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Spades

Players
4, in two teams
Deck
52 cards, no jokers
Level
Medium
Game
First to 500

Promise a number of tricks with your partner, then take exactly that many. Spades beat everything.

At a glance

Bid your tricks, then take them

Spades is a for four players in two teams. Before each hand you and your partner promise a number of ; then you try to win at least that many. Spades are always .

Easy to learn, with real tactics once you get into it.

Setup

Partners sit opposite

Four players form two . Your partner sits across from you, so the teams alternate around the table.

You and North play against West and East.

The deal

Thirteen cards each

The dealer deals the whole deck one card at a time, starting on their left, until everyone has 13 cards. Sort your hand by suit.

In this example you are the dealer, so West plays first.

Bid what you can win

Starting left of the dealer, each player makes one : the number of tricks they expect to win, from 0 to 13. Nobody may pass.

Partners add their bids into one . You bid 4 and North bids 3, so your team needs 7 tricks. West and East bid 3 each: 6 tricks.

Count your sure winners: aces, protected kings and high spades.

Your partner is counting on this number.

A turn

Lead, then follow suit

West the first trick with any card except a spade: the 9 of hearts. Going clockwise, everyone must if they can.

North plays the king, East the 4, and you win with the ace of hearts. The highest card of the suit that was led takes the trick.

The winner leads next

You collect the four cards face down in front of your team. Whoever wins a trick leads the next one.

That is one trick for your team, six to go.

Special cards

No card of that suit? Trump it

You lead the queen of diamonds. West follows with the 3. North has no diamonds left, so North may play anything, and chooses the 2 of spades. East plays the king of diamonds.

Because spades are , even the lowest spade beats every diamond. North wins the trick for your team.

Spades are now broken

At the start of a hand you may not lead a spade. That rule lifts once a spade has been played on another suit, as North just did. This is called .

From now on anyone may lead spades. A player holding only spades may always lead one.

The daring bid: nil

A player may bid : zero tricks. Take none and your team scores 100 extra points. Take even one and your team loses 100.

Tricks won by a nil bidder do not count toward the partner’s bid, but they do count as bags.

Low cards only. And steady nerves.

Scoring

Make your contract

After all 13 tricks, each team scores:

Contract made10 × bid
Each extra trick (a bag)+1
Contract missed−10 × bid
Every 10 bags collected−100

Your team bid 7 and took 8: 70 + 1 = 71, with 1 . West and East bid 6 and took 5: −60.

Some tables score a missed contract as 0 instead of a minus.

Winning

First to 500

Pass the deal to the left and play hands until a team reaches 500 points. That team wins.

For a short game, play to 200.

Point at a dot to see why it matters

Variants and house rules

Blind nil
A nil bid made before you look at your cards. It wins 200 if you take no tricks, and loses 200 if you take any.
Jokers as top trumps
Add the two jokers as the highest trumps and take out two 2s (often the 2 of clubs and 2 of hearts), so everyone still gets 13.
Minimum bid of 4
Some tables require each team to bid at least 4 tricks between them.
Short game
Play to 200 instead of 500 when time is short.

Tips from the table

  1. Count an ace or a well-guarded king in a side suit as one trick, and add one for each spade above the jack.
  2. Run out of a short side suit early, so you can trump that suit later.
  3. When your contract is safe, lose tricks on purpose: bags add up to a 100-point penalty.

Spades: quick answers

  • How many players do you need for Spades?

    Four, in two partnerships. Partners sit opposite each other.

  • Can you lead spades on the first trick?

    No. The first lead may be any card except a spade, and spades cannot be led until a spade has been played on another suit, unless the leader holds only spades.

  • What are bags in Spades?

    Tricks won above your team’s contract. Each is worth 1 point, but every 10 bags costs your team 100 points.

  • What is a nil bid?

    A bid of zero tricks. If the bidder takes no tricks, the team scores 100; if they take any, the team loses 100.

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