What is Suicide Spades?
Suicide Spades takes the riskiest bid in the game and makes it mandatory. Every hand becomes a tightrope walk for both teams.
A forced Nil every hand
Under Suicide rules, one partner on each side is required to declare Nil on every deal, aiming to win zero tricks. The teams usually agree or use a convention for who takes the Nil. This removes the choice of whether to attempt a Nil and replaces it with the question of how to survive one you must make.
The other partner carries the load
While one player ducks everything, the partner bids big to cover the team's contract and often shields the Nil bidder by winning tricks over them. That division of roles makes cooperation intense: the covering partner must both make their own tricks and keep their teammate clean. It is partnership play at its most demanding.
Big swings every deal
Because a Nil rides on every hand, scores lurch up and down far more than in standard play, and one blown Nil can flip a match. Players who love pressure gravitate to it. Take the plunge at Suicide Spades, or read up on Blind Nil for another all-or-nothing bid.
The fastest way to make this stick is to deal a hand and try it.
Keep reading - related questions
What is Nil in Spades?
A Nil is a bid of zero, a promise that you personally will not win a single trick all hand. If you pull it off, your team gains 100 points on top of whatever your partner bids and makes. If you take even one trick, the Nil fails and your team loses 100 points, so it is a high-reward, high-risk declaration.
What is Blind Nil in Spades?
Blind Nil is a bolder cousin of the ordinary Nil: you commit to winning zero tricks before you have seen any of your cards. Because you bid blind, the payoff doubles to 200 points for success and minus 200 for failure. It is usually reserved for teams that are far behind and need a dramatic swing to get back in the game.
What is Partnership Spades?
Partnership Spades is the traditional and most popular form of the game, played by four people in two teams of two. Partners sit directly across from each other, so play alternates between the two sides around the table. The two partners' bids are combined into a single team contract, and they win, lose, and score together.