SPADES

Goal

Spades is a partnership bidding game. You and the player across the table are a team. Before play, each player bids how many tricks they expect to win; your team must take at least its combined bid (the contract) to score. ♠ Spades are always trump — any spade beats any heart, diamond, or club. First team to the target score wins.

Bidding

• Starting left of the dealer, each player bids 0–13 tricks. Partners' bids add up to the team contract.
• NIL (a bid of 0) is a side-bet that you'll take zero tricks all hand: +100 if you pull it off, −100 if you take even one.
• BLIND NIL is a Nil declared before looking at your cards — worth ±200. Your hand stays face-down until you commit or peek.

Playing a Trick

• The player left of the dealer leads the first trick; each trick's winner leads the next.
• You must follow suit if you can. If you're void, play anything — including a spade ("trumping").
• The highest spade played wins the trick; if no spade was played, the highest card of the suit led wins.
• Breaking spades: you can't lead a spade until one has been played to an earlier trick (unless spades are all you have left).

Scoring

• Make the contract: +10 points per bid trick, +1 per extra trick (a "bag").
• Fall short ("set"): −10 points per bid trick — no credit for tricks taken.
• Bag penalty: every 10 accumulated bags costs your team −100. Don't coast on overtricks.
• Nil and Blind Nil bonuses are scored separately, on top of the contract result.

Quick Strategy

• Count sure winners when bidding: aces, protected kings, high spades, and short suits you can trump.
• Under-bidding feels safe but the bag penalty claws those "free" points back.
• Cover a partner who bid Nil — win the tricks they're forced toward, and lead suits they can duck.
• Watch who's void: your ace is only good until somebody trumps it.