before you see your cards. It’s a risky option used only in dire circumstances. See Rules of the Game for more information.

Allow Double Nil (both partners bidding Nil)
When checked, both players on a team can bid nil. When this occurs, the team earns two hundred points if both players make their nil bids, but if either (or both) players go set then no points are lost (unless the next option is used). 

Penalize Failed Double Nil Bids
When checked, if both players on a team bid nil and one, or both, players goes set the team will be penalized two hundred points. According to Hoyle, no points should be lost in this situation, but that seems odd, and so this preference now exists.