Rules
When a team "makes" its bid, it receives 10 points for every trick that the team
bid. In the above example, if Jim and Fred make their bid exactly (win 7 tricks)
the team will receive 70 points.
If a team fails to make its bid (this is called "getting set"), it loses 10 points for
every trick that the team bid. In the above example, if Jim and Fred win a total of
6 or fewer tricks, the team will lose 70 points (receive a score of -70 points).
If a team makes its bid and takes one or more overtricks (more tricks than the team
bid) during the hand, the team receives 1 additional point for each overtrick taken
(these additional tricks and points are referred to as "bags"). In the above
example, if Jim and Fred win 8 tricks during the play of the hand, the team will
receive a score of 71 points (10 times the bid of 7 plus one additional bag point).
If they win 9 tricks during the play of the hand, the team will receive a score of 72
points (10 times the bid of 7 plus 2 additional bag points... one for each of the 2
overtricks taken).
As a game proceeds, it is normal for a team to acctunulate more and more bags
over time. When a team accumulates a total of 10 bags during a game, the team is
penalized, or loses, 100 points. (One scoring variation also requires that, once the
10 overtricks, or bags, have been accumulated, the 10 points represented by those
bags are taken away along with the 100 point penalty... a total deduction of 110
points. Just be sure you know which variation is being used.)
EXAMPLE
Sue and Mary have a score of 368 points. This means that they have accumulated
8 bags so far in the game being played (one additional point was added to their
score for each of 8 overtricks taken on various hands).
On the next hand, they bid a total of 5 tricks and actually win 7 tricks during the
hand. The team receives a score on the, hand of 52 points (10 times the bid of 5
plus 2 additional bag points for the 2 overtricks).
The 2 bags taken on this hand bring the team's total number of bags to 10, and
once the new score is added to the previous score, the team is assessed a penalty of
100 points.
The new score for the team will be 368 + the 52 points earned for the hand = 420...
minus the 100 point penalty for accumulating 10 bags = 320 points.
More simply, 368 + 52 - 100 = 320.
In the above example, if Sue and Mary had taken 8 tricks on the hand rather than
7, the third additional bag would simply be added to the team’s score as a start
toward another possible 100 point bag penalty...
368 + 53 - 100 = 321 points.
It is the constant approach/avoidance problem of desiring to make the team’s bid
on any given hand while, at the same time, not wanting to take overtricks so as to
avoid earning an eventual bag penalty, which represents the perpetual challenge of
Spades.
BIDDING NIL
If a player bids zero (called bidding or going Nil), he commits himself to taking no
tricks during the play of the hand. If he is successful in his attempt to win no
tricks during the hand, his team is awarded a bonus of 100 points.* Conversely, if
he is forced to take at least one trick during the hand, his team is assessed a 100
point penalty. Otherwise, the total team bid and score on the hand are determined
as described above.
There is a scoring variation which allows a player to bid Nil without having seen his cards (BlindNil) for a potential bonus, or penalty, of 200 points. This variation substantially increases the
element of luck associated with the game, and its discussion would not serve the purposes of this book. One scoring variation does not coimt tricks taken by the Nil bidder as contributing toward the team bid, but counts them only as bags. Relevant issues regarding the two scoring approaches are discussed in the chapter entitled The Nil.
LEGEND AND DEFINITION OF TERMS LEGEND
All of the examples of playing hands presented in this book use the standard
North/South/East/West presentation format which is universally used to describe
hands in Bridge and other four player card games.
In each instance, the reader is seated in the South position, his partner is seated
North, and the two opponents are seated East and West.
The ntunbers after the players’ position names refer to the bid and the number of
tricks taken at that point in the hand by each player. For example,
North 4 U
means that North bid 4 on the hand, and
North 4/2
means that North bid 4 and has taken 2 tricks at this point in the hand.
The number of bags that a team has at any point in the game is represented by the
last digit of the team's score.
The cards shown under each player’s position name indicate the cards that that
player is holding at that point in the hand, with
Q = Spades, V = Hearts, O = Diamonds, and Q = Clubs.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
bag ............. an overtrick taken during the play of a hand, a point representing an
overtrick taken during the play of the hand, or the eaming of a 100
point penalty for accumulating 10 overtricks during the play of the I
game
LEGEND AND DEFINITION OF TERMS LEGEND
All of the examples of playing hands presented in this book use the standard
North/South/East/West presentation format which is universally used to describe
hands in Bridge and other four player card games.
In each instance, the reader is seated in the South position, his partner is seated
North, and the two opponents are seated East and West.
The ntunbers after the players’ position names refer to the bid and the number of
tricks taken at that point in the hand by each player. For example,
North 4 U
means that North bid 4 on the hand, and
North 4/2
means that North bid 4 and has taken 2 tricks at this point in the hand.
The number of bags that a team has at any point in the game is represented by the
last digit of the team's score.
The cards shown under each player’s position name indicate the cards that that
player is holding at that point in the hand, with
Q = Spades, V = Hearts, O = Diamonds, and Q = Clubs.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
bag ............. an overtrick taken during the play of a hand, a point representing an
overtrick taken during the play of the hand, or the earning of a 100
point penalty for accumulating 10 overtricks during the play of the Igame
determinant of almost every decision made throughout a game. The extent to
which you are able to understand and manage this factor will determine how
successful a Spades player you ultimately become.
The key to Spades is not knowing haw to underbid and successfully get rid of
potentially winning cards from your hand, but when to do so.
The key to Spades is not knowing how to stretch your bid to the limit and then
achieve that bid, but when to do so.
The key to Spades is not knowing on what kind 0f hand to bid Nil, but when to do so.
The key to Spades is not knowing haw to set a Nil bid, but when to attempt to do so.
The key to Spades is not knowing how to set a Nil cover bid, but when to attempt to do so.
The key to Spades is not knowing how to avoid taking bags, but when to do so.
The key to Spades is not knowing how to set your opponents bid, but when to attempt to do so.
In almost all situations, the risk/reward opportunity that your team faces will be
detennined by the score of the game. Proper management of risk/reward requires
bidding and playing according to the score of the game more than according
to the cards in your hand. This is a very difficult concept for many players to
grasp. It is, however, the key to not losing at Spades.
If you ever hear a player say that he "always bids his hand," that is a player who
loses many more Spades games than he should. The object of Spades is not to bid
your hand, but to win the game. Players who maintain and understand this focus
win, and those who do not, lose.
If you do not want to hear any more about risk/reward, you should not read any
further in How NOT t0 Lose at Spades. The primary teaching objective of the
book is to get you to view Spades as a game of risk/reward rather than as a game of
cards. This attempt is relentless, and you most likely will succumb. If you do, you
will be well on your way to becoming the very best Spades player that you can be.