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Spades variations - mirrors. Well, mirrors have nothing to do with sitting in the back,
with a mirror at your back in a tournament room so your partner can see your cards. No,
thats not mirrors. It is a variation in which your are absolutely required to bid the number
of spades in your hand. Well, that's good because at least you know who holds what spades.
The problem with the game is that it is just one of those silly, fluffy side games that
you play for giggles. Because if this hand was the case and you might want to scope this
puppy out. Here is a game where you are forced to bid four because mirrors requires you to
bid four with spades. Well, what are the prospects of making four tricks with this hand? Pretty
awful. I mean, you are lucky to take two of those spades and you got to be really lucky.
So, it is just a fluff game. The other side of the game is that, let us suppose that you
had only one spade but you had aces and kings galore in the side suits. Well then you would
be forced to bid one and you might woof up six tricks. So, it is a game that you play
as kind of an off suit, you know, off fun game. Suicide. Well, it doesn't mean if you
loose you got to jump out the window. Suicide is a variation of the game in which you sit
down with your partner and one of you is absolutely required to bid nil every hand. That's it.
You just bid nil. Well, unfortunately, if you both have horrible hands loaded with high
cards, one of you is going to get set. Some partnerships play it that if I am the first
one to bid and I don't have the ace or king of spades or a natural winner in my hand,
I bid nil to take the pressure off my partner. Again, its a fun game. Keep in mind that one
of you has to bid nil and the other one can bid whatever they want. So obviously the games
go a long time because you get a lot of setting and bagging and what have you. I don't really
prefer the game but I guess if I am looking for an alternative format of the game or variation,
then I will consider it. Again, lots of these variations are mentioned in the book and they
are also available on the Internet.