Spades

How to play

Four players in two partnerships (seats 1 and 3 against seats 2 and 4) are dealt 13 cards each. After a round of bidding, players take turns playing a card to each trick.

• Bidding: each player bids how many tricks they expect to win, from 1 to 13, or nil (promising to win none). A team's contract is the sum of its bids.
• Play: the player to the dealer's left leads. You must follow suit if you can; otherwise you may play any card. Spades are trump and beat every other suit. You cannot lead a spade until spades have been played, unless you hold only spades.
• The highest card of the suit led wins the trick, unless a spade was played, in which case the highest spade wins.

Scoring

• Making your contract scores 10 points for each trick bid, plus 1 point for each extra trick (a bag). Every 10 bags cost 100 points.
• Missing your contract loses 10 points for each trick bid.
• Nil scores 100 if made and loses 100 if the bidder wins any trick. Blind nil (bid before looking at your cards, allowed only when your team is 100 or more points behind) is worth 200 either way; you then swap two cards with your partner.

The first team to reach the target (250, 300 or 500) wins. A team that falls to −200 loses.

Cutthroat

Three or four players, everyone for themselves, with the same bidding, play and scoring rules but individual scores. With three players the 2 of diamonds is removed and each player gets 17 cards. Ratings are based on the final order.