Spades is a Partnership card game that, like Bridge, is descended from the old English game of Whist. In general, the goal of each HAND of Spades is to predict or BID on how many TRICKS you will take during that hand.
Spades is a partnership game. You and the player sitting across from you are partners. This means that both your bid and your partner are considered as one. This is called the CONTRACT for the hand.
If you make your contract, you are rewarded with points in proportion to the size of your contract, and if you fail to make your contract, you lose points also in proportion to the size of your contract. As the saying goes, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Your score is cumulative, and you keep playing hands until one team manages to pass the goal, usually five hundred points.
The Cards
A standard pack of fifty two cards, ranked from Ace down to two. Spades are always trump.
The Deal
Each player receives thirteen cards, dealt one at a time.
Bidding
Starting with the dealer, each player in turn bids the number of tricks he/she expects to win. Possible bids are from NIL to Thirteen. The sum of a partnership's bids is called the contract.
A nil bid is one in which you hope to take no tricks. If you make a nil bid, you receive 100 points. If you fail, you receive negative100 points. Depending on which rule variations are selected, you may be able to exchange from zero to three cards with your partner.
A player may also bid DOUBLE-NIL (sometimes called BLIND NIL), which must be done before looking at one's cards. If a player bids DOUBLE NIL, then all bonuses and penalties are doubled for that bid.
The Play
The player who bids the highest leads first and may play any card except Spades. A Spade may not be led until Spades have been bled or broken by being played previously.
Players must follow suit if possible. A trick is won by the highest trump or by the highest card of the suit led. The winning player keeps each trick. A player may intentionally try not to win a trick by not playing his highest card or not playing a trump.
Scoring
The object of the game is to fulfill the contract bid by the partnership. If one partner has bid Nil, his contract and his partner’s are scored independently, and then the scores are combined.
Tricks count 10 points each for a partnership if the contract is met, 10 against if it is not met or "set". Tricks won in excess of the contract count as 1 each. A successful Nil bid is worth 100 points, or minus 100 if unsuccessful.
If you are playing with the Double Nil option, then it scores 200 points if successful or minus 200 if not.
If you are playing with the Sandbag option, then for every trick you or your partner receives in excess of your contract, you receive one Sandbag. If your team receives ten Sandbags, then your team is penalized by minus100 points. This penalty does not apply until you receive ten Sandbags -- having nine Sandbags does not effect your score at all.
If both partners bid Nil or Double Nil, the partnership receives 200 or 400 points if both make their contracts, but there is no score if either or both are set.
The Game
A standard game of Spades consists of 500 points, though Spades Deluxe allows you to choose other victory thresholds. When either team ends a hand over the victory threshold, then the team with the highest score wins the game. This is true even if both teams exceed the victory threshold at the end of the final hand.
GLOSSARY
TRICK - A trick consists of four cards, one from each player. The winner of a trick is the person who throws the highest spade or, if no spades were played, than the highest card of the suit led. A trick is the basic unit of the Spades game. When you bid four you are saying that you hope you will win four tricks.
HAND - When all the cards in a standard - fifty two card deck are dealt out to four players, each player receives thirteen cards. Every trick, you play a card so that after thirteen tricks, all of your cards are gone. These thirteen tricks are called a hand.
BID - The bid is your estimate of how many tricks you will take in the coming hand.
CONTRACT - The contract is the sum of yours and your partner's bid. You and your partner must communally fulfill your contract. The only exception to this is if one or both of you bid NIL or DOUBLE-NIL. In this case you must each fulfill your bids separately in order to fulfill your contract.
NIL BID - A nil bid is one in which you hope to take no tricks. If you make a nil bid, you receive 100 points. If you fail, you receive negative100 points. Depending on which rule variations are selected, you may be able to exchange from one to three cards with your partner.
DOUBLE NIL - A double, or blind nil bid is one in which you declare your intention of taking no tricks before you even look at your cards. This risky play doubles the benefits and risks of a nil bid. If you succeed, you receive 200 points, if you fail, minus 200. Depending on which rule variations are selected, you may be able to exchange from one to three cards with your partner.
TRUMP - A trump suit means one in which cards of that suit, regardless of numerical value, always beat cards of any other suit. In the game of Spades the Spades suit is always trump. This means that the Two of Spades will win a trick, even if an Ace of Hearts was lead.
SANDBAG - A Sandbag is the term for each each Trick above your Bid that you take. When playing with the Sandbag rule, you will recieve a penalty of minus 100 points each time you and your partner collect ten Sandbags.
