League Information

How it's played

• Players
  • 4 players; 2 from each team.
• Dealing
  • To determine the starting dealer, a single person will shuffle the cards then deal each player a single card, face up. The first person that is dealt a diamond, will be the starting dealer.
• Deck
  • The deck of cards will be a standard 52-card deck.
  • The ace is the highest card in the deck and the 2 will be the lowest.
• Goal
  • To be the first team to reach 350 points.
• Table Setup
  • Partners sit across from each other. The starting dealer determined from #2 (Dealing), will deal each player 13 cards, starting with the player to the left and dealing clockwise until all cards are dealt.
  • If there is a misdeal, the next person in line to deal will be expected to deal.
• Bidding
  • After all players have been dealt their 13 cards, the opposing team will engage in discussion to decide on the number of books to be bid.
  • Once a book total is recorded, it cannot be reduced. It is possible to increase the total, but not decrease it.
  • The minimum bid accepted is (4) books.
  • The maximum bid accepted is (10) books.
  • If you fail to acquire all the books you bid on, your score will be deducted by the number of books you did not obtain. For instance, if you bid on 5 books but only manage to acquire 4, you will need to deduct -50 from your current score.
• Game Play
  • Spades can be broken from the start. You do not have to wait to break spades.
  • You MUST follow suit if you have that suit.
• Scoring
  • Each book counts for 10 points (+-)
• Sandbagging
  • If you obtain double the books the team bid, you will be penalized by the amount you bid. If you bid 5 books and get 10 books, you will deduct -50 points from your score.
• Winning
  • The first team to each 350 point is the winner. If both teams reach 350 points in the same hand, the team that bid the highest amount of books in that last hand will be the winner. If it’s a tie, play another hand to determine the winner.