Team up with a computer partner against two computer opponents in classic partnership Spades. Bid how many tricks you'll take, win them with high cards and trumps, and be the first team to 500 points.
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Your bid: how many tricks will you take?
Nil means you promise to take no tricks (+100 / −100).
Hand over
Shuffling…
Score sheet
You and North are partners against West and East. Keys: ←→ move between cards, Enter plays, H hint, N new game.
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How to use the Spades Card Game
Look at your hand and bid. Choose how many tricks you expect to win, from 1 to 13, or Nil if you think you can win none. A suggested bid is highlighted.
Team contract. Your bid is added to your partner's. Together you must win at least that many tricks.
Play the tricks. Follow the led suit if you can. If you can't, you may trump with a spade or discard. The highest spade wins, otherwise the highest card of the led suit.
Break spades. Spades can't be led until a spade has been played on an earlier trick, unless you have only spades.
Score and repeat. Making your contract scores 10 per trick bid plus 1 per extra trick (bag). Missing it costs 10 per trick bid. The first team to reach the target score wins.
Spades scoring explained
Each partnership adds its two bids together to form a contract. Nil bids are scored on their own and don't count toward the contract.
Result
Score
Example
Contract made
10 × bid + 1 per overtrick
Bid 6, won 8 → 60 + 2 = 62
Contract set (missed)
−10 × bid
Bid 6, won 5 → −60
Nil made
+100
Nil bidder wins no tricks
Nil failed
−100 (tricks count as bags)
Nil bidder wins 2 tricks → −100, 2 bags
10 bags collected
−100, bag count drops by 10
9 bags + 3 new bags → −100, 2 bags left
Game end
First team to the target (500)
Optional: a team at −200 or below loses
How to bid in Spades
A simple counting method works well for most hands:
Aces are almost always a trick. Count 1 for each ace.
Kings are worth about a trick if you hold at least one other card in the suit to protect them.
Spades: the Ace and King of Spades are near-certain tricks. Each spade beyond your third is usually a trick too, because the other players run out.
Short suits: a void or singleton in a side suit lets you trump early, adding roughly half a trick per spare spade.
Nil works best with no spades above 9, no aces, and plenty of low cards in every suit.
Round down when unsure: being set costs 10 points per trick bid, while an extra bag costs only 1 point now and 100 points later.
Playing tips
Cash your winners early in side suits before opponents run out of the suit and trump them.
Don't trump your partner's winner. If your partner already holds the trick, play low.
Protect a partner's nil. Play high cards so your partner can safely play low under you.
Set the opponents. When your contract is safe, taking an extra trick costs you one bag but may cost the other team 10 points per trick they bid.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play Spades?
Spades is a trick-taking card game for four players in two partnerships, using a standard 52-card deck. Each player gets 13 cards and bids the number of tricks they expect to win. Spades are always trump. Players must follow suit if they can; the highest spade, or the highest card of the led suit if no spade was played, wins the trick. Teams score points for making their combined bid.
How does scoring work in Spades?
If your team wins at least as many tricks as it bid, it scores 10 points per trick bid plus 1 point for each extra trick. If it wins fewer, it loses 10 points per trick bid. For example, a team that bids 5 and wins 7 tricks scores 52 points; if it wins only 4, it loses 50 points.
What are bags in Spades?
Bags, also called sandbags or overtricks, are the tricks a team wins beyond its bid. Each bag is worth 1 point, but when a team collects 10 bags it loses 100 points and the bag count goes back down by 10. This stops teams from always underbidding.
What is a nil bid in Spades?
Bidding nil means you promise not to win a single trick. If you succeed, your team gets 100 points; if you win even one trick, your team loses 100 points. Your partner's bid is scored separately. In this game, tricks won by a failed nil bidder count as bags for the team, not toward the partner's bid.
When can you lead spades?
You may not lead a spade until spades have been broken, meaning a spade was played on an earlier trick by someone who could not follow suit. The exception is when your hand contains only spades.
How many points do you need to win Spades?
The usual target is 500 points. The first team to reach it at the end of a hand wins; if both teams pass 500 in the same hand, the higher score wins. Many players also end the game when a team falls to −200. Both settings can be changed here.
Who leads first in Spades?
The deal rotates to the left after each hand, and the player to the dealer's left bids first and leads the first trick.
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