SPARTS

Hey there! Sparts is a cool new game that combines two classics, Spades and Hearts. It takes the best parts of each game and creates something totally unique and exciting.

Here’s how it works: first, we all make bids on how many tricks we think we can win. And here’s the twist – we also want to avoid collecting any Hearts cards. You’ll earn points for bidding right and collecting tricks, but watch out for those pesky Hearts and the Queen of Spades. It’s a real balancing act!

THE CARDS & THE DEAL

In Sparts, we use a regular deck of 52 cards. Just shuffle them up, and then deal them out depending on how many players are in the game.

If there are 4 players, each person gets 13 cards. For 5 players, it’s 10 cards each, with a 2-card kitty. And if there are 6 players, you’ll get 8 cards each, with a 4-card kitty.

THE PASS

In each hand, I have to pass three cards. On the first hand, I pass three cards to the player on my left. Then, on the next hand, I pass three cards to the player two seats to my left. I keep following this passing structure for each hand. If it’s my turn to pass cards to myself, I simply keep those three cards.

The Bidding Process

Now it’s time for the bidding to begin. It starts with the player sitting to the immediate left of the dealer. Each player has to bid on the number of tricks they think they can win. The scorekeeper writes down the bids. You can bid as low as zero or as high as the total number of tricks. But be careful with your bid because if you don’t meet it, points will be deducted.

Playing the Game

The First Trick

When it’s my turn to start, I always lead with the 2 of Clubs. If I don’t have that card, then I go with the 3 of Clubs, and so on. The tricky part is that Spades are always more powerful than other suits. So, Hearts can only be played after someone breaks the suit.

To win a trick, I need to play the highest card in the suit that was led, or the highest Spade in the case of a tie. The player who wins the trick gets to lead the next one.

We keep playing and capturing tricks until there are no more left.

Let me give you an example to make things clearer:

I start by leading with the 2 of Clubs. The next player follows suit with a 3 of Clubs. The player after that doesn’t have any Clubs, so they play the Ace of Hearts. Finally, the last player plays the 10 of Clubs. The 10 of Clubs wins the trick, and now Hearts can be played.

It’s my turn to play, and I start by leading the next trick with a 3 of Hearts. I can do this because Hearts were broken in the previous trick. Now it’s Player 1’s turn, and they follow suit with a 2 of Hearts. Player 2 does the same, playing a 5 of Hearts. Player 3 takes the trick with a King of Hearts. Then, Player 3 becomes the leader for the next trick.

SCORING

We calculate the score for the round in two steps.

First, players earn or lose points based on their bid and the number of tricks they capture.

If you bid zero and capture zero tricks, you earn 10 points. Capturing the exact number of tricks you bid also gives you 10 points. Each trick captured beyond your bid earns you 1 additional point. On the flip side, failing to meet your bid costs you 10 points.

In the second phase, we deduct points for Hearts and the Queen of Spades. However, capturing the Jack of Diamonds gives you a bonus point.

The Queen of Spades incurs a penalty of 13 points. The 10 of Hearts costs you 10 points. For all other Hearts, you lose 1 point each. Lastly, capturing the Jack of Diamonds earns you 10 points.

EMERGING VICTORIOUS

Hey there! When it comes to winning, it’s all about getting the most points. So, I wanted to share with you a simple strategy that can help you achieve victory in your games. Are you ready? Let’s dive in!

Here’s how it works: the player with the highest number of points at the end of a set number of rounds is declared the winner. And guess what? You can determine the number of rounds based on the number of players in the game. Neat, right?