What is null in Spades?

Bidding Nil

A player who bids Nil (zero) is claiming that they won't win any tricks during the hand. If they player is successful, their partnership earns a 100-point bonus. However, if the player wins one or more tricks, their partnership receives a 100-point penalty.

Can one person go nil in spades?

A player/team may bid any number of tricks 4-13 or nil. 4. Nil – If one partner bids nil, that person must not win any tricks during that hand. The bid made by the partner of the nil bidder becomes that partnership's total bid for the hand.

When can you go nil in spades?

A player that has already looked at their cards can bid Nil. The object of the bidder is to take no tricks during the hand. The player's partner may make a normal bid and then help them by attempting to take tricks the Nil bidder would otherwise take.

How do you beat nil in spades?

(to) Break Nil - Force an opponent who has bid nil or blind nil to win a trick, typically by leading a low card and forcing them to play a higher one due to lack of other cards in their hand.

What are the penalties in spades?

If a player prematurely exposes the Ace or King, or Queen of spades during the play of the hand, or bidding, a 50 point penalty will be assessed. If a player exposes any other card, a 25 point penalty will be assessed.

How to Use Nil Bids in Spades

What is considered cheating in spades?

Renege - When a player has a card from the lead suit and can follow suit but does not. Reneging is considered cheating and penalized if proven occurred. If a team challenges reneging has occurred they must identify which book on the table the player did not follow suit.

What is the penalty for sandbagging in spades?

If a team takes more tricks than they bid (and "Sandbag Penalty" is enabled in Settings), they gain one additional point and one sandbag for each extra trick taken; with “Sandbag Penalty” turned on, collecting 10 sandbags results in losing 100 points.

Which 2 to take out in Spades?

Before the cards are distributed, the two of hearts, and the two of diamonds are removed, which should make for a total of 52 cards (including both jokers). Dealing and playing are done to the left (clockwise).

Can you go double Nil in Spades?

A bid of Double Nil is only allowed for a team who are far behind - for example more than 400 behind in a 1000 point game. In a few circles a "Blind Double Nil" bid is allowed. If successful, the bidders win the whole game; if not their opponents win the game.

What is the difference between nil and blind nil in Spades?

In games where a regular Nil is worth 50 points, a Blind Nil is worth 100. (To bid Blind Nil you'd have to be down at least 100 points, not 200.) A successful Blind Nil is worth +200 but a fail is only penalized as -100. The partner of a Blind Bid might not accrue any bags during the hand.

Is there a mercy rule in spades?

If both sides reach 500 points in the same deal, the side with the higher score wins. Mercy rule: A team automatically loses if they reach -200 points. If a player knows 100% sure he will take all of the remaining tricks it's usually saves time to just say so and execute.

What is it called when you get 10 books in spades?

10-FOR-200 - Any team to bid and successfully win 10 books during any hand will receive 200 points. The team loses 100 points if bid is unsuccessful. No Blinds, No Nines - Neither blind bids nor a cumulative team bid of 9 books is allowed.

What happens if you don't meet your bid in spades?

If a team fails to achieve their bid, their score is not changed. There are rule variations that change this scoring (see Spades House Rules Options, below). If a player who bid Nil achieves their bid, 100 points is added to the team score (double for Blind Nil).

What is the best card to have in spades?

The Ace of Spades (also known as the Spadille and Death Card) is traditionally the highest and most valued card in the deck of playing cards in English-speaking countries.

What cards should I bid on in spades?

Bidding is an important component of Spades. At the most basic level, bidding the number of Kings and Aces in your hand is a good place to start. Of course, there are other modifications you may want to make. For example, your bid might be higher or lower depending on how many ♠ you have.

What is the best strategy in spades?

What happens when you get 10 bags in spades?

These single points are referred to as “bags.” If a team collects 10 bags across hands, a penalty of 100 points is subtracted from their score. This penalty can be turned off in practice and join games (see Spades House Rules Options, below). If a team fails to achieve their bid, their score is not changed.

What is flooding playing spades?

In the card game, you flood spades by leading low spades, hoping the player with the Ace has only that spade left and must play it.

What is a joker in Spades?

Object of the Game

When the two jokers are used, they are the highest-ranking trump cards. The spade suit is comprised of 15 cards: the Big Joker (Full-Color Joker) outranks the Little Joker (One-Color Joker), which outranks the ace of spades.

Is Spades a black game?

Spades descends from Bid Whist and Bid Whist descends from Bridge. Both games—Bid Whist and Spades—are wholly African-American in origin.

What is a 00 bid in Spades?

A player who bids Nil (zero) is claiming that they won't win any tricks during the hand. If they player is successful, their partnership earns a 100-point bonus. However, if the player wins one or more tricks, their partnership receives a 100-point penalty.

Why bid 13 in Spades?

In a perfect world, the total amount of tricks bid in each hand of Spades should equal 13, since there are 13 tricks to be won. If you are the third or last player to bid, consider how the other players have been bidding.

Do you have to bid at least 4 in Spades?

The Bidding

There is only one round of bidding, and the minimum bid is One. Every player must make a bid; no player may pass. No suit is named in the bid, for as the name of the game implies, spades are always trump.

Why do they call it a Boston in Spades?

A “Boston” is when a team wins 13 of the 13 possible books. If you hear either of these words it means you need to concentrate on that particular hand like you're taking the S.A.T. to be admitted into heaven.

What does trump mean in Spades?

trump cards

If you play a trump card during a game of Spades, it means that you take the whole trick — in other words, you'll pick up every card on the table. Outside of card games, this phrase can refer to any resource that provides you with a clear advantage.