Standard Partnership Spades at a Glance
Players: Four players in two partnerships, with partners seated opposite.
Deck and rank
Use a standard 52-card deck. Cards rank ace high through two. Spades are always trump. Jokers, high deuces, and altered decks are optional house rules.
Deal and bidding
Deal thirteen cards to each player. The player to the dealer’s left bids first, and bidding continues clockwise. Each player states one bid; partners then combine their bids.
Each player bids the number of tricks expected, commonly from 0 to 13. Nil is a bid of zero. Minimum team bids, Board bids, and special 10-or-13 bids such as Wheels are house rules.
Playing tricks
- The player left of the dealer commonly leads the first trick.
- Players must follow the led suit when able.
- A player who cannot follow the led suit may discard another suit or play a Spade.
- Playing a Spade on a non-Spade lead breaks Spades.
- The highest card of the led suit wins unless a Spade is played; then the highest Spade wins.
- The trick winner leads next.
Scoring
- Made contract: usually 10 points per bid trick, plus 1 per overtrick or bag.
- Set contract: usually subtract 10 points per bid trick.
- Nil commonly scores +100 when successful and −100 when failed.
- Ten bags commonly cause a −100 penalty, but bag rules vary.
- Common target: 500 points. Agree on the target before play.
Irregularities
Failing to follow suit while holding that suit is reneging. Wrong card counts or defined dealing errors may be misdeals. Agree on penalties and redeal timing before play.
Optional house rules—not standard requirements
Board or minimum bids, Wheels, jokers, high deuces, Blind Six, Blind Nil, special Boston scoring, card passing, and partnership discussion during bidding all require advance agreement.
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