CLASSIC SPADES
How to Play Partnership Spades
Play with Jamie against Alex and Riley. Partners sit across the table, combine their non-nil bids, and share a score. All four players still play one card per trick.
Bid as a team
Each player bids the number of tricks they expect to take. Your bid and Jamie’s bid add together. For example, if you bid 3 and Jamie bids 4, your team needs at least 7 tricks.
A nil bid is separate: that player aims to win no tricks. Their partner still needs to make their own non-nil bid, and tricks won by a nil bidder do not help that contract.
Play each trick
Follow the led suit if you can. If you cannot, you may discard or play a spade. Spades beat every other suit; otherwise the highest card in the led suit wins.
The trick winner leads next. Spades cannot lead until broken, unless the leader has only spades. You can support your partner by letting them keep a winning trick or by taking a trick that would break their nil.
Count team points
A made contract earns 10 points per bid trick. A missed contract loses the same amount. Extra team tricks earn one point and one bag each; every 10 carried bags cost 100 points.
A successful nil adds 100 points to the team score. A failed nil subtracts 100; the nil bidder’s tricks become bags. Each team carries its own score and bag total between hands.
Win the match
After all 13 tricks, the hand is scored. The first team to reach 500 points wins. If both teams have the same top score at or above 500, play another hand.