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 and you and the player sitting across from you are partners. This means that both your bid and your partners are considered as one. This is called the Contract for the hand.
If you make your contact 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 partnerships bids are called the contract. If a player bids Nil, meaning they expect to win no tricks, then they may, depending on rule settings, be allowed to exchange up to four cards with their partner once everyone has bid. A player may also bid Blind Nil (sometimes called Double Nil) which must be done before looking at the hand. If a player bids Blind Nil than all bonuses and penalties are doubled.
The Play
The standard play is that the player who bids the highest leads first and may play any card except Spades. Spades may not be led until they have been bled or broken by being played previously. See Rules Dialog for additional methods of determining who leads the first card.
Players must follow suit if possible. A trick is won by the highest trump or by the highest card of the suit led. Each trick is kept by the player winning. A player may intentionally try not to win a trick by not playing their 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 partnerΓÇÖs are scored independently, and then the scores are combined. (Though if a nil bidder takes tricks, those tricks count towards the partnerΓÇÖs bid.)
Tricks count ten points each for a partnership if the contract is made, and ten against if it is set. Sandbags, or tricks won in excess of the contract count as one point each. A successful Nil bid is worth one hundred points, minus one hundred if failed. If you are playing with the Blind Nil option, it scores two hundred points if successful or minus two hundred if not.
If you are playing with the Ten for Two option, a team bid of ten is scored as two hundred points if successful or minus two hundred if not.
If you are playing with the Sandbags option, your team will be penalized a certain number of points for exceeding the allotted sandbags. See Rules Dialog for more information.
NOTE: On Double Nil (both partners bid Nil or Blind Nil) the partnership receives two hundred points if both make their contracts, and lose two hundred if either or both are set. For those that prefer to play by HoyleΓÇÖs rules, this can be controlled through the Rules Dialog so that there is no score if either or both are set.
The Game
A standard game of Spades consists of five hundred 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 partners bid. You and your partner must communally fulfill your contract.
Nil
A Nil bid is one in which you intend to take no tricks. If you make a nil bid you receive one hundred points. If you fail, you lose one hundred points. Depending on which rule variations are selected, you may be able to exchange from one to four cards with your partner.
Blind Nil
A 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. So if you succeed, you receive two hundred points, and if you fail, you lose two hundred. Depending on rule settings, you may be able to exchange from one to four 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 suit of Spades is always trump. This means that the two of Spades will win a trick, even if an Ace of Hearts was lead.
