Spades Glossary
Here is a list of common terms that you will encounter in the game of spades for money online or with friends..
Bid – All spades games involve bidding by the players on a team or by individuals. Players may bid a minimum of four books and a maximum of 13. The bid is what determines the success or failure of each team. It also determines the score and ultimate outcome of the game.
Blind Bid – A blind bid is one made by a team before they have looked at their cards. The most common blind bid in spades occurs when one team only needs four books to win the game. They will make this blind bid before they receive any cards.
Blind Six – A Blind Six bid is a special kind of blind bid that can only be made when a team is behind by 100 points. When the team is behind they may bid six or more books blind. If they are successful, the team receives double the number of points that would have been awarded for a standard bid. Example: Blind Six receives 120 points instead of 60.
Board – A bid of four books by a team or individual. This is the lowest possible bid that you are allowed to make in the game of spades except for a nil bid. Sometimes a board bid is made in the blind by a team that only needs four books to go out and win the game.
Book – Each winning round in a hand of spades. A book consists of four cards, one played by each player. The highest card takes the book and the book becomes the property of team that won it. Teams are required to make a bid prior to each spades hand of how many books they propose to catch.
Boston – A Boston bid is a bid of all 13 books. The team making the bid is stating that it will catch every book in a single round of play. The name given to the hand comes from the 13 colonies that participated in the American Revolution. It is also sometimes referred to as a Lexington, Wheels, or to Run a Yard. The reward for making this very difficult bid is to win the game immediately regardless of the current score.
Breaking Spades – In a hand of spades it is not permitted to lead a spade unless spades have been broken. This means that a spade has been used to cut a book. The only exception to this rule is if a player only has spades remaining. Once spades have been broken there is no restriction on playing them. They can be used at the player's discretion.
Cross-board – To speak with one's team member as the hand is in play. This is forbidden according to the rules of spades. Players cannot cross-board or talk the board after a bid has been made. The only communication between team members at spades is conducted before the hand begins to discuss the bid that will be made. In this discussion players are only allowed to state how many books they think they will be able to catch.
Cut – To cut is to play a spade as a trump. All spades outrank other cards in the deck. When a spade is used to cut, the spade automatically takes the book. If more than one spade is played, the highest spade wins the book. A cut can only be made when a player is not able to follow suit. An example is when a heart was played to lead. The next player does not have a heart and is therefore entitled to cut with a spade. To cut when not legally permitted to do so is to renege.
Follow Suit – All players in a game of spades are required to follow suit when possible. To fail to do so is to renege and can have consequences. This means that the players must all play a card from the suit that was played by the played with the lead. If the player in the lead plays a heart, all must follow suit if they can. If a player is not able to follow suit they may cut or play a spade.
Hand – A hand of spades is made up of 13 individual rounds or books. A single game of spades may be made up of many hands, but each hand will only contain 13 rounds. The team that catches the most books is said to win the hand, but it is possible for both teams to make their bid in a hand of spades. Games are more about successful bidding than winning individual hands.
Lexington – The Lexington is another name for the Boston or Wheels. In a Lexington the team makes a bid of 13 books. They must catch all 13 for the bid to succeed. A Lexington is rewarded with an immediate win regardless of the current score. To fail is to lose the game. Some say that the name is a reference to one of the main battles of the Revolutionary War and the 13 original American colonies.
Misdeal – A misdeal in spades is when the cards have been dealt improperly. It can also be the result of an individual receiving no spades in their hand. A misdeal usually results in one player getting less or more than 13 cards. However, it can also be declared by a player if they have no spades. This is at the player's discretion. They player can choose to play their hand with no spades if they see fit.
New York Spades – This most often refers to a special rule that substitutes two jokers for two other cards in he deck. It is often customary to replace the lowest cards of each red suit. The jokers used are designated to be the highest spades. Some type of mark is used to distinguish one joker from the other. The two jokers rank above the ace of spades as the highest card.
Nil – A bid by one team member that they will catch no books during a hand. The bid is the only one in spades that can be made by an individual team member and not by both partners as a unit. The other partner is allowed to bid as usual on their hand and must make the bid without help from their partner. Prior to the start of the hand, the nil bidder is allowed to swap two cards with their team member. The obvious play is to pass the team member the two highest spades or cards. The team member will then give their partner two low cards. A winning bid of nil is rewarded with 100 points.
Renege – To renege in spades is to play out of turn or to play improperly. In most cases playing out of turn is a minor breach of the rules. In a friendly game a word of caution may be given. In a tournament there may be consequences such as losing the book in question. The more common type of renege is to play a card that is not permitted. For example, to play a spade when you have a card from the suit that led is not allowed. The failure to follow suit is to renege. You can also renege by playing a spade when spades have not been broken.
Run a Yard – To bid and catch all 13 books in a hand of spades. A team must declare the bid before the hand begins. If the team fails by just one book, the bid is lost and so is the game. A winning attempt to run a yard wins the game regardless of the score. Other names for running a yard include wheels, Boston, and Lexington.
Sandbag – A sandbag is a book that exceeds the number of books bid by a team. If a team bids five books and catches seven, the result is two sandbags. Some spades games include a sandbag rule. If a team gets 10 sandbags, their score is reduced by 100 points and the sandbags are cleared. This rule is included to force strong bidding by teams.
Sandbagging – To purposely underbid one's hand to try and entice a bigger bid from the other team. A team that overbids its hand may be at risk of being set. This is why some spades games include a sandbag rule which punishes teams that consistently underbid their hand.
Set – To get set is to fail to catch the number of books that have been bid. When this happens the team in question is penalized by a negative score. A failed bid of 6 books receives a score of -60. There are some spades games in which teams or players are not allowed to be set more than three times in a row. This is a mercy rule that ends the game at that point in favor of the team that has set their opponents.
Spade Tight – A player in a game of spades is said to be spade tight when they only have spades remaining in their hand.
Talk the Board – To talk the board is to illegally discuss a hand in play with one's partner. There is no talk between players allowed except for discussing how much can be bid on a hand. Once a had of spades begins, no talking about the game is allowed between team members.
Ten for 200 – A bid that a team will catch ten books. The reward for catching the ten books is 200 points. If a team fails to catch the books they are given a deduction of 100 points. This bid can be very useful to teams that are behind and need a quick boost in the points of the match.
Trump – A spade. Spades are considered to be the highest suit of cards in a game. No other card outranks a spade. The value of spades are ordered according to the normal ranking of the cards. Ace is the highest and 2 is the lowest.
Whist – A bidding card game that is considered to be the father of spades and other games like bridge which involve bidding as a core element.
