How to Play Card Games Tutorial - Rules of Spades

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Variations of Spades for Four Players

Dennis J Barmore (sharksinc@aol.com) runs a mailing list for information about Spades, Bid Whist and Pinochle clubs and tournaments in the USA. He has contributed the following description of a variant which is widely played by African Americans. The rules are as in basic spades, but with the following differences:

1. Cards: The game is played with a standard pack with two distinct jokers; the twos of clubs and hearts are removed from the pack leaving 52 cards. The two jokers are the highest trumps. If one is colouful and the other is plain, the colourful one is higher. If your pack has identical jokers, write "BIG" on one of them, and that one is higher. The third highest trump is the two of spades - so the trump suit ranks:
   big joker, small joker, 2, A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3.
   For the purpose of following suit, the jokers count as spades.
2. Leading: After the bidding, the dealer leads to the first trick and may lead any card of any suit. Throughout the game, any card may be led to a trick. You do not have to wait for spades to be broken before leading them.
3. Scoring: If a team makes fewer tricks than they bid, they score minus the value of the contract - for example if you bid 8 and lose you score -80. There is no extra score for undertricks.
4. Bidding blind: There is no nil or blind nil bid, but a partnership may bid blind seven, provided neither of them has yet looked at their cards. This doubles the score to 140 if successful and -140 if not. If they make overtricks, these count one each as usual.
5. In theory it is also possible to bid higher numbers blind for double the score: blind 8 is worth 160, blind 9 is 180 and so on. However, such bids will not be worthwhile, except possibly when they give you just enough points to win the game if successful.

Other variations

Here are some further variants, mostly contributed by Theodore Hwa. Ben Miller provided the information on No Trump and Double Nil.

Variation in the cards and their ranking

In some versions of Spades, some or all of the four twos are elevated to the top of the spade suit, are ranked in some specified order, and are considered to be spades. The rest of the cards rank as in normal.

Spades can also be played with a 54 card pack - the standard pack of 52 plus 2 distinguishable jokers. In this case the two jokers are elevated to be the top two cards of the spade suit, with a particular order of the jokers specified. If jokers are used, then there will be two cards left over at the end of the deal, and these are given to the dealer. Having looked at all 15 cards, the dealer discards any two cards face down. Some play that the two extra cards are given to the holder of the two of clubs, rather than the dealer. Some play that the discard takes place after the bidding.

Variations in the bidding

Some play that each team must bid a minimum of 4 tricks. If a player bids Nil, that player's partner must bid at least 4.

Some play that after each partnership has agreed its initial bid, each side, beginning with the side that made the first bid, is then given the opportunity to increase its bid.

Some play that the bids of the two sides must not add up to exactly 13 tricks. This makes it impossible for both teams to win their bid exactly.

Continue Rules of Spades Tutorial: More Variations