Team up with a computer partner, bid how many tricks you'll take, then take them. Spades are always trump.
Want to win more often? Read the Spades strategy guide →
How to play Spades
Four players in two teams. Your partner sits across from you, and the two computer players on your left and right are the other team. Everyone gets 13 cards.
Bidding
- Starting left of the dealer, each player bids how many tricks they expect to take, from 1 to 13.
- You can also bid Nil: no tricks at all.
- Your bid and your partner's add up to your team's contract.
Playing
- The player left of the dealer leads. Everyone plays one card in turn, clockwise.
- You must follow suit if you can. If you can't, play any card, including a spade.
- A trick is won by the highest spade in it, or if there's no spade, the highest card of the suit led. Aces are high.
- Spades can't be led until one has been played, unless you have nothing else.
Scoring
- Make your contract: 10 points per trick bid, plus 1 for each extra trick (a bag).
- Fall short: lose 10 points per trick bid.
- Nil: 100 points if you take no tricks, minus 100 if you take any.
- Every 10 bags cost 100 points, so don't take too many extra tricks.
- First team to 500 (or 250) wins.
A little history
Spades grew out of the Whist family of partnership games, and took its present shape in the United States in the 1930s. It spread with American soldiers during the Second World War, who liked that a hand could be picked up and put down quickly between duties.
It has stayed hugely popular in the US ever since, played at kitchen tables, in college dorms and online, where it was one of the first card games people played against strangers on the internet.
Spades FAQ
How does bidding work in Spades?
Each player bids how many tricks they think they'll take. You and your partner's bids add up to your team's contract. Make it and you score 10 points for each trick bid.
What are bags?
Tricks your team takes beyond its bid. Each one is worth a point, but every tenth bag costs your team 100 points.
What does bidding Nil mean?
You promise to take no tricks at all. If you manage it your team scores 100. If you take even one, your team loses 100. Your partner's bid is scored on its own.
Do a Nil bidder's tricks count towards the partner's bid?
No. Here they only count as bags. Your partner has to make their own bid with their own tricks.
When can spades be led?
Once a spade has been played on an earlier trick, which is called breaking spades. Until then you can only lead a spade if you have nothing else.
When does the game end?
When a team reaches 500 points at the end of a hand, or 250 if you pick the shorter game. The higher score wins. If it's a tie, you play another hand.
Is Blind Nil included?
Not yet. This version plays the standard game with regular Nil bids.
Ready for more? The Spades strategy guide → covers what to do in every phase of a game.