This article looks at three popular bidding variations in the card game Spades—the Blind Nil, the Blind 6 and the Blind 7.
These bids add an extra layer of excitement to a game, allowing a partnership that’s in a losing position a strategic option to get back in the game or win it outright. This is why some people either love or hate the blind bids.
Blind Nil Spades Bid
Just like with a regular Nil bid, a Blind Nil Spades bid says you think you won’t win any tricks. The difference is the Blind Nil is made without looking at your cards.
This bid comes with considerable reward:+200 points for success and -200 for a fail. To bid Blind Nil, the side must be down by at least 200 points, which limits the amount of risk involved. Failing this last-ditch effort to get back in the game won’t really matter, as the side is already going to lose.
- Variation: When a Blind Nil is bid, each partner passes one or two face down cards to the other.
Blind 6 & Blind 7 Bids in Spades
In these bids, one of the partners bids on behalf of the team, so it must be made before either player has looked at their cards.
The partnership must win exactly 6 or 7 tricks, respectively. The points value of the tricks is doubled—6=120 points and 7=140 points. If failed, the team loses 120 or 140, respectively.
Variations:
- The partnership must win a minimum of 6 or 7, respectively.
- A failed Blind 6 or 7 results in a loss of only 60 or 70 points, respectively.
- A bid of Blind 8 may also be allowed.
When Can You Bid Blind in Spades?
A Blind Nil bid is fairly standard in Spades, while the Blind 6 or 7 is rarer. Before play starts, everyone should be aware of the blind bids allowed and the rules around them.
It’s fairly standard for a Blind Nil to be allowed only if that side is down by at least 200 points. For a Blind 6 or 7, they must be behind by at least 100 points.
Variations:
- In games where a regular Nil is worth 50 points, a Blind Nil is worth 100. (To bid Blind Nil you’d have to be down at least 100 points, not 200.)
- A successful Blind Nil is worth +200 but a fail is only penalized as -100.
- The partner of a Blind Bid might not accrue any bags during the hand.
- The tricks from a failed Nil bid may or may not count toward the partner’s bid.
As you can see, there are lots of options around blind bids rather than set rules. Players will have to decide how they’ll handle blind bids, including how they’ll be scored.
I hope this cleared up any confusion you had around the blind nil Spades bid and the blind 6 & 7.
