Use a standard 52-card deck
Remove one card so the deck can be dealt evenly, or deal 17 cards each and set 1 card aside
Choose a dealer
Deal all cards face down, one at a time, until each player has 17 cards
Set the leftover card aside face down as a kitty
Each player sorts their hand by suit and rank
Each player bids the number of tricks they expect to win
Combine the three bids as the team total
Play clockwise from the dealer’s left
Follow suit if possible
If you cannot follow suit, you may play any card
Spades cannot be led until they are broken
Spades are broken when a spade is played on a trick where a player could not follow suit or when a spade is led after being broken
The highest spade wins any trick containing spades
If no spade is played, the highest card of the led suit wins the trick
The winner of each trick leads the next trick
Keep track of each player’s tricks won
Score 10 points for each bid trick made
Score 1 point for each overtrick
Lose 10 points for each undertrick
Use nil bids if desired
Score nil success and failure according to your house rules
Continue until a target score is reached
Use house rules for ties, nils, and the kitty if needed