SPADES, THE MOST POPULAR CARD GAME FOR AFRICAN-AMERICANS
By dopper0189, Black Kos Managing Editor
A staple of social gatherings the world over, the card game Spades is a favorite for many because of the strategy involved in mastering the game. But what’s also very interesting about Spades, is how it has become especially popular in the Black community. In fact no other card game has as central a role in African-American culture as Spades. While the root causes of this popularity may be difficult to ever fully uncover, a brief review of the game’s origins and rules may provide some insights.
Spades was created in the United States sometime in the 1930’s. This card game became popular right before World War II in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio. The game of Spades quickly spread throughout the rest of Midwest, and then in both the South and North East especially in African-American communities. Spades became the card game of choice for black troops killing time stationed abroad in World War II in between battles. Once it took hold there it became a national Black American pastime, as returning Black GI’s quickly shared their popular pastime throughout black communities in the US.
Until relatively recently the game of Spades was little known outside the USA; except of course in a few places where American troops were stationed. For example in parts of Germany near American military bases Spades became a popular game as American troops stationed their taught the game to the local German inhabitants. However, since the mid 1990's Spades has become popular internationally because of its easy availability in on-line card rooms on the Internet.
A group of people playing spades
Growing up in a Caribbean family and community my first game of choice was dominoes. When I went to college in the Midwest I quickly learned the centrality of Spades at primarily African-American gathering. As my good friends from Detroit put it 1) Music 2) Food 3) Drink 4) Spades 5) More Food (in that order) are the essential ingredients at any African-American party. I recently reminisced about this because of a popular meme that went viral last month. I was once the college kid on the receiving end of this meme.
So what is the games of Spades? Spades, along with Bridge and Hearts, is derived from the English game “Whist”, which became popular in the 18th century. Whist was a game of the serving class, rarely played by higher class men and women. It was instead a game played by hunting men and squires killing time. “Bid Whist” is a slightly different version played more in the United States even now, usually by older generations of blacks (who just usually consider it a version of Spades).
The main difference between the three card games is the trump suit. In Bridge the trump suite which is chosen. In Spades suite is of course spades. In Hearts the trump suite is hearts and the Queen of spades. Many proponents of Hearts have historically (an recently online) have questioned why the game of hearts hasn’t gained fans in Black communities because of the importance of the Single Black Queen. Critics argue, though, that the Black King’s low value in the game of Hearts is a plausible reason.
Spades is a plain-trick game in which spades are always the trump cards. It is most often played as a partnership game by four players, but there are also versions for three, two or six players.
As a trick-taking game (which explains some of the appeal), the object is to accurately bid the number of “tricks” or “books” a team possesses, then obtain that amount while simultaneously attempting to thwart the other team from doing the same. Now from there, the rules can change greatly by region, city, HBCU attended (or as a once learned during a game the prison in which one was incarcerated). The minor variations in rules, however, are not the reason Spades is so popular. The reason is the social aspect.
A game usually requires at least four people. Usually more are present to also play after, and/or observe your hand and give unwanted suggestions on how *you* should play. Often food, drinks and music are present, and many will be present just to socialize and talk loudly. And nothing is more important to a Spades game than a loud round of “trash” talking.
Arguing over a renege, threatening to “go to Boston”, warning opponents against over or underbidding, slapping cards down on the table or one’s forehead with intense force, all necessary parts of a Spades game.
Spades for Four Players
Players and Cards
The four players are in fixed partnerships, with partners sitting opposite each other. Deal and play are clockwise.
A standard pack of 52 cards is used. The cards, in each suit, rank from highest to lowest: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.
The Deal
The first dealer is chosen at random, and the turn to deal rotates clockwise. The cards are shuffled and then dealt singly, in clockwise order beginning with the player on dealer's left, until all 52 cards have been dealt and everyone has 13.
The Bidding
In Spades, all four players bid a number of tricks. Each team adds together the bids of the two partners, and the total is the number of tricks that team must try to win in order to get a positive score. The bidding begins with the player to dealer's left and continues clockwise around the table. Everyone must bid a number, and in theory any number from 0 to 13 is allowed. Unlike other games with bidding, there is no requirement for each bid to be higher than the last one, and players are not allowed to pass. There is no second round of bidding - bids once made cannot be altered. Example: South deals; West bids 3; North bids 1; East bids 4; South bids 4. The objective of North and South is to win at least 5 ticks (4+1), East and West try to win at least 7 (4+3).
A bid of 0 tricks is known as Nil. This is a declaration that that the player who bid Nil will not win any tricks during the play. There is an extra bonus for this if it succeeds and a penalty if it fails. The partnership also has the objective of winning the number of tricks bid by the Nil's partner. It is not possible to bid no tricks without bidding a Nil. If you don't want to go for the Nil bonus or penalty you must bid at least 1.
Some players allow a bid of Blind nil. This is a nil bid declared before a player looks at his cards. After everyone has bid and before the first lead, the bidder may exchange two cards with partner - the bidder discards two cards face down; partner picks them up and gives back two cards face-down in return. It is usually agreed that Blind Nil may only be bid by a player whose side is losing by at least 100 points.
The Play of the Hand
The player to dealer's left leads any card except a spade to the first trick. Each player, in turn, clockwise, must follow suit if able; if unable to follow suit, the player may play any card.
A trick containing a spade is won by the highest spade played; if no spade is played, the trick is won by the highest card of the suit led. The winner of each trick leads to the next. Spades may not be led until either
- some player has played a spade (on the lead of another suit, of course), or
- the leader has nothing but spades left in hand.
Playing the first spade is known as "breaking" spades.
Scoring
A side that takes at least as many tricks as its bid calls for receives a score equal to 10 times its bid. Additional tricks (overtricks) are worth an extra one point each.
Sandbagging rule: Overtricks are colloquially known as bags. A side which (over several deals) accumulates ten or more bags has 100 points deducted from its score. Any bags beyond ten are carried over to the next cycle of ten overtricks - that is if they reached twenty overtricks they would lose another 100 points and so on. (Note: it is not necessary to keep track of overtricks separately as the cumulative number of overtricks taken appears as the final digit of the team's score, if positive).
Example: Suppose a team whose score is 337 bids 5 tricks. If they win 7 tricks they score 52, taking their score to 389. If they win 8 tricks they score 53, but lose 100 because they now have 10 bags, and their score becomes 290 (337 + 53 - 100). If they win 9 tricks they score 54 and lose 100, bringing their score to 291.
If a side does not make its bid, they lose 10 points for each trick they bid.
If a bid of nil is successful, the nil bidder's side receives 100 points. This is in addition to the score won (or lost) by the partner of the nil bidder for tricks made. If a bid of nil fails - that is, the bidder takes at least one trick - the bidder's side loses 100 points, but still receives any amount scored for the partner's bid.
The usual rule is that when a nil fails, the tricks won by the nil bidder do not count towards making the partner's bid, but do count as bags for the team.
A bid of blind nil scores twice as much as an ordinary nil - it wins 200 points if successful and loses 200 points if it fails.
The side which reaches 500 points first wins the game. If both sides reach 500 points in the same deal, the side with the higher score wins.
The Unofficial Rules
Know The Rules – No one can give a thorough explanation of the rules. Many online Spade forums will state that winning at Spades is like making love–you should know the basics but every time will be different depending on whom you’re making love with. The one steadfast commandment in Spades is that the house makes the rules. To be a consistent player you must be flexible enough to handle the infinite number of variations.
The key to a Spades game is knowing the rules before you play the game. If they are playing with jokers, ask them to show you each one. In some houses they will write on the card which one is which. If they use the deuce of diamonds and/or deuce of spades as a trump card, make sure you find out which is higher. You can’t win if you don’t know the rules, and losing is no fun. Remember, Spades is not about fun, it is about winning. If you want to have fun, play Uno.
Know The Lingo – Spades comes with a particularly interesting set of Jargon that you need to know if you want to succeed:
- Joker, Joker, Deuce... – This designates the order of the most important cards. King High, no Jokers is the truest form of the game usually only played by older Black men who are ready to school you (trust me on this). If you hear this, you should know that these people aren’t messing around. If your Spades game is not strong don’t even bother sitting down to play king high, because not only is your card-playing reputation at stake, but so is your reputation. If you find a group who plays with Jokers, they are still pretty serious. People who play Joker-Joker-Ace don’t have time for your BS and if you slip up, you could possibly be ostracized for life.
- Make-em, Take-em – This is not just a Spades rule, it is a principle of life. If you win a book, it is your responsibility to rack it. Spades is life. If you sit there contemplating or hesitating, someone will take your crap, and just like life, possession is 9/10ths of the law. You must be on point at all times and during all phases of the game. All you have in this world is your books and your partner. If someone touches your books, you have the right to do to them what you will (usually call them everything but a child of God)
- Dime or Boston – If you hear either of these words it means you need to concentrate on that particular hand like you’re taking the S.A.T. to be admitted into heaven. If you or your partner bids a dime, you are about to humiliate your opponent. Likewise, having someone bid a dime or “run a Boston” on you is not only a sure loss, but the equivalent of losing your adulthood.
- Set – The most disappointing thing in Spades… and life. Getting “set” means you bid too much, reached too high and failed. If you are afraid of getting set, you shouldn’t partake in this sport (yes, if golf, bowling and poker are, then Spades is also a sport. Just like life, however, getting set is not the end of the world. You just have to fight back.
Know Your Partner – I can’t emphasize this enough. Selecting a partner in Spades should be (almost) taken as seriously as choosing a life partner. Taking a partner is akin to putting another person’s life and Spades reputation in your hands and should not be taken lightly. You will eventually have to learn the intricacies of eye contact, non-verbal cues and even a little light mind-reading. Never take a random partner without watching them play at least one hand, and avoid jumping from partner to partner.
Never Trust Anyone – A seasoned player holds the cards in such a way that doesn’t look paranoid, but ensures that no one else can see his hand. Watch the dealer, too because they might stack the cards, although a successful case of card-stacking has never been verified. Make sure you cut the cards an odd number of times. Assume all your opponents are out to get you if given the chance. They want to stop you from “setting them.”
Leave Your Emotions at the Door – This is not a pastime for the sensitive, so if you are prone to having your feelings hurt, you should play jacks or double-dutch. If you lose, you will be instructed to “get yo ass up.” If you win it is only because you are a “lucky mofo.” Part of the beauty of Spades is the vitriolic talking.
Know How To Bid – Like life, Spades is not about which cards you get, it is about knowing what to do with the cards you are dealt. Bidding is the key to the game of Spades, and perhaps the biggest obstacle in bidding is the “possible.” How one bids the “possible” says everything about their character, self-esteem and interpersonal relationships. If you have three books, your partner has one and-a-possible, and you bid four, I assume you were bullied in grade school and never got over it.
Never, Ever Renege – Like never, never renege. The love of God and all the prayers of the righteous can’t save you from the scorn that accompanies reneging. If you or your partner happens to renege, your only recourse is to rack the book and put it in the middle of the other books you’ve won before anyone notices it. If someone does notice it, tell them the rules say they must pick out the exact book, then tell them they are wrong–even if they are right. Never admit to a renege. There are 3 keys to winning a renege argument:
- Be loud – you have to get louder and more belligerent than the accuser. Don’t let them finish their sentences.
- Be mad – You have to be madder than they are. Act appalled at the suggestion of the possibility that you reneged. Throw all the cards in the middle of the table. Accuse them of cheating, too.
- Calm down – Offer to replay the hand. When the game is over, apologize for being upset, and explain that you can get carried away. Don’t say you were wrong, though–even if you are asked about it 20 years later by your priest during your deathbed confession. Never admit to a renege.
It’s almost the end of the summer, so I hope everyone enjoyed a fun look at a key piece of Black American culture. With the Labor Day long weekend coming up, I’m sure a lot of Spades and trash talking will be served up shortly in cook outs and family get togethers across America. Buy a pack of cards, pull up a chair and have a good time.
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News round up by dopper0189, Black Kos Managing Editor
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At Five Points station, the MARTA train stop in Atlanta, you can hear the hottest sport in the city before you can see it. As you ride the escalator up, toward the concourse level, the sounds crescendo past the hiss of incoming and departing trains, the rumble of commuters, the crackle of fast food, the trap songs—a lot of Future and Trouble—blaring from smartphones. Upon reaching the structure's apex, you can see the Five Points business district skyline. But your attention probably won't land on the tall buildings or the Atlanta City Hall tower in the distance. Rather, your eyes will follow your ears to MARTA's crown jewel—the world's first soccer field built atop a transit station—and a group of young footballers playing on what is known around the "A" as "Station Soccer."
"Come on!" shouts a young man with an almond complexion and Rasta-like dreadlocks. "That's my ankle!" He loses possession to a Latino footballer in a yellow and green Neymar Jr. jersey. A dozen or so spectators sit near the pitch—an emerald turf that stretches nearly 100 feet long and 66 feet wide, ensconced by a transparent net and protective gating—taking in the action. The energy on the field is electric and prolonged; the two teams zip back and forth for what feels like an eternity without either side connecting for a goal. The run is both beautiful and serene—transfixing like a Newton's cradle in motion.
Years ago, the space was an amphitheater before closing for safety reasons. But in 2016, the city, in collaboration with Soccer in the Streets, a local organization whose mission is empowering and engaging local youth with football programming, refashioned the space as a field, primarily for the enjoyment of idle inner-city kids. According to Sanjay Patel, SITS' director of strategic projects, a plan is in place to build a "league of stations"—approximately 10—around Atlanta. The field is open to the public, but runs are organized and curated via SITS' website.
The five-a-side play continues. Eventually, Neymar Jr.'s squad scores. Game over. Players who have been waiting patiently on the sideline begin scrambling to see which five has next. There's an urgency in the air; only 30 minutes remain in today's 90-minute pickup-game time slot.
The run at Five Points station is only one part of a vibrant soccer scene that has grown feverishly in and around the city in recent years. "I would say that soccer is the biggest sport in Atlanta," says Ryan Glover, an appointee to MARTA's board of directors and soccer dad to two daughters. "Above the Falcons, above the Braves and certainly above the Hawks." If you drive around Atlanta, it's not difficult to see: Soccer is everywhere—from the east side to the west, from the inner city to the suburbs.
A team kicks a ball during a Saturday session of Station Soccer.Photo courtesy of Matt Conrod via Soccer in the Streets
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Rain had come to nearby villages, but not yet to Droum in south-east Niger. The sand under its stately trees looked completely barren, but Souley Cheibou, a farmer in his 60s, was not worried. He crooked a finger, fished in the sand, and brought out a millet seed. In a week or two, this seed would germinate and sprout, and soon the whole field would be green.
Cheibou’s peace of mind stemmed from the trees encircling him, which had been standing long before he was born. Despite appearances, these were not any old acacias. They were gao trees – known as winterthorns in English – with unique, seemingly magical powers.
From the peanut basin of Senegal to the Seno plains of Mali, to Yatenga, formerly the most degraded region of Burkina Faso, and as far south as Malawi: gaos are thriving in Africa. And over the past three decades, the landscape of southern Niger has been transformed by more than 200m new trees, many of them gaos. They have not been planted but have grown naturally on over 5m hectares of farmland, nurtured by thousands of farmers.
According to scientists, what has happened in Niger – one of the world’s poorest countries – is the largest-scale positive transformation of the environment in the whole of Africa. This is not a grand UN-funded project aiming to offset climate change. Small-scale farmers have achieved it because of what the trees can do for crop yields and other aspects of farming life.
“It’s a magic tree, a very wonderful tree,” said Abasse Tougiani of Niger’s National Institute of Agricultural Research, who has travelled all over Niger studying Faidherbia albida – the gao’s Latin name.
Shielded from the sun, crops planted under the canopy of a tree usually do not do well in the short term, although there can be longer-term benefits. That’s one reason why many west African rainforests have been decimated. But with gaos, it’s the other way round. The root system of the gao is nearly as big as its branches, and unusually it draws nitrogen from the air, fertilising the soil. And unlike other trees in the area, gao tree leaves fall in the rainy season, allowing more sunlight through to the crops at a key moment.
A Droum resident with the village’s mature gao trees. Photograph: Ruth Maclean/Ruth Maclean for the Guardian
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Black and Latinx people in the United States disproportionately livein areas that tend to be hit by natural disasters such as floods. A new study shows that they are not just geographically disadvantaged in the face of climate disasters, but also economically disadvantaged.
The journal Social Problems released “Damages Done: The Longitudinal Impacts of Natural Hazards on Wealth Inequality in the United States” last week (August 14). The study sought to investigate how families’ personal wealth was affected by natural disasters and related recovery efforts. It examined age, education and home ownership data for approximately 3,500 families from 1999 to 2013. Per ThinkProgress:
According to the study by Rice University and the University of Pittsburgh, in counties badly hit by natural disasters—areas with at least $10 billion in damages—White communities gained an average $126,000 in wealth following the damage and recovery efforts.
Yet, for Blacks, Latinx and Asians living in counties hit hard by natural disasters, these communities saw their wealth decrease by an amount between $10,000 and $29,000.
The study pinpointed several reasons behind this wealth inequality. One is that Whites tend to live in areas that have higher levels of reinvestment via infrastructure projects after natural disasters.
Second, areas that receive more financial assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have a greater increase in wealth inequality.
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Five years later, the consequences of the Supreme Court’s gutting of the Voting Rights Act are painfully clear. Slate: The South Will Disenfranchise Again
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The two notices were published in a local paper on Aug. 9, but no one could quite make sense of them. In one, Georgia’s Randolph County Board of Elections and Registration declared it would hold public meetings on Aug. 16 and 17 “to discuss Precinct Consolidation.” In the other, the board clarified that it planned to close seven of the nine polling places in the county. It announced a meeting on Aug. 24 “to consider this proposal,” but failed to specify a date or time. The notice added that the closures “shall become effective” on Aug. 24—indicating that the period of consideration was already over, and the decision to shutter the polls had already been made.
For decades, Randolph County—a majority-black jurisdiction with a history of racist voter suppression—could not unilaterally alter its voting rules. It was covered under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, compelling the county to obtain federal permission, or “preclearance,” before changing its election procedures. In 2013, however, the Supreme Court kneecapped Section 5, effectively abolishing preclearance. The result has been a dramatic escalation of voter suppression across the country, a trend that’s vividly illustrated by the direct assault on the franchise in Georgia.
Preclearance worked, and it remained critical even after the South abandoned its most overt methods of voter suppression. Between 1982 and 2013, Section 5 stopped more than 1,000discriminatory voting changes; in 2012 alone, the Department of Justice used it to block 17 laws. But a year later, in Shelby County v. Holder, the Supreme Court’s five conservative justices concluded that preclearance had run its course and struck down the “coverage formula” that Congress used to select covered jurisdictions. As a result, the federal government lost its authority to stop voter suppression before it happened.
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Mali’s president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, has won a second term after taking 67% of the vote in a runoff election.
Opposition leader Soumaïla Cissé received more than 32% of the vote in Sunday’s poll.
The estimated turnout was 34%. Voters were put off by threats of violence from extremist groups, and there was widespread disillusion with veteran politicians, whose campaign promises failed to offer convincing solutions to the impoverished and violent west African country’s many problems.
The election looks unlikely to bring stability, which is key in the battle against Islamist extremism in the Sahel region and in efforts to curb illegal migration to Europe.
Cissé, 68, has said he will reject the results of the runoff, which was marred by allegations of ballot-box stuffing and other irregularities, calling on the population “to rise up”.
Extra security forces were deployed after about 250,000 people, 3% of the electorate, were unable to vote in the first round because of insecurity.
On Sunday nearly 500 polling stations were unable to open, the government said, mostly in regions plagued by jihadi violence and ethnic tensions. In a preliminary report published on Monday, African Union election observers said voting was carried out “in acceptable conditions”. The European Union said no “major incident” had occurred in the 300 polling stations its observers visited.
Supporters of Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta celebrate his re-election at campaign headquarters in Bamako on Thursday. Photograph: Issouf Sanogo/AFP/Getty Images
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WELCOME TO THE FRIDAY’S PORCH
