Spades - Lite 2.8

Spades is a classic trick-taking card game that originated in the United States during the 1930s, gaining significant popularity after its inclusion in Microsoft Windows in 1992. The game's success has led to numerous adaptations across various platforms. This particular version aims to capture the essence of the original experience while providing a compact download.

The objective of Spades is for a partnership to win at least the number of tricks bid prior to the hand's commencement. Each team's combined bids determine the number of tricks they need to secure for a positive score. Spades belongs to the Whist family of card games, which also includes well-known variants like Bridge, Hearts, and Oh Hell. A distinctive feature of Spades is that the Spade suit is always designated as trump, differentiating it from other Whist variants where trump may be chosen randomly or based on the highest bidder.

The game utilizes a standard deck of 52 cards, ranked from highest to lowest: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. Four players form fixed partnerships, with partners seated opposite one another. A random selection determines the initial dealer, and subsequent deals rotate clockwise. Cards are shuffled and dealt in the same manner.

Prior to play, all players submit their bids for the number of tricks they aim to win. It is mandatory for all players to place a bid; passing is not permitted, and once bids are submitted, they cannot be altered. A bid of zero tricks is referred to as Nil, signaling that the bidder intends not to win any tricks during play. Successful Nil bids earn an extra bonus, while failed attempts incur penalties. Additionally, partnerships strive to achieve the number of tricks specified by their Nil bidder's partner.

The player immediately to the dealer's left leads with any card except a spade. Players take turns in a clockwise direction and must follow suit if they are able; if they cannot follow suit, they may play any card. A trick that contains a spade is captured by the highest spade played; if no spades are played, then the highest card of the leading suit secures the trick. The winner of each trick leads to the next play. Notably, spades cannot be led until a spade has been played or if the leader possesses only spades.

A side that meets or exceeds its bid earns a score equivalent to ten times its bid. Additional tricks—referred to as bags—are worth an extra point each. However, a team accumulating ten or more bags over several deals faces a deduction of 100 points from their total score, with excess bags carried over into subsequent cycles. Failure to meet one’s bid results in a penalty of ten points for each trick that was bid but not secured. Conversely, a successful Nil bid rewards the nil bidder’s side with an additional 100 points in addition to whatever scores were achieved through their partner’s bids. Should a Nil bid fail—meaning at least one trick is won—the team loses 100 points but retains any score earned through their partner’s successful tricks.

Typically, in cases where a Nil bid fails, any tricks won by the nil bidder do not contribute towards their partner's total but do count as bags for the team. The game concludes when one side first reaches a score of 500 points.