Spades is a partnership card game that, like Bridge, is descended from the old English game of Whist. In general, the goal of each Hand of Spades is to predict or Bid on how many Tricks you will take during that hand. Your partner in this game sits directly in front of you. This means that both your bid and your partner’s are considered as one. This is called the Contract for the hand. If you make your contract you are rewarded with points in proportion to the size of your contract and if you fail to make your contract you lose points also in proportion to the size of your contract. As the saying goes, nothing ventured, nothing gained. The game continues until one team reaches or exceeds the threshold, which is usually five hundred points.
A standard pack of fifty two cards, ranked from Ace down to two, is used. Spades are always trump.
Starting with the dealer, each player in turn bids the number of tricks she expects to win. Possible bids are from Nil to thirteen. The sum of partnership bids are called the contract. If a player bids Nil, (meaning they expect to win no tricks), then they may, depending on the rule settings, be allowed to exchange up to four cards with their partner once everyone else has bid. A player may also bid Blind Nil if this rule option has been selected, which must be done before looking at the hand. If a player bids Blind Nil then all bonuses and penalties are doubled.
The standard play is that the player who bids the highest, leads first and may play any card except Spades. Spades may not be led until they have been bled or broken by being played previously. Players must follow suit until they run out of the suit that was led, at which point they may play any card remaining in their hand. A trick is won by the highest trump or by the highest card of the suit led if no trump is played.
The object of the game is to fulfill the contract bid by the partnership. (No, you don’t need to call your lawyer, it just sounds that way). If one partner has bid Nil, his contract and his partner’s are scored independently, and then the scores are combined. (Though if a nil bidder takes tricks, those tricks count towards the partner’s bid).
Tricks count ten points each for a partnership if the contract is made, and ten against if it is set.
Sandbags, or tricks won in excess of the contract, count as one point each.
A successful Nil bid is worth one hundred points, or minus one hundred if failed.
NOTE: On Double Nil, (both partners bid Nil or Blind Nil), the partnership receives two hundred points if both make their contracts, and lose two hundred if either or both are set.
A standard game of Spades consists of five hundred points, although other thresholds may be chosen. When either team ends a hand over the victory threshold, then the team with the highest score wins the game. This is true even if both teams exceed the victory threshold at the end of the final hand.