Nil in Spades — When to Call It and When It's a Trap
Nothing loads from YouTube until you press play. The player is YouTube’s privacy-enhanced embed; once you start it, YouTube receives connection information and may use storage. Video privacy · Watch on YouTube
About this video
Two real hands of Spades played out in full. The first holds the ace of diamonds and the king of hearts and still makes the nil comfortably; the second holds almost nothing except the ace of spades, and the nil is dead the moment it is bid. The difference is not how strong your hand is — a high card in a side suit can be thrown away, but when spades are led you have to follow, and a high spade wins whether you like it or not.
See when a nil bid is worth calling in Spades through two complete hands, including the danger of holding a high spade.
Compare an ace in a side suit with the ace of spades. A side-suit card can be discarded when you cannot follow suit; a high trump can force you to take a trick and break the nil.
Chapters
Play and learn
- Spades Rules: How to Play Spades
- Nil Bidding in Spades: When and How to Go Nil
- Spades Strategy: Bidding, Leading, and Trump Management
- Spades Rules Explained — Bidding, Nil, and Bags