The interface
We're putting the interface keys here first for folks coming to this page just to learn how to use the interface.
For now, refer to the hearts keys for most functions, as spades uses the same keys.
For bidding, just enter the amount you wish to bid, then press enter, the game will ask you to confirm your bid with y or n
To check what the bids are, press b
Other than that, the keys are the same as hearts, e for game score, c for hand score, w for who's turn, etc.
To get to the spades page, just go to your start menu all programs, go into spades and then hit enter on spades home, this will bring the page up in your browser.
Game play overview
Spades is a plain - trick game in which spades are always trumps. It is most often played as a partnership game by four players, but there are also versions for 3, 2 or 6 players. The Blind Adrenaline Card room will be using the four player game.
The four players are in fixed partnerships, with 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 suit, rank from highest to lowest: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.
The Deal
The first dealer is chosen at random, and the turn to deal rotates clockwise. The cards are shuffled and then dealt singly, in clockwise order beginning with the player on dealer's left, until all 52 cards have been dealt and everyone has 13.
In Spades, all four players bid a number of tricks. Each team adds together the bids of the two partners, and the total is the number of tricks that team must try to win in order to get a positive score. The bidding begins with the player to dealer's left and continues clockwise around the table. Everyone must bid a number, and in theory any number from 0 to 13 is allowed. Unlike other games with bidding, there is no requirement for each bid to be higher than the last one, and players are not allowed to pass. There is no second round of bidding - bids once made cannot be altered. Example: South deals; West bids 3; North bids 1; East bids 4; South bids 4. The objective of North and South is to win at least 5 tricks (4+1), East and West try to win at least 7 (4+3).
A bid of 0 tricks is known as Nil. This is a declaration that that the player who bid Nil will not win any tricks during the play. There is an extra bonus for this if it succeeds and a penalty if it fails. The partnership also has the objective of winning the number of tricks bid by the Nil's partner. It is not possible to bid no tricks without bidding a Nil. If you don't want to go for the Nil bonus or penalty you must bid at least 1.
The Play of the Hand
The player to dealer's left leads any card except a spade to the first trick. Each player, in turn, clockwise, must follow suit if able; if unable to follow suit, the player may play any card.
A trick containing a spade is won by the highest spade played; if no spade is played, the trick is won by the highest card of the suit led. The winner of each trick leads to the next. Spades may not be led until either
- some player has played a spade (on the lead of another suit, of course), or
- the leader has nothing but spades left in hand.
Playing the first spade is known as "breaking" spades.
Scoring
A side that takes at least as many tricks as its bid calls for receives a score equal to 10 times its bid. Additional tricks (overtricks) are worth an extra one point each.
Sandbagging rule: Overtricks are colloquially known as bags. A side which (over several deals) accumulates ten or more bags has 100 points deducted from its score. Any bags beyond ten are carried over to the next cycle of ten overtricks - that is if they reached twenty overtricks they would lose another 100 points and so on. (Note: it is not necessary to keep track of overtricks separately as the cumulative number of overtricks taken appears as the final digit of the team's score, if positive).
Example: Suppose a team whose score is 337 bids 5 tricks. If they win 7 tricks they score 52, taking their score to 389. If they win 8 tricks they score 53, but lose 100 because they now have 10 bags, and their score becomes 290 (337 + 53 - 100). If they win 9 tricks they score 54 and lose 100, bringing their score to 291.
If a side does not make its bid, they lose 10 points for each trick they bid.
If a bid of nil is successful, the nil bidder's side receives 100 points. This is in addition to the score won (or lost) by the partner of the nil bidder for tricks made. If a bid of nil fails - that is, the bidder takes at least one trick - the bidder's side loses 100 points, but still receives any amount scored for the partner's bid.
The usual rule is that when a nil fails, the tricks won by the nil bidder do not count towards making the partner's bid, but do count as bags for the team.
The side which reaches 500 points first wins the game. If both sides reach 500 points in a single deal, the side with the higher score wins.
Now that you have some idea of how the game is played, here are some strategies for winning a game of Spades:
1. Bidding well is your best chance of winning. For the most part, a normal distribution of cards will result in one side getting 7 books and the other side getting the remaining 6. The challenge of Spades lies in the fact that most hands are not normal, but will invariably give each player more cards in a certain suit than strictly necessary. In order to offer an accurate bid of your own hand, you should play out the game in your head to account for such overages. You might want to count both the Ace and King of Diamonds, but if your hand is loaded with low Diamond cards, the chances are not good that the King will survive a second round. Queens and Jacks rarely survive, but do make for good cards to 'force out' an opponent's trump cards. Only count Aces and Kings if you are not saddled with more than 4 or 5 cards in that suit.
Only bid what you know until you become more confident in your abilities. Count the Aces and Kings in the non-trump suits, then assume at least one cut for every two Spades in your hand. Obviously the Ace of Spades (or the Big Joker) will earn you a book, but stick to the 2/1 strategy for every other Spade. The more accurate you become at bidding, the faster you will move up in points. If you notice a pattern of underbidding books, get more aggressive with your bidding, but within reason.
2. Watch for signs of signalling, reneging or other illicit communications. Since Spades depends so much on successful play between partners, there is always the temptation to communicate across the table. Even the best efforts to keep this to a minimum can fall victim to human nature. Partners who have been playing Spades for a long time can develop secret methods for communicating that fly under the radar. They may make an innocent comment about the weather or about a current event, when in reality they are telling their partner whether or not they are holding the Little Joker or too many cards in one suit. Such information can prove invaluable when contemplating a 10-for-2 bid or some other special bid. If you can prove conclusively that the opposite side has communicate across the table, then you can politely ask them to stop such signalling and play fairly. If you are not sure about the other side's intentions, then you may just have to keep your suspicions to yourself until the time is right. Winning a game of Spades is difficult enough in a fair setting, let alone one that is obviously tainted by cheating.
3. Know when to cut and when to throw off. The first few hands of a Spades game usually follow a predictable pattern- one player leads off with a high card in a non-trump suit, and the rest of the players throw off their lowest cards in that suit. But after the first few rounds, the game gets much more strategic. Players who do not hold any cards in the suit may opt to 'cut' the hand with a spade (trump) card and win the hand, or they may throw off a non-suit card and allow their partner to win the book. This decision can ultimately make the difference between making the final bid or not. What you want to consider is the potential payoff if you do indeed cut the book in your favor. Your partner may already know that you were going to trump that hand, so you won't hurt his or her bids by cutting. But if your partner throws out a fairly high card in that suit and you haven't seen signs of cutting from either opponent, it's best to throw off a non-suit card. Besides guaranteeing a book for your team, you can also increase the possibility of cutting the other suit later.
A good partner will sometimes feed you a card in a suit he or she knows you are cutting, but a beginning partner may not be so observant. If you suspect that your partner has not been paying attention to the cards previously played, you may want to cut for self-protection. One rule for cutting with a trump card, especially in the early rounds, is only go as high as you need. Often a two or three of spades is all that is required to win the hand- save your higher spades for bigger stakes. The exception to this would be if you and your partner are trying for a higher bid, like 8, 9 or 10 books. The last thing you'll want to do is cut your own partner out of a book, so if you have the second-highest trump card (either the King of Spades or the Little Joker), you may want to cut an early hand with it to prevent later head-bumping.
4. Always keep a running count of your opponent's cards. If your opponent throws out a fairly high card in a non-trump suit early, chances are pretty good that they are going to begin cutting that suit soon. Advanced players will sometimes do this as a ruse, but most players will instinctively throw out their lowest cards when the book is obviously going to their opponents. If you have no other choice, you'll throw out a face card earlier than expected. Observant players will avoid that suit as much as possible. One way to see what your opponents are thinking is to throw out a Queen in a suit that has already been lead. Queens are usually not counted as a guaranteed book, but will sometimes survive a third run in that suit. Since your opponents won't want to lose the book, they may start cutting, which settles the question of who is cutting which suit. If your partner is the one cutting the suit, he or she will most likely blow off a non-trump card. If this happens, and you do get the lead, then lead out in that suit again and watch what your partner does. Expect a fairly high trump card, followed either by a higher trump from your opponent or a blow-off. Either option should prove expensive for the competition.
5. Be especially careful when playing the end rounds. Eventually the focus of the game will be on the relative number and strength of Spades in your hand. All other suits become fairly useless.
The one thing you don't want to do is cut your own partner out of a winning book. In order to avoid this, many partners develop a signal that lets the other know to play a higher card. Since this signal is not verbal, it is not considered a illegal communication. If you get the lead in a later round of Spades and you want to know if your partner is holding the Ace, lead out with the lowest Spade you have. The two is especially effective for a signalling device. This will let your partner know that you expect he or she to throw out their highest card. With luck, that will be the Ace or King. If it isn't, and you lose that book, at least you know that the remaining cards can't hurt you. The Ace or Big Joker was bound to capture a book, so it's usually best to sacrifice a lower spade to spare the life of a Jack, Queen or King.
There are many other tricks you'll discover as you get more experienced with the game of Spades, but these basic tips should keep your head above water while you learn the ropes. Be aware of various playing styles, and try not to fall victim to aggressive players. Some players will deliberately save Aces and Kings of non-trump suits in order to get a better shot at stealing a book or two later. Others may rush your judgement by anticipating their own win and crowding over the cards, just waiting for your non-winning play. Some partners are known to overbid or underbid consistently, so take that into consideration before committing your team to a final bid.
Most importantly, just try to have fun with Spades as you pass the time away with friends and family. Everyone loses a hand now and then, so let the cards fall where they may and just enjoy the companionship.
The mailing list
Click the below link to subscribe to the Spades mail list, a great resource for finding out about upcoming games:
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