A Deficient Hand or Misdeal in Spades

Spades for real money is a fascinating card game that requires skill. It also holds an element of luck. The better your starting hand is, the better chance you will have of making a high bid. You always want to see a lot of spades in your hand when it is dealt. A deficient hand or a misdeal occurs when you have been dealt no spades. The decision to play such a hand is up to you and your partner.

What is a Spades Misdeal and How Does it Happen?

In the game of spades a misdeal or a deficient hand is a starting hand of 13 cards that includes no spades. The entire hand is made up only of clubs, hearts, or diamonds. This can be a disaster, and most teams are unwilling to try and make a hand out of the situation.

Each player in a game of spades receives 13 cards. A standard deck is used. There are 13 cards of each suit. The cards have to be shuffled and dealt after each hand of play. When the cards are not shuffled properly, players may receive a hand that is disproportionately filled with one suit. Sometimes, a hand may lack an individual suit. While this can be good of the suit in question is hearts, clubs, or diamonds, having no spades can put a team at a disadvantage.

To prevent the likelihood of a misdeal in spades, you may want to consider using an automatic shuffler. There are good ones for sale at Amazon and other retailers. You can also use two decks of cards. Keep one shuffled thoroughly at all times with the shuffler, or have the players in the game take extra care to hand shuffle properly.

Is There a Remedy for a Deficient Hand in Spades?

If you happen to receive a hand that has no spades in it, do not despair. Thankfully, there is a remedy for this type of situation.

If one or more members of a team have been dealt no spades, the team has the option of exercising a misdeal. In this case, the team can ask that the cards be re-shuffled and re-dealt. The opposing team is not allowed to contest this decision. The opposing team can, however, choose to pass the deal to the next player and secure the first bid. They may also choose to deal again and retain the last bid.

There is no penalty for this remedy if a team decides to use it. If the next hand results in no spades for any player, the remedy may be used again. There is no limit to the amount of times that the deficient hand remedy in spades can be used.

Are You Required to Surrender a Deficient Spades Hand?

Although a deficient spades hand is generally considered to be a disadvantage, teams are not required to ask for a misdeal and receive new cards. A team may elect to play the hands that they have been dealt.

Why would a team want to play a hand that did not include any spades? The primary reason would be to attempt a bid of nil. The nil bid has been covered in another area of this site, but it is a bid in which one player of a team declares that they will catch no books. A hand with no spades can be an ideal time to make such a bid. It is much easier to avoid catching any books when you have no spades than it is when you have several.

Having no spades is the only time that a player is allowed to disclose specific information about their hand to a teammate before play begins. Players can discuss how they will proceed with a bid when one team member holds no spades.

Strategies for Playing a Hand With No Spades

The most viable strategy for playing a hand that has no spades is to attempt a bid of nil. There is no reason you would want to play a hand with no spades unless you are trying to avoid catching any books.

There is one other possible situation where you might want to play a hand that has no spades. If you held all the aces of all the other suits, and perhaps a face card or two as well, this could be a hand worth playing. You would not be able to give your partner very much help with spades, but you would surely catch three books and maybe four or five. This can be a very powerful situation if your partner is loaded down with spades.

Always stay positive when you look down and see that you have no spades. There are options for a deficient hand or misdeal in spades!