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SPADES RULES

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	bid a statement by a player indicating how many tricks he or she (or his or her partnership) expects to take blind nil a bid of nil made by a player before looking at his or her cards; cards with partner by choosing two cards and placing them facedown. Partner picks up the two cards, then chooses two cards to return, which are also placed facedown break, broken a player "breaks" spades by playing one on a trick; spades may not be led until they have been "broken" (unless a player has no other suit to lead) deal to distribute the cards to the players; or the set of all four hands that have been dealt  Back to Top dealer the player who deals the cards discard a card played in a suit other than the suit led, and other than a spade double nil passing an optional rule that allows a player to bid a blind nil bid and then pass two cards to his or her opponent, who then passes two cards back doubleton an original holding of exactly two cards in a suit  Back to Top hand the set of cards dealt to a player; or the entire deal (all four hands collectively, as in "a hand of spades") lead the card played to start a trick, or the obligation to play the first card of a hand; a player "has the lead" or is "on lead" when he or she has won the previous trick nil a bid by a player attempting to avoid taking any tricks overbid describes a hand where the total number of tricks bid adds up to more than thirteen sandbagging understating the value of one's hand; in particular, the rule whereby a partnership is penalized for taking too many tricks  Back to Top singleton an original holding of exactly one card in a suit suicide an optional rule requiring each side to have a nil bidder trump a suit that outranks all other cards for purposes of winning a trick; in this game, spades are always trump underbid describes a hand where the total number of tricks bid adds up to less than thirteen void an original holding of no cards in a suit  Back to Top