SPADES RULES

 

 

PRELIMINARIES

In partnership spades, teams consisting of two players per team compete as paired per game, with team partners sitting opposite each other. Deal and play are clockwise.

 

RANK OF CARDS

A standard pack of 52 cards is used. The cards, in each of the four suits, rank from highest to lowest: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. Spades are always trump.

 

THE DEAL

The first dealer is chosen at random and the turn to deal rotates clockwise after each hand. The cards are shuffled, and the player to the right of dealer cuts the deck. The dealer completes the cut and deals the cards singly and face down, in clockwise order beginning with the player on dealer's left, until all 52 cards have been dealt and everyone has 13. During the deal if one or more cards are exposed or are dropped off the table, all of the cards must be returned to the dealer to be reshuffled, re-cut and re-dealt.

 

BIDDING

Bidding proceeds in a clockwise direction starting left of the dealer. Each person states how many tricks they intend to take. The minimum bid is two tricks (unless bidding nil) and the minimum team bid is four.  The final bid for the team is the sum of the two partners bids. It does not matter who actually takes the tricks.  Bidding proceeds round-the-table as above, but players may only name a number of tricks they bid. Nothing else may be said.  When the second player of each team bids, the final bid for that team is written down on the score sheet.

 

A bid of zero is a bid for nil. Nil is a declaration that that the player will not win any tricks during the play. (Nil is sometimes known as Naught or Null.) The nil bidder's partner will bid the number of tricks to be taken by the team. If the nil bidder’s partner has already bid, they have the option of adjusting their bid up at that time, but not down (keep in mind that the minimum team bid is four).  If the nil bid is successful, the score is 100 points for the nil and the bid of the partner is scored separately. If the nil bid fails, the team receives a penalty of –100.  Any tricks taken by the nil bidder does NOT count towards the partnership’s bid nor counts as bags.  No cards are exchanged between partners on a nil bid.

 

If a team is down a minimum of 200 points, the team is allowed the option of a blind nil bid (bidding nil before looking at one's cards).   The team must determine which player will be bidding nil before looking at their hand.  The players on the team bidding blind nil may exchange one card, but may not look at the card they are receiving before deciding which card to pass.  If a bid of blind nil is successful, then the blind nil bidder's team receives 200 points in addition to the score won or lost by the partner. If the bid of blind nil is unsuccessful, the bidder's team loses 200 points.

 

 

PLAY OF THE HAND

The player seated to the left of the Dealer begins the game.  Each player must play their lowest club on the first trick, but may NOT play a spade on the first trick.   The player who wins the trick leads to the next.  Any card except a spade may be led. Each player, in turn, clockwise, must follow suit if able. If unable to follow suit, any card may be played on the trick. The highest card played wins the trick (also known as "book").

 

Spades may not be led until either a spade is played on the lead of another suit, (known as "breaking" spades) or spades is the only suit left in the leader's hand, (often called "spade tight"). If a trick contains a spade, the highest spade played wins the trick; if no spade is played, the highest card of the suit led wins the trick.

 

The player who wins a trick places those cards face down in front of him/her before leading the next trick. Each won trick must be in a neat pile and separate from the others in the event a renege is called. Each hand must be played out with each trick kept separate (no "TRAMs" or "throwing in"). Each player has the right to ask at any time during play for the bid of any player, what each team scored on each hand, the current total score, and to view the last trick played. Each player has the responsibility to know whether spades have been broken or not prior to their play.

 

SCORING

The players will decide on a person to be the scorekeeper. After each hand the scorekeeper must tally the score for the hand and the running score.  The scorekeeper is responsible for recording which player dealt the hand, each player's bid, and the number of tricks taken by each team. This information is to be available to all players at any time throughout the game. The score for each team is a running total of points won on each hand.

 

A team that takes at least as many tricks as its bid scores 10 points for each trick that it bid. Tricks taken above the number bid (overtricks or bags) are not worth extra points, but a running total of bags is kept. If a team does not make its bid, they lose 10 points for each trick.

 

If a bid of nil is successful, the nil bidder's team receives 100 points in addition to the score won or lost by the partner of the nil bidder for tricks made. 

 

If a nil bid is unsuccessful (the bidder takes at least one trick) the bidder's team loses 100 points but still receives any amount scored for the partner's bid. 

 

If a bid of blind nil is successful, the nil bidder's team receives 200 points in addition to the score won or lost by the partner of the nil bidder for tricks made. 

 

If a nil blind bid is unsuccessful (the bidder takes at least one trick) the bidder's team loses 200 points but still receives any amount scored for the partner's bid. 

 

Note: Tricks won by the nil bidder do NOT count towards making the team's bid.

 

Blind 7 or Blind 8 – Prior to looking at their cards, a team may elect to bid Blind 7 or Blind 8.  If a team bids Blind 7, they must take at least 7 tricks.  If they make at least 7 tricks, they get 140pts.  Otherwise, they go back 140pts.  Blind 8 works the same way, except it is for +/- 160pts.  A team may chose to go Blind 7 or 8 regardless of the score.  Any overtricks count as bags.

 

Bagging: Over several deals, a team that accumulates ten or more overtricks (bags) has 100 points deducted from its score (known as "bagging out" or "taking a trip"). Overtricks beyond ten are carried over to the next cycle of ten overtricks. Because bags are not points, the tenth overtrick is NOT added to the total points score as 10 points.

 

 

IRREGULARITIES

Misdeal

If the cards are dealt unevenly, out of order, or in a manner that exposes or drops one or more cards off the table prior to bidding, a misdeal is called. In the event of a misdeal, the cards are passed to the next dealer to be shuffled and re-dealt. 

 

 

Note: In all of the above cases, the misdeal may be called up until it is that player’s turn to bid.

 

Renounce

Once a card is exposed to any other player it is considered in play. "A card played is a card stayed." If a player is able to follow suit but discards or trumps, he/she has renounced but may correct that play before the next card is played to that trick.

 

Renege

There are two scenarios for a renege: (1) If a player has renounced by misplaying a card and the next card has been played to that trick, that team has reneged and the hand is dead. (2) If a player leads trump before Spades have been broken, that player has reneged.

 

The player that reneges causes its team to lose its bid, and the opponents score their bid without further play of the hand. If overtricks were taken by the team that did not renege, those overtricks will not be considered bags for that hand. The cards are to be passed to the next dealer to be shuffled and dealt. 

 

 

 

Table Talk

No player shall deliberately reveal their hand or attempt to direct their partner's bid or play by table talk, gestures or mannerisms. For example, you are allowed to say, "Good luck everyone" you are not allowed to say, "Good luck on that nil, partner," "Watch the bags, partner," or "We only need 5 to go out." Scowls, grimaces, noticeably separating the cards by suit in your hand, shoving or tossing the cards, signaling, etc. are both bad sportsmanship and table talk.

 

GAME

The team that reaches 500 points first wins the game. The game is also over if one team is ahead by 500 or more points.  If both teams reach 500 points on the same deal, the team with the higher score wins.  In the event of a tie score, one more hand shall be played to determine the winner.