Spades
Bid it. Then make it.
The partnership card game where you call your shot. Bid how many tricks you will take, then take them with your partner, with spades as trump. Here is everything you need to know before you sit down.
- Free practice
- No sign-up
- Play in your browser
Join a Game Room
SpadesGot a room code?
- Players
- 4, in two teams
- You need
- A standard deck
- Style
- Bid and take tricks
- Goal
- 500 points
What is Spades?
Call your shot. Then take it.
Spades is a trick-taking game for four players in two teams of partners. Before each hand, everyone bids how many tricks they will win. Partners add their bids together, and the team has to take at least that many.
Spades are always trump, so a single low spade can steal a trick from an Ace. Bid too low and you collect bags. Bid too high and you get set. The best partnerships read each other without saying a word.
The practice table
Try itLearn it with the cards in your hand.
Play with a bot partner against two bots, with our Classic rules. The coach suggests your bid and explains every play as you go.
- Easy, Normal, or Sharp bots. Sharp bots protect a partner's Nil and dodge bags.
- Quick game plays to 200. Full game goes to 500.
- No account, no host, nothing saved.
Scoring chart
| Result | Points |
|---|---|
| Bid made | 10 a trick |
| Each extra trick (a bag) | +1 |
| Every 10 bags | -100 |
| Bid missed | -10 a trick |
| Nil made | +100 |
| Nil broken | -100 |
A little history
A card table classic.
Spades grew out of the whist family of trick-taking games and took off in the United States in the 1900s. It became a favorite on college campuses, at family reunions, and in breakrooms across the country.
Like most card table classics, it travels with house rules: Nil or no Nil, blind bids, how many bags before the penalty. These are our Classic rules.
Fun facts
- Each of four players is dealt 13 cards, so every hand has 13 tricks.
- Spades are always trump, so a single low spade can steal a trick from an Ace.
- A bag is a trick taken beyond your team bid, and every 10 bags cost 100 points.
- Bid Nil and you promise to take no tricks at all.
Why people love it
A team game. With a lot of talk.
You have a partner.
Every trick is a team effort, and so is every argument about whose fault the set was.
The bid is a promise.
You say how many tricks you will take, out loud, before a card is played. Then the table watches.
Nil is a dare.
Bet that you will take no tricks at all, for 100 points. One stray trick and it is gone.
Low cards can win.
Run out of a suit and the 2 of Spades beats an Ace. Nothing is safe.
How to play
Bid. Play. Score.
Setup
- Players: four, in two teams. Partners sit across from each other.
- Cards: a standard 52-card deck, 13 cards each. Aces are high.
- Dealer: moves one seat to the left each hand.
- Bidding: starting left of the dealer, each player bids 1 to 13 tricks, or Nil for none.
Winning
The first team to 500 points wins. A team that falls to -200 loses. If both teams are tied when the game would end, play another hand.
- 1
Bid your tricks
Each player bids how many tricks they expect to take. Partners add their bids into one team bid.
- 2
Lead and follow
The player left of the dealer leads. Everyone must follow the suit led if they can.
- 3
Spades are trump
Out of the suit led? Play a spade to win, unless someone plays a higher one. Spades cannot be led until one has been played.
- 4
Make your bid
Take at least your team bid: 10 points a trick, plus 1 for each extra trick.
- 5
Get set
Fall short and your team loses 10 points for every trick it bid.
These are our Classic rules, and they'll be shown in every room before the game starts. Printable rules card →
Lessons
Learn it in a few minutes.
6 quick lessons, one idea each. Make the call, see why it works, and move on. Your progress is saved in this browser.
Follow suit
West led the 9 of Hearts. Which card must you play?
North
WestLed
East
YouYour hand
Scoring
Every bid has a price.
Scores are by team. Partners add their bids, take tricks together, and score together. A Nil bid is scored on its own, and the Nil bidder’s partner bids for the team.
| Result | Points | |
|---|---|---|
| Bid made | 10 a trick | |
| Each extra trick (a bag) | +1 | |
| Every 10 bags | -100 | |
| Bid missed | -10 a trick | |
| Nil made | +100 | |
| Nil broken | -100 |
Our rules: a bag is a trick taken beyond your team bid. Every 10 bags cost 100 points, and the count starts over. Tricks a Nil bidder takes still count toward the team bid.
Strategy
Play it smart. Then play it feral.
Tip 1
Count sure tricks, then bid.
Aces, Kings with a guard, your top spades, and any spades past the third. A short suit with spades to spare can take a trick too.
Tip 2
Do not waste high cards on your partner.
If your partner is already winning the trick, play low and save your strength.
Tip 3
Trump cheaply.
When you are out of the suit led, win with your lowest spade that does the job.
Tip 4
Watch the bags.
Once your team has made its bid, extra tricks are bags. Ten of them cost 100 points.
Tip 5
Protect a Nil.
When your partner bids Nil, win the tricks they might take, and lead suits they are low in.
What would you do?
One decision. Every day.
A new Spades puzzle every day, the same for everyone. Solve it, then send it to the group chat and see who gets it right.
Want more? See today's puzzles for every game →
Your path to game night
Learn it here. Play it with friends.
Finish the lessons or win a practice game and you're ready to sit down at a real Spades table with your people.
The Feral Worlds community
Play-testing Spades? Tell us in Discord.
Found a bug, a rule that feels off, or a house rule your family swears by? Our Discord is where we collect play-test feedback, and where game nights are starting to happen.
Glossary
Talk like a regular.
- Trick
- One card from each player. The highest card of the suit led wins it, or the highest spade.
- Trump
- Spades. A spade beats every card of another suit.
- Bid
- How many tricks you say you will take this hand, 1 to 13.
- Team bid
- You and your partner’s bids added together.
- Nil
- A bid to take no tricks at all. +100 if you do it, -100 if you take any.
- Set
- Taking fewer tricks than your team bid. You lose 10 points a trick bid.
- Bag
- A trick taken beyond your team bid. Worth 1 point, but 10 bags cost 100.
- Breaking spades
- The first spade played in a hand. After that, spades can be led.
- Ruff
- Winning a trick with a spade when you cannot follow the suit led.
The Feral twist
Still under the hat.
Every game can be played Classic. In Feral mode, the host writes the house rules: bidding, scoring, pace. We'll show you what Spades can do when it's ready.
In the Card Games pack
Spades is on the ballot.
Backers vote on which card games join the Card Games pack. Owning the pack means every one that joins is yours too.
$9.95, one time, to host every game in it. Playing is always free. Packs go on sale when the full game launches.
Spades is on the ballot
Save me a seat.
Hear when the Kickstarter opens so you can vote Spades into the Card Games pack, and when you can host it with friends.