Spades rules: how to play, bidding and scoring

Spades is the great partnership card game: you and your partner bid how many tricks you’ll win together, then try to win exactly that many. It’s easy to learn in one hand, and the bidding gives it plenty of depth.

What you need

• 4 players in two teams. Partners sit across from each other.
• A standard 52-card deck, with no jokers.
• Aces are high: A, K, Q, J, 10 … 2 in every suit.
• The dealer deals all the cards, so everyone gets 13 cards. The deal passes to the left each round.

Spades are always trumps

A spade beats any card of another suit, even a 2 of spades beats the Ace of hearts. If more than one spade is played on a trick, the highest spade wins. If no spades are played, the highest card of the suit that was led wins.

Bidding

After looking at their cards, each player, starting left of the dealer, bids how many tricks they think they’ll win, from 1 to 13.

• Partners add their bids together. If you bid 4 and your partner bids 3, your team needs 7 tricks this round.
• A bid of nil means you promise to win no tricks at all. It’s scored on its own (see below).

A simple way to count your hand: an ace is about one trick, a king with one or two other cards of its suit is often one more, and high spades (Ace, King, Queen) are strong. Extra spades beyond the third are often worth a trick each, and a missing suit lets you trump.

Playing the tricks

• The player left of the dealer leads the first trick.
• Going clockwise, everyone plays one card. You must follow suit if you can.
• If you can’t follow suit, you can play any card, including a spade to trump the trick.
• The winner of each trick leads the next one.

Breaking spades

You can’t lead a spade until spades have been broken, which means a spade was played on an earlier trick by someone who couldn’t follow suit. If your hand is nothing but spades, you may lead one anyway.

Scoring

At the end of the round, each team counts the tricks it won:

Example: your team bids 7 and wins 9 tricks. You score 70 + 2 = 72 points, and you collect 2 bags.

Bags

Extra tricks are called bags (or sandbags). They’re worth 1 point each, but once your team collects 10 bags, you lose 100 points. That’s what keeps everyone from bidding low just to be safe.

Winning the game

The first team to reach the target score wins. 500 points is the classic target; shorter games go to 300. Many players also end the game when a team drops to −200.

Spades strategy

1. Bid what you can count. Aces, protected kings and high spades are your sure tricks. Don’t bid on hope.
2. Short suits are gold. If you have no clubs and a few spades, you can trump every club trick.
3. Help your partner make the bid. If your partner is already winning a trick, don’t play over them.
4. Duck once you’ve made it. When your team has its tricks, play under the winning card to avoid bags.
5. Protect a nil. If your partner bids nil, try to win the tricks they would otherwise be forced to take, and lead suits they’re likely to be short in.
6. Count the spades. There are 13. Once you know the high ones are gone, your 9 of spades might be the boss.

Play Spades online

Kepo Spades is classic Spades with Mochi as your partner against Pip and Puff, free in your browser with no ads. It follows the rules above, with nil bids, bags and the 10-bag penalty, and plays to 300 for a quicker game. Your bid starts at what your hand looks worth, and the hint button suggests a bid or a card when you’re unsure.