Mirror
Mirror Spades removes the bidding entirely.
The rule
Section titled “The rule”After the deal, every player’s bid is set automatically to the number of spades in their hand. A player with no spades has bid nil, with the usual nil bonus or penalty.
Play then starts straight away, from the player to the dealer’s left.
Why it works
Section titled “Why it works”Spades are the trump suit, so the number you hold is a rough measure of how many tricks you can take. Mirror turns that rough measure into a promise you have to keep, and the hand becomes a test of play rather than judgement: you know exactly what everyone needs before the first card.
Scoring
Section titled “Scoring”Standard Spades scoring: ten points a bid trick, one a bag, a set costs the contract, and a nil is plus or minus 100.
Combinations
Section titled “Combinations”Mirror cannot be combined with any rule that changes the bidding: Blind Nil, Blind 10 or Nilly.
Rated or casual?
Section titled “Rated or casual?”Casual. Games under Mirror never change anyone’s rating.