Merry Widow

Merry Widow is a variation on spades, played with three people. This game is ideal for families with three people or when other family members are gone. In this game you deal out four hands, the first hand being the widow's partner's hand. This hand is untouched to begin with. The player to the right of the dealer has first choice to either keep the hand s/he was dealt, or trade it for the open hand. Each player gets the chance to do this regardless if the hand has already been traded. Scoring is also done a little differently than traditional spades. You must catch three tricks to break even. Other than that, play proceeds as in a regular game of spades.