Spades House Rules: Board, Blind Nil, Bags and Every Dispute

The rules page gives the standard game. This page is for everything else: the rules a table agrees on before the first deal, or argues about after it. For each one you’ll find the options, who plays them, and what the game on this site does. The score keeper has a switch for each rule that changes the score, and the printable rules have tick boxes for writing your table’s rules down.

The sources are the published rule sets: Pagat’s spades rules (the standard, with many reported variants), Bicycle’s rules, the Hoyle software rules, Microsoft’s Internet Spades, the University of Chicago and other college intramural rules, the Grand Prix “World Series of Spades” and Spades Connection tournament rules, and the rules of the big online games (Trickster, World of Card Games, 247 Spades and the app stores’ spades apps).

This game’s defaults

Board and the bid

Board (a team minimum). In the standard game each player bids from 1 to 13 or nil, and a team may bid as little as it likes. Board requires each team to bid at least 4 between its two players.

• No minimum: Pagat’s main rules, Bicycle, the UChicago rules, Spades Connection, Hoyle and World of Card Games.
• Board of 4: a variant in Pagat, Southwest Tennessee and McKendree intramural rules, the HighGround house rules, and the “Board” mode of some apps. Trickster lets a table set the minimum at 2, 3, 4 or 5.
• With Board, a nil bidder’s partner usually must bid at least 4 on their own (Pagat’s variant, Southwest Tennessee), unless both partners bid nil.

Talking about the bid. The standard game is bid silently, one player at a time, with no table talk. Some tables let partners discuss and agree on a team bid instead (several of Pagat’s reported variants, some college intramural rules). That changes the game a lot, so agree on it first.

Other bidding rules, all variants reported by Pagat: the four bids may not add up to exactly 13; nobody may bid 1; a second round in which teams may raise; and “the hand that bids itself”, where the first hand of the game is played without bidding.

Nil and blind nil

Is nil allowed? Almost every rule set allows nil. Bicycle’s rules don’t mention it (its minimum bid is one), and some of the joker versions Pagat reports drop it.

What a nil is worth.

• ±100: Pagat, UChicago, Hoyle, Microsoft, the tournament rules, World of Card Games, 247 Spades and Trickster’s default. This site’s game.
• ±50: a Pagat variant, the HighGround house rules, and some apps’ solo modes. Some sources use it in short games to 250.
• ±60 in games to 300 (Southwest Tennessee).

A failed nil’s tricks. This is one of the most argued rules in spades.

• Bags, but not toward the partner’s bid. Pagat calls this “the usual rule”. The Grand Prix tournament rules, World of Card Games and Microsoft agree. This site’s game.
• Neither: the tricks count for nothing (UChicago; a Trickster option).
• Toward the partner’s bid (a Pagat variant; a Trickster option).
• The partner’s bid fails too, automatically (a Pagat variant).

Both partners nil.

• Allowed, each scored on its own: +200 if both make it, nothing if one fails, −200 if both fail (UChicago, Southwest Tennessee). This site’s game.
• A special bid, often called “double nil”: 247 Spades scores it 400 if made; a Pagat variant makes it worth 500 or the whole game, and allows it only when far behind.

Passing cards on a nil. The standard game has no exchange for a plain nil (Pagat’s main rules, Spades Connection). Some tables let the nil bidder swap one card with their partner (a Pagat variant, HighGround). Trickster lets a table choose 0 to 4 cards.

Blind nil: allowed? Pagat says “some players allow” it; the UChicago rules make it optional by agreement. Hoyle, Microsoft, 247 Spades and most apps offer it. The Grand Prix tournament rules ban it, and some app modes (whiz, mirror) don’t allow it.

Blind nil: when?

• Only when the team is at least 100 points behind: Pagat’s “usually agreed” rule, and Southwest Tennessee’s. This site’s game.
• On any hand: Hoyle, Microsoft, 247 Spades and the UChicago rules.
• Only when further behind (200 or 250): Trickster options.

Blind nil: worth? Usually ±200 (Pagat, UChicago, Hoyle, Microsoft, 247 Spades, Trickster). Pagat also reports ±100 where a nil is worth 50, and a version where failing costs only half what winning scores.

Blind nil: the pass. Pagat’s rule is two cards each way, face down, after the bidding: the blind nil bidder passes two to their partner, who passes two back. Variants pass one card, or none.

The name. “Double nil” means blind nil in some rule sets (UChicago, Hoyle, Microsoft, the Grand Prix rules) and both partners bidding nil in others (Pagat, 247 Spades, HighGround). This site always says “blind nil” for the bid made without looking.

Bags and sets

A set. A team that fails its bid:

• loses 10 points a trick bid: Pagat, UChicago, World of Card Games, 247 Spades, Microsoft, Southwest Tennessee and HighGround. This site’s game;
• scores zero: Bicycle and McKendree, and Trickster’s default;
• loses 10 points for each trick it was short (a Pagat variant; a Trickster option).

The bag penalty.

• −100 for every 10 bags: Pagat, UChicago, Hoyle, Microsoft, World of Card Games, 247 Spades and HighGround. This site’s game. Bicycle mentions it as something done “in some games”.
• −50 for every 10: McKendree.
• −50 for every 5, in short games to 250 (a Trickster option).
• −60 at 6 bags, in games to 300 (Southwest Tennessee).
• No penalty (a Pagat variant; a Trickster option).

After the penalty. Pagat, the UChicago rules and HighGround carry the extra bags over to the next 10. Southwest Tennessee resets the count to zero.

Other bag rules: Pagat reports games where three or more bags in one hand count as a set, and games where taking twice your bid loses the bid.

Winning the game

The target.

• 500: Pagat, UChicago, Hoyle, Microsoft, World of Card Games, 247 Spades, the tournament rules and HighGround. Bicycle calls 500 “common”. This site’s game.
• 250 (some apps); 300 (a Pagat variant; Southwest Tennessee); 200 for a short game (Bicycle, McKendree); 1,000 (a Pagat variant).

A lose floor.

• −200 ends the game: 247 Spades, World of Card Games, Microsoft, the Grand Prix and Spades Connection tournament rules, and a Trickster option. This site’s game.
• −300 (the Hoyle 2007 software); −500 (a Pagat variant).
• No floor: Pagat’s main rules, UChicago, Bicycle and Hoyle’s published rules.

If both teams finish a hand below the floor, the higher score wins (World of Card Games).

Other ways to end: tournament games often end after a set number of hands (10 in the Grand Prix rules) or a time limit; Pagat reports a rule that a team set twice running loses.

An exact tie. Every source agrees that when both teams pass the target on one hand, the higher score wins. When the scores are exactly equal:

• play another hand: Bicycle, McKendree, HighGround, World of Card Games and UChicago’s playoffs. This site’s game;
• the team with fewer bags wins: Spades Connection; a Trickster option;
• the tie stands (UChicago’s regular season).

Leads and breaking spades

The first lead. The player to the dealer’s left leads in almost every rule set. Pagat reports games where the dealer leads, or the holder of the 2♣ leads it; Trickster has an option for the high bidder to lead.

Spades on the first trick. Pagat and the UChicago rules let a player who can’t follow suit play a spade on the first trick. World of Card Games forbids any spade on the first trick, and Trickster offers that as an option. Pagat also reports games where everyone must play their lowest club to the first trick.

Leading spades. Almost every rule set says spades may not be led until broken. Pagat reports games where spades may be led at any time, and one where they can’t be led in the first three tricks unless broken. The HighGround house rules have no restriction.

Misdeals

A dealing mistake (a wrong count, a card turned up in the deal) means the same dealer deals again (Pagat, Spades Connection). Spades Connection also takes the deal away after a second misdeal.

A bad hand. None of the standard rule sets allows a redeal for bad cards, and Spades Connection forbids it. As a house rule, the most common version (Pagat, Southwest Tennessee) lets a player with no spades call for a new deal before the bidding. Some tables also allow it for one spade, no face cards, or a suit of 7 or more cards. The game on this site doesn’t offer redeals.

10 for 2, Boston and other bonus bids

10 for 2 (10 for 200). A team that bids 10 and makes it scores 200 points instead of 100, and loses 200 if it doesn’t. Tables differ:

• exactly 10 tricks, or at least 10 (Pagat variants);
• every bid of 10 or more scores 200 (Southwest Tennessee);
• “ten for two” in the HighGround house rules: a bid of 10 to 13 scores 20 points a trick bid.

The Grand Prix tournament rules don’t allow it. It’s off in this site’s game.

Moon, or Boston. A bid to take all 13 tricks. Pagat reports it as worth ±200, or 500, or the whole game; a “blind moon” is worth ±400. In some games, taking all 13 tricks wins the game whatever you bid (a Trickster option). Off in this site’s game.

Blind bids other than nil. Pagat reports “blind 6” (a bid of 6 or more made before looking, scoring double) and similar bids, sometimes only for a team that is behind. Bemo (Pagat, HighGround): a bonus for winning the first 6 tricks (little bemo) or the first 9 (big bemo).

Jokers and high deuces

Many tables add the two jokers to the deck as the highest two spades, and take out two deuces to keep 13 cards each. The jokers count as spades for following suit. There are three common rankings:

• Joker-Joker-Ace: Big Joker, Little Joker, then the A♠ (Bicycle’s joker rules, Trickster, HighGround).
• Joker-Joker-Deuce: Big Joker, Little Joker, the 2♠, then the A♠ (one of Pagat’s joker versions; Trickster).
• Joker-Joker-Deuce-Deuce: Big Joker, Little Joker, the 2♦, the 2♠, then the A♠. The 2♦ counts as a spade (another of Pagat’s joker versions; Trickster).

Which deuces come out. Most sources remove the 2♣ and 2♥ (two of Pagat’s joker versions, Trickster). Bicycle removes the 2♣ and 2♦ instead, and some tables remove both red deuces. When the 2♦ is a high trump it stays in, of course.

Which joker is big. Usually the full-colour (red) joker. Pagat reports some tables that make the black joker the higher one.

Joker games often come with other house rules too: some of the versions Pagat reports drop nil, let the dealer lead, or allow spades to be led at any time. A joker table on this site is planned.

Reneging

A renege is failing to follow suit when you could have. The online game only lets you play legal cards, so it can’t happen there. At a real table the penalty varies a lot:

• the offending team loses its bid and the opponents are credited (the Grand Prix and Spades Connection tournament rules);
• three tricks move to the other team (Southwest Tennessee, McKendree);
• the offending team is set (a Trickster option).

Named variants

Some versions of spades change the bidding altogether, and are separate games rather than house rules: suicide (one partner on each team must bid nil), mirror (every player must bid the number of spades they hold) and whiz (bid your number of spades, or nil). Cutthroat spades has no partners at all.