How to play: Spades
How to play: Spades
by swirlypop69 on Fri Sep 12, 2008 2:05 pm
With the popularity of the cutty races, where people play as a team, I thought I'd do a guide so people can learn about a less popular team game!
So, you are teamed up with the person opposite you. When joining a table, you can work out teams like this:
The people who join the seats in the red box in the screenshot above (not actually seen on table) are in one team, whilst the people who join the seats enveloped by the blue box in the screenshot above (not actually seen on table) are in the other.
This game can be seen as having to aims!
Short term aim: To win the bidded amount of hands.
Long term aim: To get higher than or equal to the predefined set of match points (thus winning the game).
Once the teams are sorted you start, with 13 cards being dealt to each player. Your team mate will appear opposite you on your screen. Along with your hand, you will then see this:
This where you predict how many hands you are going to win during this round. First you bid, then your team mate, and then your opponents. This will alternate every round.
Nil bid: If you bid this, it means you will attempt to win 0 hands. This a tricky tactic to take. If you succeed, you will earn your team 50 points. However, if you win even one hand then your team score will be reduced by 50. Any hands that you do take will still count towards your teams collective bid though.
Blind nil bid: If your team is behind by more than 100 points, you will be offered the chance of a "Blind nil bid". This is where you bid to win 0 hands before actually seeing the hand you've been dealt. If you agree, you will then see your hand along with having the option of passing 2 cards to your team mate. They will then have to pass 2 cards back. If successful in winning 0 hands, you will win your team 100 points. However, if unsuccessful your team will lose 100 points.
Once all the players have bid then the hands are played. First, though, let us go over what these bids mean in detail.
If neither you nor your team mate has made a nil bid, then effectively you can add both of your bids together. This is the amount of hands that you need to win collectively.
For example: You bid 5 and your team mate bids 2. Together this comes to 7. So as long as collectively you win 7 hands you will be ok.
Bidding is important when it comes to scoring points! If you fail to win the amount of hands bidded, then your score is reduced by 10 points for every hand your team bid.
For example: Collectively your team bid 7, but together you only managed to win 4. Therefore your team score is reduced by 70 points. And yes your score can go into negative points!
If you manage to achieve your bid you get 10 points for each hand that you won that you bidded you would get. If you won more hands than you bidded, then for every hand you won that was over your bid you get 1 point plus a sandbag.
For example: Collectively your team bid 7, but together you won 9 hands. You would score 72 points and 2 sandbags.
What are these sandbags you might be wondering. Well, let me explain!
Sandbag: As explained, you will recieve a sandbag for every hand your team wins over the amount you collectively bid. If at any point in the game your team collects 10 sandbags then your team score will be reduced by 100 points!
Scores are calcuated at the end of each round. Rounds end when each player has played their 13 cards.
Now for the easy part, playing hands! This is a similar part of the game to Hearts. For the first hand, each player plays their lowest club. If a player has no clubs, they must play hearts or diamonds. Spades may not be played on the first hand unless a player holds nothing but spades. The person who played the highest club wins in the first hand. This person then starts the next hand with any card except a spade (unless they hold nothing else). Each player in turn then must play a card of the same suit as the card that was started with. If a player does not have a card of that suit, they may play any card. The person who plays the highest spade wins the hand. If no spades are played, the person who played the highest card of the suit that was started with wins the hand. The winner of each hand starts the next hand. Spades may not be started with until a spade has been played or a person holds nothing but spades.
That is how you play! There are some handy ways to keep track of the game in the box with your name and avatar.
The number highlighted in the screenshot by the red circle is the timer, running down how much time you have to play your card in the hand or bid.
The number highlighted in the screenshot by the blue circle is the amount of sandbags your team has.
The number highlighted in the screenshot by the pink circle is your teams' current score.
To win: Your team must be the first to reach or better the necessary amount of points. the necessary amount can be either 50, 100, 150, 200 or 300. The default setting is 150 points! If both teams achieve this at the end of the same round, then the team with the most points wins.
I hope this has helped you understand how to play spades and will encourage you to play it in the future!
If there is anything you are unsure of or think I have missed, please let me know!
So, you are teamed up with the person opposite you. When joining a table, you can work out teams like this:
The people who join the seats in the red box in the screenshot above (not actually seen on table) are in one team, whilst the people who join the seats enveloped by the blue box in the screenshot above (not actually seen on table) are in the other.
This game can be seen as having to aims!
Short term aim: To win the bidded amount of hands.
Long term aim: To get higher than or equal to the predefined set of match points (thus winning the game).
Once the teams are sorted you start, with 13 cards being dealt to each player. Your team mate will appear opposite you on your screen. Along with your hand, you will then see this:
This where you predict how many hands you are going to win during this round. First you bid, then your team mate, and then your opponents. This will alternate every round.
Nil bid: If you bid this, it means you will attempt to win 0 hands. This a tricky tactic to take. If you succeed, you will earn your team 50 points. However, if you win even one hand then your team score will be reduced by 50. Any hands that you do take will still count towards your teams collective bid though.
Blind nil bid: If your team is behind by more than 100 points, you will be offered the chance of a "Blind nil bid". This is where you bid to win 0 hands before actually seeing the hand you've been dealt. If you agree, you will then see your hand along with having the option of passing 2 cards to your team mate. They will then have to pass 2 cards back. If successful in winning 0 hands, you will win your team 100 points. However, if unsuccessful your team will lose 100 points.
Once all the players have bid then the hands are played. First, though, let us go over what these bids mean in detail.
If neither you nor your team mate has made a nil bid, then effectively you can add both of your bids together. This is the amount of hands that you need to win collectively.
For example: You bid 5 and your team mate bids 2. Together this comes to 7. So as long as collectively you win 7 hands you will be ok.
Bidding is important when it comes to scoring points! If you fail to win the amount of hands bidded, then your score is reduced by 10 points for every hand your team bid.
For example: Collectively your team bid 7, but together you only managed to win 4. Therefore your team score is reduced by 70 points. And yes your score can go into negative points!
If you manage to achieve your bid you get 10 points for each hand that you won that you bidded you would get. If you won more hands than you bidded, then for every hand you won that was over your bid you get 1 point plus a sandbag.
For example: Collectively your team bid 7, but together you won 9 hands. You would score 72 points and 2 sandbags.
What are these sandbags you might be wondering. Well, let me explain!
Sandbag: As explained, you will recieve a sandbag for every hand your team wins over the amount you collectively bid. If at any point in the game your team collects 10 sandbags then your team score will be reduced by 100 points!
Scores are calcuated at the end of each round. Rounds end when each player has played their 13 cards.
Now for the easy part, playing hands! This is a similar part of the game to Hearts. For the first hand, each player plays their lowest club. If a player has no clubs, they must play hearts or diamonds. Spades may not be played on the first hand unless a player holds nothing but spades. The person who played the highest club wins in the first hand. This person then starts the next hand with any card except a spade (unless they hold nothing else). Each player in turn then must play a card of the same suit as the card that was started with. If a player does not have a card of that suit, they may play any card. The person who plays the highest spade wins the hand. If no spades are played, the person who played the highest card of the suit that was started with wins the hand. The winner of each hand starts the next hand. Spades may not be started with until a spade has been played or a person holds nothing but spades.
That is how you play! There are some handy ways to keep track of the game in the box with your name and avatar.
The number highlighted in the screenshot by the red circle is the timer, running down how much time you have to play your card in the hand or bid.
The number highlighted in the screenshot by the blue circle is the amount of sandbags your team has.
The number highlighted in the screenshot by the pink circle is your teams' current score.
To win: Your team must be the first to reach or better the necessary amount of points. the necessary amount can be either 50, 100, 150, 200 or 300. The default setting is 150 points! If both teams achieve this at the end of the same round, then the team with the most points wins.
I hope this has helped you understand how to play spades and will encourage you to play it in the future!
If there is anything you are unsure of or think I have missed, please let me know!
Sometimes you have to stand in the shadows; to see the light.
