BIDDING =========================================================================== NOTE: All of these bidding suggestions should be weighed against the table bid when it comes to you. When the bid to you is low or moderate, most of these suggestions carry a good probability. If the table bid to you is already strong, use some discretion to modify or even skip some of these suggestions.
01: Do not necessarily bid what you think you can TAKE, but bid what you think you cannot (reasonably) LOSE. This may seem obvious, but it's really not. For instance, just because you have a King in a (non-spade) suit, you certainly do not HAVE to bid it. let's say you have the King and 3 other cards in the (non-spade) suit for a total of 4. That leaves 9 split between the other players. A lead (or play) of your King will ONLY be successful if your partner has the Ace and lets your King go by. Thats only a 33 1/3% (1 in 3) chance of certainty. Even playing the King on the second trick can be taken if one of the opponents is void in that suit. It's best to not bid it and see what the total bid is to see if you want to try to use the King to set or just dump it when the opportunity presents itself. If you bid the ones you cannot reasonably lose, then you have cards available to use on a set attempt or to help out your partner. Here's some examples of Kings in non-spade suits: 3,4,8,K (no bid); 3,J,Q,K (I tend to bid 1 on this even with 4 in the suit because the Queen has a decent chance of taking a trick on the second lead if you lose the King); 4,10,K (no bid).
02: Do not automatically bid the Ace in (non-spade) suits when you have 3 (or more) others in the suit. Example: You have the Ace of Hearts and 4 others for a total of 5 Hearts. That leaves 8 Hearts out. If they are split between your partner and one of the opponents (4 each), the other opponent has none and will trump your Ace when played. Just be cautious and not Gung-Ho to automatically bid Aces when 3 (or more) cards in the same (non-spade) suit. When you have an Ace/King pair in a (non-spade) suit with 2 others, bid the Ace, but you could still lose it.
03: Even though you would not necessarily bid a King in a (non-spade) suit with 3 or more others, if you have a King/Queen combination and none or only 1 other in the suit, bid 1. With a King/Queen pair, lead out (or play) the King early. If the Ace comes out on the first time around and takes your King, you have a decent shot at walking your Queen on the next lead. A bid on King/Queen depends on what the total bid is up to you. If the table bid is low, bid the 1. If the table bid is high, you might skip this bid and keep in reserve for a possible set attempt. If you lose an unbid King, you haven't lost anything since you didn't bid it.
04: When a King and just 1 other in the (non-spade) suit, bid 1 for the King, but never play the King on the first time around. Many times the Ace will come out behind you and you would have lost the King had you played it early. And since you only have 2 in the suit you have a good shot at trumping in but that would be on the third time around and suits don't always make it three times around.
05: When an Ace and only 1 other in the same suit, always bid the Ace. There are usually enough out to the other players to not lose it the first time that suit goes around.
06: When only one card in a (non-spade) suit and it's not the Ace, bid 2 planning to trump-in twice after you're void in that suit. Obviously this bid depends on how many Spades you have available for trumping. Check your Spades first to see how many can be safely allocated to trumping in on expected voids.
07: When two cards in a (non-spade) suit and neither is the Ace, bid 1 planning to trump-in once after you're void in that suit. Again, this bid depends on how many Spades you have available for trumping - same as #06.
08: Many, many times I'm dealt only 2 (low or mid) cards in one (non-spade) suit (such as Clubs) and only 1 (low or mid) card in another (non-spade) suit (such as Hearts). After checking my Spades, if I have enough available, I will generally bid 3 on that combination expecting to trump in twice on the 1 card suit and once on the 2 card suit. There is no guarantee on this, but it works so many times I almost always bid the 3. Obviously this tactic again depends on how many Spades you have that are not themselves bid and what the table bid is up to you.
09: NEVER, EVER bid Queens.
10: When bidding your Spades and you have quite a few, count the ones you cannot possibly lose working from top to bottom. Example, If you have the A, Q, J, 9 of spades, the Ace is golden, but someone's King could take your Q or J. Someone's 10 could take your 9. But there is no way you could possibly lose both the Q and the J, so the bid in this Spades example would be just 2. The Ace and Q (or J) are guaranteed tricks. Then you can check the total table bid to see if you want to try setting by using the 9. Another example of a Spades bid: 5, 7, Q. Excluding other bids using cards in other suits, I will always bid 1 on the Queen of Spades with 2 smaller ones. The reason is if someone runs spades with leads of the Ace and King, I will play the 5 and 7 which leaves the Queen as boss. However, this only applies if I'm not counting on using ANY of the other 2 Spades to trump somewhere else.
11: Remember, a 1 bid is ALWAYS better than a Nil bid that goes set. No matter how many times you have had to bid 1, resist the frustration and don't feel you just HAVE to bid Nil. I've seen so many players say they are tired of bidding 1's and bid a weak Nil only to go set.
12: I NEVER recommend a 4 spade Nil. Math wise, it's a big risk - unless it's last hand and you absolutely HAVE to bid it for a chance to win. If the Spades are evenly distributed where each player has 3 and they go around 3 times, you will have the WINNING last Spade....even if it's the deuce. Also if an opponent has a Nil, I'm going to dump as many spades as I can to have a good shot at setting a possible 4 (or even 3) Spade Nil. Yes, I know people say they make them all the time, but I don't think those same people keep up with the number of times they go SET on a 4 spade Nil. Note: If you have 4 small (to mid) Spades and are bidding after your partner has bid and he/she has bid a 7 (or even a 6), well, you're on your own if you care to give it a try. This choice might also depend on the score at the time.
13: The only time to bid Nil with a lone Jack (or Queen) of Spades dry MIGHT BE (optional) when (1) you are really behind in the game or (2) you're bidding LAST and your partner has bid at LEAST 5. Any other time it's a significant risk. I see people all the time bidding Nil with a lone Queen (or even King) of Spades. As mentioned above, if an opponent has a Nil, I'm usually dumping my Big Spades on tricks the Nil has not yet been void in hoping to set the Nil later in Spades. The only time to ever bid Nil with the King of Spades is when you just HAVE to bid it or the game will be lost anyway. Any other time.....you're probably already set.
14: If your partner bids Nil and you bid after they do, NEVER, EVER bid your hand like you normally would. ALWAYS bid at least 1 (maybe 2) LESS because you will almost always have 1 or 2 LOSERS you need to toss so you won't have to lead them or can dump them after your partner has ducked. If you bid your hand like normal and duck some of the early ones, by the time you NEED your bid in later tricks, there's a good chance the opponents will be able to set you near the end of the hand. Losing a 5 bid (for example) while your partner makes their Nil is ONLY a net gain of 50 points. That's a 100 point swing. Had you only bid 4 instead of 5, you probably would not have been set and the result would have been a net of 140, AND you would have let the opponents have a bag or 2 along the way. A win-win.
15: NEVER overbid your hand. It's INFINITELY better to bag than go set. A combined bid of 5 between you and your partner that goes set is a swing of 100 (from +50 to -50). That can be hard to make up. Remember, bags are points too.
16: If you are the last player to bid, ALMOST NEVER push the bid to 13. Only do so IF your hand is so strong you feel you could actually take an extra one for 14. The reason is you never know if you're bidding tricks in the same suits as your partner and if you take just 1 of your partner's tricks, you just set your team.
17: Always remember you are on a team. Be prepared to alter your bid when your partner has bid strong. Example: If my cards indicate a bid of 3, but my partner has already bid 4 (or more), I will most likely back off and just bid 2. You don't want a situation to happen where you both may have bid a trick in the same suit that leads to a team set.
18: Bidding to WIN on the (probable) Last BID of the game.
LAST team bidder. Stay aware of the score and bid SMART! If bagging out is not a possibility, ONLY bid what is NEEDED to WIN! Example: the opponents are behind, but still in the game and your team needs a combined bid of 3 to win and your partner has already bid 2. Even if you could take 3, JUST bid 1! It DOES NOT MATTER if you add some bags to the score as long as you're not at risk of bagging out. DO NOT bid more than you need to win or you might end up being a victim of a sneak attack giving the opponents a chance to come back and win.
FIRST team bidder. Always leave space for your partner to be able to bid a 1 (minimum bid). Again where bagging out is not a possibility and your team needs just 3 to win, even if you could take 3 tricks, ONLY bid 2 and leave room for your partner to bid 1. Your partner may have a weak hand and might not be able to take an easy 1, but will have to bid 1 if they lack a nil. Example: Your team needs 5 to win, again bagging out is not a possibility, the player on your right bids 3, you could take 5 so you bid 5, the player on your left bids 4 for a total bid of 12. Lacking a nil, your partner HAS TO bid 1 making it a 13 bid. The play resumes, you get your 5, your partner does NOT get their 1 and the opponents run the table for a set. Had you bid 4 leaving room for your partner to bid 1, you could still have taken the 5 tricks and covered your partner's bid of 1 for a TEAM WIN! Remember to bid SMART when it comes down to the last bid.
19: Card Counting and Card Remembering. It's not necessary to count all the cards as some do or try to do. But if you plan on using Spades to make your bid you should keep up with the count on Spades as soon as they start falling on each hand. It's not really that hard. Just a 1..2..3..4..mental note as they drop. This is especially useful if you are coming close to being set and knowing when all the Spades have played near the hand end might influence playing a mid-high card to save a set or even to use in conjunction with your Spades in case you want to run the Spades to pull them in for a set. As for remembering. If your bid includes a King (without it's Ace), be looking for the Ace to fall to give you the possibly of being able to walk your King.
PLAY =========================================================================== 01: Check out the table bid to determine how you want to play the hand. A table bid of 11 or more AND where the potential gain on a set of the opponents is more than 3 or 4, you should be re-planning your hand towards a set attempt. When I'm in that position, I will be playing cards from Low to High keeping cards that can try to take extra tricks later for a set. If the table bid is 11 or more but the gain is not worth the extra bags, play the hand as normal just to get your tricks. Sometimes you just have to play the current hand and look to gain ground on the next hand. If the table bid is 10 or less, make a mental note of the tricks you want to take and try to play play under as many tricks as you can to avoid the bags.
02: I cannot stress this enough. This is a TEAM game and you should always watch your partner's plays. When they lose a trick that you think they wanted, try to take an extra to make up for it. By staying alert, you lessen the chance your Team will be set. When it's your turn and your partner is high but with a mid-card, try to cover, BUT you don't have to play strong so that the following opponent can easily duck, just barely overstep. On a 10 or less table bid, let the opponents take a couple extras in the front tricks, but don't play it so tight that you need all the remaining tricks to avoid being set.
03: If you are first to lead and have 2 (or less) mid cards of a suit that are not Ace or King (example: 5, 9 of Hearts) and you had bid expecting to trump a heart lead later, lead out one of the mids to get to void faster.
04: Remain flexable in your play. Even though you should NEVER bid a Queen, a Queen can take a trick. Lets say you have just 3 Diamonds (4, 8, Queen). How you play Diamonds will depend on the Table bid. If the table bid is 10 or less, you are probably already planning on dumping the Queen to avoid a bag. However, if the table bid is 11 or more, you may want to hold on to the Queen and play the smaller ones first. There are 13 cards in a suit and with even distribution where everyone has 3 Diamonds, the Ace takes the first lead, the King takes the second lead and the Queen takes the third lead. So everything hinges on each table bid and what your strategy is for EACH hand.
05: On early tricks, if there are at least 2 players to follow you and you have a King that you bid, DO NOT PLAY THE KING. So many times the Ace will come out behind you. Either by your opponent or your partner. If you bid that King and lose it early, you may get set. Don't have a knee-jerk reaction and play the King immediately. Be patient.
06: If you have the Ace and Queen of a (non-spade) suit and you think you might be able to set, avoid leading out that suit. Hold on to the Ace and Queen. Many times the player on your left will end up leading that suit on one of the tricks. If they do and you play last you might be able to get a extra trick by taking the trick with your Queen and then an extra by leading back the Ace. Note, if the King comes out by an opponent, flip the sequence and use the Ace to take their King and then lead back the Queen to try and still take the extra trick. Again, only play this sequence if you're trying to set. Be aware though, if your partner plays the King, they may have bid it, so don't take their King with your Ace. A caveat to this is where you might want to take your partner's King if the table bid is low to avoid bags.
07: If you have the King and Queen of a (non-spade) suit, lead the King just to see where it goes. If your partner has the Ace, they should let it walk. If the opponent takes your King with their Ace, then your Queen is highest and may take the next trick. If the table bid is low and your partner has the Ace, they should probably take it to avoid an extra bag (as in #3). You should do the same thing if you have the Ace and your partner has played the King and but only if the table bid is low.
08: Don't panic about bags. Bags are points too. Remember, a couple of sets make the bags worth it....within reason.
09: Play like a team. WATCH your partner's play. If you can, try to keep up with a count of the cards played in a suit or at least which high cards have been played. If you're in the 4th chair (last play) and the table bid is low and your partner has the highest card with a 9 or 10 and you can take the trick, by all means TAKE IT. If you let your partner take a mid-suit trick you could have taken, you will likely end up with 2 bags, where taking the trick might have only gotten 1 bag. Obviously if you're trying to set, then do not TAKE IT. It all much depends on the target strategy for each hand....to Set or to Duck.
10: If the table bid is low (10 or less) and you play after your partner and your partner played under the high card and you can also duck, DO. If you take the trick and then lead back low in the same suit where your partner ducked, you will likely gain an unnecessary bag. Many, many times I've had a partner step up high on a trick after I have already ducked only to lead back low causing me to have to take an extra trick. On low table bids (10 or less) you want to gift bags to your opponents, not your partner.
11: On 11 bids I am always considering a possiblity for a set attempt if there's enough to gain. I will be watching my partner's play. If I see they have a void suit, I will lead back that suit assuming (or hoping) they will trump in. A set is almost always worth more than the bags that come with the set. Note though that if the table bid is 11 and the opponents only have a 3 or 4 total team bid, it may not be worth the bags....depending on the score at the time. It's a judgement call.
12: 12 bids should make you salivate (like Pavlov's Bell). You should already be looking to see what you can do to set, and more importantly....NOT BE SET. 12 bids on the table are NEVER a time to DUCK and BAG the opponents. When the table bid is 12, never, ever, ever let a trick go by, no matter how many bags your team has. If you can set the opponents having a combined bid of 6, the swing is 120 (from +60 to -60). Bagging out (over several hands) is only -100. That's worth the attempt (and the bags).
13: If your partner loses a trick that seemed likely they had bid it, you HAVE to try to catch an extra trick - for the team. Bags are always worth more than a set.
14: Play to win, but play for fun too. This is NOT a life altering activity. There's always tomorrow and you will sleep well tonight, win or lose. I do.
15: When the opponents have a Nil on the table and you are after the Nil player and the Nil player is already under the highest card in the trick and you're void, dump your big spades in case the Nil has high spades or even 4 spades. Many people will bid Nil with 4 small spades, thinking it's a safe bid. It's not (from above comments).
16: When you have a weak hand and you're trying to get just 1 trick and your target is Hearts and (for example) you have the 3, 9 and J, play the the 9 and keep the J. This may force the higher cards to get played behind you giving a slim chance to take a trick with the Jack. Play the middle card the first time that suit is played and then decide what to play (high or low) next time that suit comes around.
17: If the table bid is low, like 9 or 10 and your partner leads a King and you have the Ace, go ahead and take the trick. They are probably leading it to get it taken and if you take it, it will cut down on the bags for that hand. Team play.
18: If the table bid is low (10 or less) and you have the ability to duck in TRICK #1 (maybe even trick #2), duck. I do, even if I have the Ace of the suit being played. Only step up if your partner is already high and it looks like a trick they probably hadn't bid. Try and keep bags at a minimum. When the table bid is low (under 11), that's the time to bag your opponents....if you can.
19: If the table bid is 12 and you're thinking set and your team already has your bid and there are two tricks left in the hand and the opponent on your right is leading. Say you have a good spade and an off card and the lead is not to your off card suit and not a spade. Since you're trying to get the last 2 tricks and you already have your bid, let the current trick go by to see if your partner can take it giving you a chance at the last trick for set. If your partner cannot take the trick, you still can't be set since you already have your bid. The point here is that when your team has your bid, sometimes it's okay to let a trick go by with the hope your partner might be able to take it leading to a set. Example, your team already has your bid, you have 2 cards left (Ace of spades and a small spade) and need the last 2 tricks to set. The player on your right leads a spade. You could take it, but if the player on your right has the King of spades left, once you play the Ace, the set is gone. But if you played the low spade and your partner could take that trick, your Ace is the set card. It's all in the strategy.
20: If the table bid is high (12 or 13) and I'm first to lead, I will probably NOT lead out a strong card, like an Ace. I'm already thinking about trying to set and will likely lead out a mid-card to see how the play goes.
21: Remember the Ace of Spades is GOLDEN. Unless the table bid is really low, it's okay to hold on to it. You never know when you may wish you had held it to help out your partner later in the game.
22: I know bags are points too, BUT on low table bids (10 or less) where you play last and your partner has already ducked the trick, do NOT take the trick HIGH and lead back LOW. Doing so will almost certainly get you 2 bags instead of 1 since your partner has already ducked and now may have the highest card. On low table bids, you should be able to judge what you need for your bid and then duck as many as possible.
============================================================================ NILS ===========================================================================
BIDDING =========================================================================== WHEN TO BID A NIL
It's hard to put rules on when to bid (or not bid) a Nil. However, my general criteria that needs to be met is:
01: No more than 3 Spades and preferably less. How high of Spades may depend on where the game is and if my partner has bid a strong hand. If the game is on the line and it's between Win or Go Home then sometimes you have to bid a risky nil, but try to keep those times rare. Example, If the game is not in peril and I have a Jack or Queen of Spades with 2 fairly low ones for backers, I probably would not bid nil unless my partner has already bid at least a 4.
02: Every suit must have at least 2 cards under a 7. That should survive 2 leads in every suit in case your partner does not have a strong hand. If you don't have that and the game is not on the line, you should probably not bid Nil. Remember a set nil is hard to come back from and you have to determine is it really worth the risk?
PLAY =========================================================================== Your partner has the Nil: ==================================== 01: Cover your partners Nil in spite of a chance where you may be set. The Nil is ALWAYS more important than your bid. There are just 2 rules on Nil cover:
Rule #1 - COVER YOUR PARTNER. Rule #2 - SEE RULE #1.
02: As was mentioned in bidding, if you bid AFTER your partner has bid a Nil. do NOT bid your hand as you NORMALLY WOULD. Bid a touch lighter to allow you to dump your losers on off tricks when the opponent has already covered your partner's play. If you bid ALL the winners like you normally would, you will probably go SET EVEN IF THE NIL MAKES. That will just WASTE YOUR BID. When covering your partners nil, don't be afraid to take some bags. don't forget Rule #1, it's kind of important.
Your opponent has the Nil: ==================================== 01: When the opponents have a Nil on the table and you're 4th chair, assuming the Nil has already played under the highest card, take with as HIGH a card as you can to get rid of your big ones giving you a better chance at setting their Nil later.
02: When you are leading INTO the Nil, NEVER, EVER lead Aces and Kings. Your goal is to SET their Nil, NOT HELP COVER it. Leading high into their nil lets their partner dump their little cards saving their big ones to cover their Nil later when they have to. I sometimes lead middle cards and keep a small one in case I have a chance to play low later under the Nil player's card. I cannot say this enough, DO NOT help your opponents out by leading big cards AHEAD of their nil.
03: When you are in front of the Nil (on your Left) and the opponent on your right is leading, try to play just one card above their card if you can. If you can't do that, play lower. Example, if the opponent leads a 10 of Clubs, do NOT play the Ace if you have a lower Club. Doing so opens the door for their nil to dump Jack, Queen or King. Playing the Ace in front LETS THEM OFF THE HOOK. You might as well be on the team with the Nil. Sometimes it cannot be helped, but remember you are actually trying to SET the opponent's Nil, not COVER it.
04: When opponents have a Nil and the table bid is 12, or 11, try to set the COVER hand to offset the value of the Nil which has a good chance of easily making when the table bid is high.
05: On Suicide games or games where both teams have a Nil and you are leading out. If the opponent cover is 2nd chair (your left), I often lead low to make them step up to cover. If they do, they will be leading next into your partner and you will have a better choice on each trick the opponent leads to duck or step up. In this situation, NEVER EVER lead low if the opponent's Nil is on your left. Then their cover hand will be playing last and if your partner has the high card to their cover, they will duck to set your team.
06: Nil on your left and opponent is leading from your right. This is always a bit of a problem for your team. You don't want to play too high so as to help cover their Nil, but if you duck too many, you will likely not make your bid. So you or your partner (whoever is playing behind the Nil) has more of a role. The last to play may have to take MORE tricks than they bid to offset cards being dumped by the partner in front of the nil. Not paying attention to this will likely end up with the nil making anyway and your team going set.
07: When the Nil is the first to lead, avoid leading back that SAME suit during the game. When I have a Nil, I will lead out from my safest suit. Most others do too so leading back that same suit usually lets the Nil dump their bad cards in other suits. Work on the OTHER suits for a chance to set the Nil.
======================================================================================================== THOUGHTS ON SUICIDE GAMES ======================================================================================================== Suicide is a game of strategy. I know it's hard to bid Nil when you're bidding first with what appears on the surface to be a bad hand for a Nil. Sometimes you have to make that call rather than bid just 2 or 3 and FORCE your partner to Nil when they will likely have a worse hand and go set.
BIDDING =========================================================================== 01: If first seat, remember there will be two cover hands so don't be scared to bid Nil up front, even when you have 4 spades, as long as yours are not big ones.
02: Look hard at the hand if you're first to bid for your team. Unless you have the Ace and King of Spades, or a lone ace, any hand just might be a successful Nil.
03: Another problem is when you have 5 or more spades and you're bidding first. In that situation, you will likely have to bid high no matter what the spades are.
04: I have been known (more than once) to bid Nil up front while holding the Ace of Spades (OMG, did I just say that?) and nothing else in my hand but little cards and mids. I know I'll be set, but here is my thought....it makes no sense to me to bid a 2 (or 3) and FORCE my partner to bid Nil where the only cover I have is the Ace of Spades. When (if) you do that, play that Ace of Spades early and try to catch the opponents off guard so you and your partner can try to set their Nil and hopefully move on to the next hand with a double Nil-set. You will probably have to explain your insane Nil bid with the Ace of Spades to your partner and hope they understand the strategy. More than likely a Nil bid by either of you was going to be set so try to surprise the opponents who may be stuck with the King of spades in their Nil hand.
05: If you're first to bid and just must bid high, your bid should be at LEAST a 4 (or hopefully more) or you shouldn't even be bidding high. Since there are two cover hands, your bid plus the other cover will amount to most of the 13 tricks so don't bid crazy high as your opponent's cover bid might just be 7 (or more) and end up setting you. In this case, bags are probably a better direction.
PLAY ===========================================================================
01: When you are NOT the Nil, you can ONLY lead LOW cards when the player to your LEFT is the COVER to the opponent's Nil. NEVER, EVER lead low cards into the opponent's Nil when it's on your left. Your Nil partner plays after THEIR Nil and THEIR cover plays last and only has to be 1 card higher than THEIR Nil so you might end up setting your own partner. Leading low, (unless no option) into Nil on your left is a sure recipe for disaster.
02: Check what your opponent's cover bid is. If the opponent's cover bid is low, you can almost BET they have left their partner with an unmakeable Nil. All of this was covered in the bidding section above. It happens a lot from players who think they have to bid high just because they have a couple of high cards and would NEVER have bid a Nil with those cards in a Regular game.
03: Never play a high card after your partner has played if you have a mid that would cover them. They will probably need your high cards later. Your bid is NEVER more important than the Nil. See notes on Nil cover above.
04: It is far better to bid Nil up front even when you don't have the greatest of hands. If your team's Nil does get set during the game, dump your high cards as soon as possible to be in a better position to set your opponent's Nil. A set of both Nils allows you to move on to the next hand.
05: Watch the opponents play as well as your partners. If their Nil is on your left, do not play high spades on tricks you have already seen their Nil void in. Doing so will only help cover them if their Nil has any risky spades.
06: If your partner's Nil goes set, you can hope the opponent's Nil has 4 spades. In Suicide, they often do. Avoid leading Spades as you get to the end if their Nil is on your right. If down to the last 4 tricks and your partner's Nil is already set but the opponent's Nil is not, do not lead a Spade. Instead, lead a high non-spade card to try and trick the opponent into throwing off a non-spade where their Nil would go set with 4 spades. This happens a lot in Suicide (and even in Regular Spades). Note this also goes for your own partner's Nil. When your partner's Nil is still active and down to the last 4 tricks, lead a Spade instead of throwing a non-spade in case they have 4 Spades.
======================================================================================================== Feel free to get with me if you have thoughts on improvements or disagree with something. Like I said, I don't think of myself as an expert, just someone that has seen an awful lot of hands played. ========================================================================================================