Spades

Setup

• Players: four, in two teams. Partners sit across from each other.
• Cards: a standard 52-card deck, 13 cards each. Aces are high.
• Dealer: moves one seat to the left each hand.
• Bidding: starting left of the dealer, each player bids 1 to 13 tricks, or Nil for none.

How to play

1. 1Bid your tricks. Each player bids how many tricks they expect to take. Partners add their bids into one team bid.
2. 2Lead and follow. The player left of the dealer leads. Everyone must follow the suit led if they can.
3. 3Spades are trump. Out of the suit led? Play a spade to win, unless someone plays a higher one. Spades cannot be led until one has been played.
4. 4Make your bid. Take at least your team bid: 10 points a trick, plus 1 for each extra trick.
5. 5Get set. Fall short and your team loses 10 points for every trick it bid.

Winning

The first team to 500 points wins. A team that falls to -200 loses. If both teams are tied when the game would end, play another hand.

Scoring

Our rules: a bag is a trick taken beyond your team bid. Every 10 bags cost 100 points, and the count starts over. Tricks a Nil bidder takes still count toward the team bid.

Key terms

Trick:

One card from each player. The highest card of the suit led wins it, or the highest spade.

Trump:

Spades. A spade beats every card of another suit.

Bid:

How many tricks you say you will take this hand, 1 to 13.

Team bid:

You and your partner’s bids added together.

Nil:

A bid to take no tricks at all. +100 if you do it, -100 if you take any.

Set:

Taking fewer tricks than your team bid. You lose 10 points a trick bid.

Bag:

A trick taken beyond your team bid. Worth 1 point, but 10 bags cost 100.

Breaking spades:

The first spade played in a hand. After that, spades can be led.

Ruff:

Winning a trick with a spade when you cannot follow the suit led.