About R. B. Porter
Dedicated Infantry
Communist Killer.
An Army infantry veteran writing down the version of Spades he learned at Fort Benning and carried to Germany and Macedonia—so the tradition can bring people together again.
A table made from what we had.
In the field, soldiers turned MRE boxes into tables and chairs. At remote locations with MREs and water, a familiar game of Spades brought a little normalcy and camaraderie. The table was improvised; the reason to gather was already there.
I learned the Army’s version around Fort Benning in 1990. Experienced soldiers taught it through play, and I carried it to Germany and Macedonia. Much of the knowledge lived in people’s heads and passed from one table to the next.
Grunt Spades exists to preserve that military-born standard and carry it into new communities. Loyalty to the people around the table is what drives the work.
Learn the standard with free GS-1 →The field manual came next.
Each table had its own memory, arguments, and inherited rules, but no single field manual built around the military tradition of the game. I created GS-1—field designation FM 10-4-2—to settle the rules without sanding off the culture. The designation is a nod to the declared Ten-for-Two bid.
GS-2 develops advanced play. GS-3 establishes tournament doctrine. The official deck, field logs, kits, Charter Tables, and numbered registry carry that standard beyond the page.
Read the doctrine →Spades Instructor to Hollywood Stars.
Dick Porter half-jokes that his next assignment is becoming a “Spades Instructor to Hollywood Stars.” The joke carries a serious invitation: recognizable people do not need to pose with a deck or lend their name to the project.
They are invited to sit down, learn the standard, play the game, and earn their place at the table like everyone else. Grunt Spades would rather make a player than collect an endorsement.
Report to the table →