Deck & Table

← All games

Spades

Also called Call Bridge

Bid what you think you can take, then take exactly that. Greed is punished twice.

drills completed

Players
4 players (two partnerships)
Time
30–45 min
What you need
Standard 52-card deck
Difficulty
Some strategy

Objective

With your partner, bid the number of tricks you will take — then take at least that many. Overshoot and the bags pile up until they cost you 100 points.

The deal

Four players in two fixed partnerships, partners sitting opposite each other. Deal the whole deck one card at a time, clockwise — 13 cards each.

Cards rank A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 in every suit. Spades are permanently trump: any spade beats any card of any other suit.

Bidding

Everyone bids once, and the two partners’ bids simply add together.

  1. Starting left of the dealer, each player names the number of tricks they expect to win — 0 to 13.
  2. Bids do not have to rise, and you cannot change yours once said.
  3. Your side’s target is the sum of both partners’ bids. There are 13 tricks to share out.

Nil bids

Bidding Nil is a promise to win no tricks at all. It scores separately from your partner, who still plays for their own bid.

BidMadeFailed
Nil+100−100
Blind nil+200−200

Blind nil is declared before you look at your hand, and most tables only allow it when your side is 100 or more points behind. After the bids are in, blind-nil partners swap two cards.

Playing a trick

  1. The player left of the dealer leads first, and may not lead a spade.
  2. Follow suit if you can. If you cannot, play anything — including a spade.
  3. The highest spade wins the trick. If no spade was played, the highest card of the suit led wins.
  4. The winner leads the next trick.
Spades: a trump beats any rank North leads the ace of hearts, the highest card in the suit. South has no hearts and plays the two of spades. Spades are trump, so that two wins the trick against an ace. N A ♥ ♥ leads ♥ E K ♥ ♥ S 2 ♠ ♠ trumps, wins W 9 ♥ ♥ any spade beats any non-spade
This is the whole point of a trump suit. South is out of hearts, throws the lowest spade in the deck, and beats an ace with it.

Breaking spades: you may not lead a spade until someone has played one on another suit, or until spades are the only cards left in your hand. You may always play one when you cannot follow suit.

Scoring

ResultScore
Made your combined bid10 × the bid, plus 1 per overtrick
Missed your combined bid−10 × the bid
Every 10 bags accumulated−100

Overtricks — tricks beyond your bid — are called bags, and they are the trap. Each is worth a single point now, but they accumulate across hands, and every tenth one costs your side 100.

Example

You bid 4, your partner bids 3, and together you take 9. That is 70 points for the bid plus 2 for the bags — and two more bags on the running count.

First side to 500 points wins. If both cross in the same hand, the higher score takes it.

Card library

Spades are trump, so the whole deck splits into two groups: spades, and everything else.

  • A of spades. Ace of Spadestop trump

    Cannot be beaten. One guaranteed trick.

  • 2–K of spades. Any other spadetrump

    Beats every non-spade, however high.

  • A. Off-suit Acesstrong

    Wins its own suit — unless somebody trumps it.

  • K. Off-suit Kingsrisky

    Usually a trick, unless the Ace is still out.

  • 2–8. Low side cardssafe

    The cards you want when bidding nil.

Try it

Short drills on the rules people get wrong. Nothing is saved anywhere but this browser.

Drill 1 of 2

Trump beats rank

Hearts were led and you have no hearts. Which of these takes the trick?

Drill 2 of 2

What can you lead?

It is your lead and nobody has played a spade yet. Which card may you lead?

House rules & variations

Every table plays a little differently. These are the common variants — agree on them before you deal.

Playing to 250 or 300

A game to 500 runs long. Dropping the target to 250 or 300 keeps it to about half an hour without changing any of the tactics.

Bags cost more, or nothing

Some tables set the bag penalty at −50 per 5 bags, which punishes sloppy bidding harder. Others drop bags entirely — much gentler, and it removes the main reason to underbid.

Must bid at least 4 between partners

A minimum team bid stops both partners bidding 1 and coasting. Common in casual games where nobody wants a hand of pure bag-dodging.

Ten for two

A team bidding exactly 10 or more scores double if they make it and double negative if they miss. High risk, and it keeps a losing side in the game.

No blind nil

Blind nil swings 400 points and can decide a game on one lucky deal. Plenty of groups leave it out.

Strategy hints

  1. Count your certain tricks before you bid: aces, protected kings, and any spade above the 10. Bid those, then add one only if you are short of trumps.

  2. Voids are worth more than high cards. Being out of a suit means you can trump it — that is a trick from nothing.

  3. If your partner bids nil, lead your highest cards early. You want to draw the dangerous cards out while they still have low ones to throw.

  4. Watch the bag count. If you are on 8 bags, deliberately losing a trick you could win is often worth more than taking it.

  5. Do not bid a nil with a spade above the 5, or with a singleton in a side suit — you will be forced to win a trick eventually.

  6. Lead trumps early if your side bid high. Stripping spades out of the opponents’ hands protects your aces and kings later.

Frequently asked

Can spades be led straight away?

No. Spades must be broken first — somebody has to play one on a trick where they could not follow suit. The exception is a hand of nothing but spades.

What exactly is a bag?

A trick you take beyond your bid. It scores 1 point now, but every 10 bags your side accumulates costs 100. It is why overbidding and underbidding are both punished.

Do partners’ bids get combined?

Yes — for everything except nil. Your side has one target, the sum of both bids, and either both of you make it or neither does. A nil is scored on its own.

Can you play Spades with three players?

Not properly — it is built around partnerships. For three, remove the 2♣ and deal 17 each with everyone playing solo, or pick a different trick-taking game.

What happens if the nil bidder wins a trick?

The nil fails, costing 100. The tricks they took do not count towards their partner’s bid, but they do add to the team’s bag count — a double punishment.

Is the Ace of Spades always the best card?

Yes. Spades are trump and the Ace is the highest spade, so it cannot be beaten by anything in the deck.

Cheat sheet

Spades

4 players · 30–45 min · Standard 52-card deck

Setup

Four players, two partnerships sitting opposite. 13 cards each. Spades are always trump. Aces high.

Your turn

  1. Everyone bids 0–13; partners’ bids add together into one target.
  2. Follow suit if you can; otherwise play anything, including a spade.
  3. Highest spade wins; if none, highest card of the led suit.

Key rules

  • You may not lead a spade until spades are broken.
  • The first lead of the hand can never be a spade.
  • Nil = take no tricks: ±100. Blind nil (bid before looking): ±200.
  • Overtricks are bags: +1 each, but −100 every 10.

Scoring

Made the bid: 10 × bid + 1 per bag. Missed it: −10 × bid. First side to 500 wins.

Score tracker

Highest points wins. First to 500 wins.