The chattybox - anything EXCEPT football

[bugrit 31]

Just avoid football and natter away about anything you want, folks. :)

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Does anyone play the American card game Spades?

 

I'm looking for an on-line partner. And yes, I can play a bit. :)

[Neverbefore 227]

Never even heard of it Bugrit, care to explain?

[tylergomez 53]

I like the idea of this thread, I have no idea what spades is though! Other than things you dig with!

 

I am more interested in whether members think we can foresee the end of the coalition government following their calamitous reign so far?

[Prowler 114]

I think that we are going to see a lot more independents getting into office because, let's face it, all 3 major parties are rubbish.

[bugrit 31]

Never even heard of it Bugrit, care to explain?

 

Spades is a whist-type game, having a lot in common with solo, hearts, bridge and all the others. It's an American game and it's really big over there. It's a sort of stripped-down, readily accessible form of bridge so it's a bid making, trick-winning game.

 

Here are the basics: 4 players, 13 cards apiece so 13 tricks to be won. There is a single bidding round, with spades always as trumps and the 4 bids typically total about 11 tricks.

 

Scoring: Players agree a target score, say 300, before the start of the game. First one there is the winner and it's every man for himself. You get 10 points for each trick you win so a game typically lasts about 7 or 8 hands.

 

There is a big price to pay for scoring fewer tricks than you bid and this is where the real skill comes in. You have to ensure that you make whatever you bid whilst trying to prevent your opponents from making their bids. An added complication is that over-tricks count against you and you will trigger a big penalty when you collect too many of them.

 

I have described the singles version of the game but the partner version is much more popular. The rules are very similar except that players are split into pairs, with bidding and scoring combined for each team.

 

There are spades sites all over the place (eg Yahoo, Zone) and they usually operate a system of player rankings to motivate members and for match-making purposes.

[Prowler 114]

Sounds too complicated for me, I'm more of a poker kind of guy :D

[boro-unger 147]

i'm more of a snap kind of guy... or sh1tface. (although i think we used to call it pooface when i played with my granny) :p

[bugrit 31]

I like the idea of this thread, I have no idea what spades is though! Other than things you dig with!

 

I am more interested in whether members think we can foresee the end of the coalition government following their calamitous reign so far?

 

I think we're going to see a lot of quoting hereabouts. It's the only way to switch topic efficiently within a single thread.

 

Anyway, the coalition looks set to survive a full term. As for what happens after that it all depends what happens to the economy and that depends on what happens globally. Me, I've got most of my (actual) money in emerging markets and if I'm right there, I should also be right with the chunk I've got in developed market small-cap funds. If I'm correct financially, don't be surprised if the tories come back in a landslide even though they will had sod-all to do with it.

[Welshy 34]

Hi lads/lasses, are any of you on twitter? please feel welcome to follow me @walkiesforK9 and I shall follow back! Always like to listen to boro rants/celebratory remarks on twitter!

[Prowler 114]

Hi lads/lasses, are any of you on twitter? please feel welcome to follow me @walkiesforK9 and I shall follow back! Always like to listen to boro rants/celebratory remarks on twitter!

 

Was trying to find you the other day just incase we had predictions due before my ban expired :P

[London_born_Boro_bred 29]

i'm more of a snap kind of guy... or sh1tface. (although i think we used to call it pooface when i played with my granny) :p

 

HA HA everyone called it Twitface when I was a kid :)

[Prowler 114]

Is it the same thing as "bullsh1t"?

[BoroG 7]

I'm afraid to say ring of fire is about as far as my card games go.

[bugrit 31]

Yeah, I don't know 'sh1tface', either.

 

There's a whist-type game where you have to avoid winning tricks that contain any hearts or the Q of spades. It has many names, including 'black mariah' and worse, so 'sh1tface' fits the bill in that regard.

 

The game is widely played on the web and it's known as 'Hearts'.

[Prowler 114]

Bull*** is a card game where the players aim to get rid of all of their cards. Normally played with 3 or more players it is often classed as a party game. It is a game of deception and lying. A challenge is made by players calling-out (normally the name of the game) but whoever is wrong has to pick up all the cards in the middle.

 

That, poker, snap and blackjack are the extent of my card game knowledge.