Spades (SA)

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Sure! Here's a 12-Step Program for Spades Anonymous (SA) — written in the spirit and structure of AA, but tailored to the experience, thrill, chaos, and obsession that can come with the card game Spades. Whether it's about temper, trash talk, reneging, or letting the game define you — this program offers a lighthearted but grounded path to emotional recovery and humility at the table.

12 steps

For those who have lost more than just tricks...

1. We admitted we were powerless over Spades — that our hands, our tempers, and our table reputations had become unmanageable.

2. Came to believe that a Power greater than our partners could restore us to table sanity.

3. Made a decision to turn our bidding, our blinds, and our bags over to the care of that Higher Power — however we understood it (even if it was the dealer).

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of our hands, our gameplay, and our past trash talk.

5. Admitted to ourselves, our partners, and the whole damn table the exact nature of our wrong books and strategic betrayals.

6. Were entirely ready to let go of our desire to always win and to stop holding grudges over a single bad cut.

7. Humbly asked the Dealer of the Universe to remove our overbidding, underbidding, and revenge hands.

8. Made a list of all players we had harmed — through reneging, sandbagging, or false smiles — and became willing to make amends to them all.

9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would risk table harmony or get us uninvited from future game nights.

10. Continued to take personal inventory during and after each game, and when we were wrong (or too cocky), promptly admitted it.

11. Sought through silence, strategy, and reflection to improve our conscious contact with our true self at the table, asking only for calm bidding and the power to know when to pass.

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to other Spades players and to practice these principles at all tables, both casual and competitive.

13th Step Safeguard

12 Traditions

Absolutely — here are the Twelve Traditions of Spades Anonymous (SA), designed to mirror the unity, structure, and humility found in AA traditions, but with the flair and flavor of the card table:

For the peace of the players and the sanctity of the game

1. Our common welfare should come first; personal egos and vendettas must not trump the team.

2. For our group purpose, there is but one ultimate authority — the game itself as played in its true spirit. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not control the cards.

3. The only requirement for SA membership is a desire to stop flipping the table or holding grudges over a bad hand.

4. Each table group should be autonomous except in matters affecting SA as a whole — or when house rules get out of hand.

5. Each group has but one primary purpose — to help the next player who’s been broken, bagged out, or betrayed by a partner.

6. A Spades Anonymous group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the SA name to any specific rule variant or house version — lest we get caught up in drama or lawsuits over jokers.

7. Every SA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside stakes or "friendly" wagers that turn into feuds.

8. Spades Anonymous should remain forever non-professional, but we may create helpful formats, chairs, and peacemakers to keep things cool.

9. SA, as such, ought never be organized, but we may form committees to ensure nobody storms off mid-hand.

10. SA has no opinion on outside Spades tournaments, video game adaptations, or whether nil is broken — hence, our name ought never be drawn into public controversy.

11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we speak through our changed behavior, not our winning streak.

12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles above points — and people above pride.

12 Promises

Absolutely. Here are the Twelve Promises of Spades Anonymous (SA) — inspired by the AA spirit of transformation, but flavored with the ups, downs, and healing that come from a life of cut-throat card play and deep partnership dynamics:

♥️ The Promises of Spades Anonymous (SA)

If we are honest with ourselves and others, these outcomes will come true — sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly…

1. We will no longer define our worth by books made or bags taken.

2. We will begin to enjoy the game for its flow, not just for the win.

3. We will intuitively know when to bid nil — and when to shut our mouths.

4. Resentments toward past partners will slip away like a bad hand folded.

5. We will lose our fear of being set and regret of being sandbagged.

6. We will stop trying to control the cut and start trusting the deal.

7. We will no longer shame others for misplays, misbids, or miscommunication.

8. We will find peace even when playing with strangers or stubborn friends.

9. We will laugh again, even after losing a blind six.

10. We will find new partners, new tables, and a new sense of belonging.

11. We will begin to see the game as a mirror — not a weapon.

12. We will carry the heart of true sportsmanship into every area of life — both on and off the table.

Slogans

Acronyms