Spades glossary
What Is a Void in Spades?
A void is a suit you have no cards in. When that suit is led, you don't have to follow, so you can trump with a spade or throw away any card. Voids make small spades into winners, which is why a void is usually worth about one extra book when you bid.
A void is a suit you hold no cards in. When that suit is led, you're free from the follow-suit rule: you can cut with a spade and win the book, or throw away a card you don't want. The follow-suit rule itself is on the spades rules page.
How it works
- You must follow the suit led whenever you can.
- If you're void in that suit, you may play anything.
- Playing a spade on it is called cutting or trumping. Playing another suit is a discard, or "sluff".
- A singleton (one card in a suit) and a doubleton (two) turn into voids after one or two leads. Players call these short suits.
With jokers and deuces high, remember that the 2♦ is a spade, not a diamond. A hand holding the 2♦ and no other diamonds is void in diamonds.
Example
You hold: 9♠ 6♠ 4♠ · A♥ K♥ 8♥ 5♥ 3♥ · Q♣ 10♣ 7♣ 5♣ 3♣ · no diamonds.
You're void in diamonds. Each time an opponent leads a diamond, you can cut with a small spade. With three spades you might win two or three diamond books you'd never win otherwise.
For bidding: count the A♥ and maybe the K♥ as tricks, then add about one for the void, since you have spades to cut with. A bid of 2 or 3 is reasonable, depending on what your partner has shown.
How Spades Night handles it
- The game only allows legal plays. When you're void in the suit led, every card in your hand is playable.
- You can't renege: if you hold the suit led, you can't cut.
- A void is also a nil bidder's best friend: when the suit is led, you can throw away your highest card safely.
Variations at other tables
Voids work the same way at every spades table. The only differences come from the deck: when the 2♦ is a spade, diamonds lose a card. In House Rules the 2♥ and 2♣ also come out, so every side suit has 12 cards; in a deuces game without jokers, diamonds have 12 while hearts and clubs keep 13, so diamond voids are a little more common. In a classic 52-card game without deuces high, all four suits have 13 cards.
Related terms
- Trump: what you do with a void.
- Renege: cutting when you're not actually void.
- Nil: voids help you get rid of dangerous cards.
- How to bid in spades: counting voids into your bid.
Questions people ask
What does it mean to be void in a suit in spades?
It means you have no cards of that suit. When someone leads it, you may play any card: a spade to win the trick, or a card from another suit to throw away.
Should you bid higher with a void in spades?
Usually by about one book, if you hold enough spades to trump with. A void with only one small spade is weaker, because opponents can over-trump or pull your spade first.
What is a singleton in spades?
A singleton is a suit where you hold exactly one card. After you play it, you're void in that suit and can trump the next time it's led.