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How to Play Spades
Spades is a trick-taking card game for four players in fixed partnerships. Partners sit across from each other. The game uses a standard 52-card deck, and spades are always the trump suit. The objective is to be the first team to reach 500 points by accurately predicting how many tricks you will win each round.
Players and Setup
- Players: 4 players in two partnerships.
- Deck: A standard 52-card deck. Jokers are not used in standard Spades.
- Card Ranking: Within each suit, cards rank from Ace (high) down to 2 (low).
- Seating: Partners sit opposite one another at the table.
Dealing
The entire deck is dealt out one card at a time, face down, starting with the player to the dealer's left and continuing clockwise. Each player receives 13 cards. The dealer role rotates clockwise after each hand.
Bidding
After looking at their cards, each player bids the number of tricks they expect to win. Bidding starts with the player to the dealer's left and proceeds clockwise. Each player must bid a number from 0 to 13. Partners' bids are added together to form a team bid.
Nil Bids
A player may bid Nil, declaring they will win zero tricks. A successful Nil earns the team 100 bonus points. A failed Nil costs the team 100 points. The partner of a Nil bidder must still fulfill their own bid.
Blind Nil
Some variants allow a Blind Nil bid, made before looking at your cards. A successful Blind Nil earns 200 points, while a failed one costs 200 points. This bid is typically only allowed when the team is losing by 100 or more points.
Gameplay
- Leading: The player to the dealer's left leads the first trick. They may not lead with a spade on the first trick unless they hold only spades.
- Following Suit: Each player in clockwise order plays one card. You must follow the suit led if you can. If you cannot follow suit, you may play any card, including a spade.
- Winning the Trick: The highest spade wins the trick. If no spades were played, the highest card of the suit led wins. The trick winner leads the next trick.
- Breaking Spades: Spades may not be led until a spade has been played on a previous trick (known as "breaking spades"), unless the player has only spades remaining.
Scoring
Making Your Bid
If a team wins at least as many tricks as their combined bid, they score 10 points per trick bid. For example, a bid of 7 earns 70 points if successful.
Overtricks (Bags)
Each trick won above the bid earns 1 point, called a "bag." However, when a team accumulates 10 bags across multiple rounds, they lose 100 points and the bag count resets. Collecting too many bags is a common pitfall.
Failing to Make Your Bid
If a team wins fewer tricks than their combined bid, they lose 10 points per trick bid. For example, failing a bid of 7 costs 70 points.
Winning the Game
The first team to reach 500 points wins the game. If both teams reach 500 on the same hand, the team with the higher score wins. Some variations play to 300 or 200 points for a shorter game.
Quick Reference
- Game target: 500 points
- Trump suit: Spades (always)
- Making bid: +10 per trick bid
- Missing bid: -10 per trick bid
- Overtricks: +1 each (penalty at 10 bags)
- Nil: +100 success / -100 failure
- Blind Nil: +200 success / -200 failure
Quick Answers
How does bidding work in Spades?
After the cards are dealt, each player bids the number of tricks they expect to win (from 0 to 13). Partners' bids are added together to form the team bid. Teams earn 10 points for each bid trick if they meet or exceed their bid, but lose 10 points per bid trick if they fall short. Overtricks (bags) earn 1 point each but accumulate a 100-point penalty every 10 bags.
What happens if you overbid in Spades?
If your team fails to win at least as many tricks as you collectively bid, your team loses 10 points for each trick bid. For example, if your team bid 7 tricks but only won 5, you lose 70 points. This penalty makes accurate bidding crucial — it is generally safer to slightly underbid than to overbid.
What is a nil bid in Spades?
A nil bid means a player commits to winning zero tricks during the round. If successful, the team earns a 100-point bonus. If the nil bidder takes even one trick, the team receives a 100-point penalty. A blind nil (bidding nil before seeing your cards) is worth 200 points but carries a 200-point penalty if it fails.
When can you play a spade in Spades?
Spades can be played in two situations: when you cannot follow the led suit (you have no cards in that suit), or when leading a trick after spades have been “broken.” Spades are broken when a player plays a spade on a trick led by another suit. Until spades are broken, you cannot lead with a spade unless you have no other suits in your hand.
Spades Quick Facts
- Spades is a partnership trick-taking card game for 4 players (2 teams of 2) where the spade suit is always the trump suit, outranking all other suits.
- Spades was invented in the United States in the 1930s, likely originating in Cincinnati, Ohio. It became popular among American college students and military personnel during World War II.
- In Spades, each team must bid the number of tricks they expect to win. Teams earn 10 points per bid trick, but overbidding results in a penalty of 10 points per bid trick.
- A "nil" bid in Spades means a player bids zero tricks. A successful nil bid earns 100 bonus points, but failing to take zero tricks incurs a 100-point penalty.
- Collecting overtricks (called "bags") in Spades is risky: every 10 accumulated bags penalizes a team by 100 points, a rule designed to discourage sandbagging.
- Spades uses a standard 52-card deck dealt evenly to 4 players (13 cards each). Unlike Hearts, there is no passing phase before play begins.
- A 'blind nil' bid in Spades means a player commits to taking zero tricks before looking at their hand. This high-risk bid typically earns 200 bonus points if successful.