How do you play spades, the card game?

Question

i have recently heard about the game but i still cant grasp how to play and the rules. It would be great if u can help me out.

Answer 1

Hey there, welcome to the wonderful world of Spades, I've just opened a new yahoo group called Spadestastic, take a look and please feel free to join!



There are actually three popular versions of Spades, since Yahoo only offers the partnership version, here are the rules.



Keep in mind, you can also play indivdual or cut throat versions as well.



If you would like to read more about the other two versions, take a look at www.spadester.com



Playing Spades in pairs is a great way to make new friends and hone your skills. For first time partners, you will note that your partner sits directly across from you. After the cards are dealt, each player is asked to make a bid.



The player to the dealer's left can lead with any card they choose except a spade. Continuing clockwise each player follows suit unless unable to, and the player may play any card. Please keep in mind; you may not lead with a Spade until one has been during another hand.



Tricks are usually taken by the highest card of common suit is played, or if a Spade is played. If there is more than one Spade played, than the highest Spade wins the trick. The winner of each trick will lead the next one.



Scoring

At the end of each round each team’s score is calculated. If you took all of the tricks that you bid, than you will receive 10 points for every trick, and those points are added to your team’s total score. If your team took bags (a bag is a trick that is won in addition to the intial bid. Example: If a player bids 4 tricks and makes 5, the additional trick is called a "bag"), than you will receive 1 point per bag, but, if your team takes more than 10 bags the team will lose 100 points from your total score and the additional bags will be carried over to the next bag cycle, so be careful. To see how scoring works, please look at our examples below.



Example 1) If a team's total bid is for 6 tricks, and the team wins exactly 6 tricks, 60 points will be added to their total score.

Example 2) If the same team who bid also won 2 over tricks, they get 60 points + two extra points for the over tricks, for a total of 62 points to be added to their total score for the round.

Example 3) If a team has a score of 240 and has accumulated 15 overtricks, the team will lose 100 points from their total score, as they have passed the 10 overtrick limit, to make the new total score 140, and the extra 5 overtricks are carried into the next overtrick cycle.



If a player doesn’t make their bid, that player loses 10 points for each trick they bid.



Example: If your score was 100 at the begining of the game, and you bid 5 tricks but only won 3, you will lose 50 points and your new score will be 50: 100 points - 50 points for the incomplete bid of 5 tricks



If a bid of nil is successful, the team receives 100 points. If a bid of nil fails and the bidder takes at least one trick, the team loses 100 points.



Example: If a team has a score of 400 points and had a successful Nil round, the team will receive 100 points to upping their score to 500. If the same team fails to make their Nil bid, they will lose 100 points taking their score down to 300 and any tricks they won will count as overtricks, and they will receive 1 point per overtrick.



A bid of blind nil scores twice as much as an ordinary nil - it wins 200 points if successful and loses 200 points if it fails.



Example: If a team has a score of 300 points and had a successful Blind Nil round, the team will receive 200 points to upping their score to 500. If the same team fails to make their Blind Nil bid, they will lose 200 points taking their score down to 100 and any tricks they won will count as overtricks, and they will receive 1 point per overtrick.



The team that reaches the set point limit first (usually between 200 and 500 points) wins the game. If both teams reach the set point limit in a single deal, the team with the higher score wins.

Answer 2

Great game! I assume that you have some knowledge of card game terms - suit, trick, void, trump, etc.

Can be played with two players, but this requires different rules for dealing.

Players sitting opposite are partners and must bid on the number of tricks that they think that they are capable of winning. They must bid independently of the other. Scoring is a direct result of the bid, so it is good to bid true to your hand.

Rules - Aces are high, deuces low; play is clockwise; trump (spades) beats all except a higher trump; players must follow suit unless void, spades may not be led until 'broken.'

Deal out all the cards to four players, four hands, 13 cards each.

Player to the left of the dealer starts the bidding. Thirteen tricks are possible per hand. Players bid on their own hands, but the bid for the team is combined. It is possible to bid 'nil,' meaning that you do not think that you will take any tricks. This is the only bid that is specific to the player that bid it. In other words, player A bids 'nil' and her teammate bids 5. Player A CANNOT take any tricks at all, even to fill her teammates bid. Normally, when both players bid, either teammate can take tricks to fill the bid.

The dealer starts the play. The winner of a trick leads off the next trick.

Scoring is as follows:

10 points per trick up to the total bid.

1 point per trick for each trick after the bid is achieved.

-10 points times the total bid if the bid is not achieved.

100 points for a successful 'nil' bid.

-100 points for a failed 'nil' bid.

-100 points if a team accumulates 10 total tricks above their bid. This is accumulated over several hands. For instance, a teams score is 359. As indicated by the '9', they had previously taken 9 extra tricks over the course of the game. Their current bid is 6, and they take 7 tricks. The score for this hand would be 61, (60 for the bid, 1 for the extra trick. This means that their new total score would be 320 (359 + 61 -100 = 320).

I would recommend trying to play on one of the free games sites, yahoo!games, msn, pogo, etc. You will likely encounter some variations in scoring 'nil' bids.

Answer 3

the item of spades is to bid your hand at the lest quantity of hearts diamond golf equipment and your reduce playing cards are spades so should you most effective have 2 of the opposite fits you'll be able to financial institution on two books

Answer 4

Spades is a partnership bidding game similar to bridge. It's played in a clockwise direction, most commonly with two teams of two players sitting opposite each other. The suit of spades is always the highest value suit or trump, and cards are valued from highest to lowest: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Bidding

Things You'll Need

Snacks

Folding Chairs

Playing Cards

Notebook Papers

Card Tables

Pens

Steps

1Step OneShuffle and deal a standard 52-card deck until all the cards have been dealt out and each player has 13 cards.

2Step TwoBid (if you are the person to the left of the dealer) on the number of tricks - always between 4 and 13 - you estimate you can win. Bid nil or blind nil if you think you cannot win a single trick in the entire round.

3Step ThreeEvaluate the first bid of the opposing team. Note the special bids of nil or blind nil.

4Step FourNote your partner's bid; he is making the contract bid for which you are both responsible.

5Step FiveNote the bid of the second partner of the opposing team, for which both partners are responsible.

6Step SixWrite down all bids.

Tips & Warnings

When bidding as the first bidder, indicate strengths by saying things like, "I think I can take five or, maybe, six tricks," but never specify the exact suit or ranking of the cards in your hand.

Bid intelligently by taking into account the first partner's bid. Spades is a game of communication between partners.

The first bidder is responsible for taking the tricks he indicated he would take in his bid. If he takes more or fewer than he bid, he is punished in the scoring process. In the same scoring round, both the first and second bidder are responsible for taking tricks indicated in the second bid. If they take more or fewer as a team, they are punished in the scoring process.

Playing the Game

Steps

1Step OnePlay your lowest club on the first hand, after the holder of the 2 of clubs has led. Discard a heart or diamond if no club is held.

2Step TwoLead the next trick if you won the first, with any card but a spade. Follow suit, but if unable, play any card including a spade.

3Step ThreePlay one round or 13 tricks, until all players have no cards remaining in their hands.

Tips & Warnings

Spades may not lead the play of a hand until a player follows with a spade. A player can only follow with a spade when he no longer holds the suit led.

Tricks containing spades are won with the highest spade. If there are no spades in the hand, it is won by the highest card of the suit led.

Spades is a game of partnership, so remember what cards fall early in the game. That way you can play off of your partner's strengths, and he can play off of yours.

Scoring

Steps

1Step OneScore 10 times the bid for the team that took as many tricks as bid, plus one extra point for each additional trick or sandbag.

2Step TwoScore 50 points for the successful nil bidder, plus the score won or lost by the partner for tricks made. Score 100 points for the successful blind nil bidder, plus the score won or lost by the partner for tricks made.

3Step ThreeDeduct 10 points for each trick taken by the team that did not make its bid. Deduct 50 points for the failed nil bid, plus the score won or lost by the partner for tricks made. Deduct 100 points for the failed blind nil bid, plus the score won or lost by the partner for tricks made.

4Step FourEnd the game when one team reaches 500 points and wins.

Tips & Warnings

Scoring is meant to punish, and thereby discourage, inexact bidding. Teams that overbid are punished minimally; teams that underbid are punished fully.

If both teams reach 500 points in a single deal, the side with the higher score wins.