Bidding Spades with No Trumps

> M aking a bid also involve something known as trumps.

The game of spades is a card game that is similar in many respects to whist. In fact, spades is considered to be a member of the whist family of games. This means that the game involves bidding, a type of wager on how many books can be caught in a round. Card games that involve making a bid also involve something known as trumps.

In spades the suit of spades is considered the highest value suit. All spades are ranked higher than cards in other suits. This means that spades are considered trumps. Generally speaking, it is easier to make a good bid in spades when you and your partner have a lot of trumps. However, bidding spades with no trumps is also possible.

Playing the Worst Hand in Spades

No one wants to look down at their spades hand and find that there are no spades, or trumps. This is usually regarded as the worst hand in spades. You may have heard the old phrase about playing the hand that you are dealt. Well, in spades you don't always have to. The rules state that you can request a misdeal and receive a new hand if you have not been given any spades.

That would seem like a very logical thing to do when you find yourself in this situation. A new hand could mean that you are dealt several spades. Of course, you could also cause your partner to lose a powerful hand in the process. The tendency is for most players to automatically request a misdeal when they have no spades. They don't even consider bidding spades with no trumps.

We think that this can be a mistake in certain cases. You do have other options when there are no trumps in your hand. Let's look at each of them and see if perhaps you might be better off sticking with the hand that you have been dealt.

No Trumps but Other High Cards

Yes, spades are the highest value card in the game of spades. But that does not mean that they are the only cards to have a value. The highest cards in other suits are usually good for catching books. These can include aces, kings, and queens. Even a jack from a suit could catch a book now and then, but we wouldn't bid it in most cases.

If you have a hand that lacks spades but contains the other three aces, the chances are good that you will catch three books. You can bid three and reasonably expect to catch the first book from all other suits. If someone does happen to lack the card from a certain suit, that someone could be your partner. If this happens your partner will just throw off so that you can have the book.

Here's our recommendation. If you think the cards in your hand are high enough to catch at least three books, stick with the hand and do not request a misdeal. Just play it out and tell your partner that you have three books.

No Trumps but a Nil Hand

Another situation is when you do not have any trumps but you also have no high cards. In this situation you may be able to make the elusive nil bid. A nil bid is a bid that you will not catch a single book. Your partner can catch books.

There are even some protections that are put in place to help you make the nil bid. One of these is that you are allowed to exchange two cards with your partner prior to bidding. Your partner can give you their two lowest cards, and you can give your partner your two highest.

The rewards for making a nil bid are generous. You can receive 100 points if you do not catch a single book. Your partner can also receive any points that they earn from catching the books that they bid. As you can see, a nil bid is a good way to get yourself back in the game quickly when you need a lot of points.

The Rules of Bidding Spades with No Trumps

Now, there are some rules involved when bidding spades with no Trumps. The most important of these is that you are not allowed to tell your partner that you have no spades if you decide to proceed with the bid. To do so would give you an unfair advantage.

There are some skilled teams at the game of spades which have tried to find a way around this rule. They have become so good at communication that they are able to let each other know when there are no trumps to bid. Don't do this. It is unethical at the best and cheating at the worst. You are better than that, and if you are caught no one will want to play the game with you.

At the end of the day you are going to have to ask yourself if the risk that you have taken by choosing to bid spades with no trumps is worth it. Some teams like to take a hard line and always request a new deal. We will agree that at least you will get to see some new cards when you do this, and who knows? There could be a whole handful of spades in a new deal.

But, the choice to play a hand with no trumps is often considered a professional play by the best spades players. It is understood that making a purse from a sow's ear when you have no spades takes a certain amount of talent. It is a play that is probably going to be much more successful when it is attempted by a team that has plenty of experience.

If you are that team, try bidding spades with no trumps. You will strike fear in the hearts of your opponents when you pull off this daring style of play. You will also gain the respect of any other spades teams that happen to be watching the events unfold.

Bidding Spades with No Trumps

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