Spades Arena — Invitation Tournament
This page lays out the house rules and format for the online Spades tournament. Every player logs in with a permanent username and password, gets invited to specific brackets, and chooses their own partner before the first hand is dealt.
How the Tournament Works
- One-time accountCreate your username and password once. It’s used for every future tournament, so your record follows you.
- Invitation onlyWhen a new bracket is announced, invited players receive a link to join.
- Pick your partnerAfter accepting the invite, you choose your partner. They confirm and the team locks in.
- First to 250Each match is scored to 250 under the house rules below.
House Rules
- Every hand bids itselfEach player bids their own hand. Team bid = Player A + Player B bids.
- Ace highRanking: A, K, Q, J, 10 ... 2. No jokers.
- Open & closed biddingHost decides if bids are shown or hidden until all are in.
- No NilEvery player must bid at least one book.
- No over pointsOnly earn points for what you bid — no bags.
- Spade stick to the tableYou must follow suit. Spades can’t be led until broken.
- Don’t force a renegeThe system prevents illegal plays.
- The Yard — 10 booksCalling 10 books earns +20 if successful, or a 200-point penalty if failed.
- Win conditionFirst team to reach 250 points wins.