How many tricks are there in a hand?

Thirteen — one for each card in a hand. The four players each contribute a card to a trick, and thirteen tricks empty every hand before it is scored.

Can I change my bid after I see play start?

No. Bids are locked in once made, before the first card is led. Reading your hand and bidding it accurately is the heart of the game.

What happens if my partner and I both fall short?

Your side is 'set': you lose ten points for every trick you bid together. A single missed contract can swing a game, which is why honest bidding matters.

Does the game save if I leave?

Yes. The current match and your statistics are stored in your browser, so the score is waiting when you return. Clearing your browsing data resets it.

How to play Spades

Spades is a trick-taking game for four players in two partnerships. Partners sit opposite each other, spades are always trump, and each side bids how many tricks it will win before a card is played.

The goal

Win at least as many tricks as your partnership bid, hand after hand, and be the first side to reach the target score — 500 points here. Fall short of your bid and you lose those points instead.

The deal

The full 52-card deck is dealt out one at a time, thirteen cards to each of the four players. You hold the South seat; your partner sits North, with an opponent to your left and right.

Bidding

Starting to the dealer's left, each player names the number of tricks they expect to win, from zero to thirteen. Your side's contract is the sum of both partners' bids. Bids cannot be taken back.

Nil

Bidding zero is a Nil: a promise to win no tricks at all. Succeed and your side gains 100 points; win even one trick and you lose 100. Your partner still plays their own bid alongside you.

Playing a trick

The player left of the dealer leads the first trick. You must follow the suit that was led if you can; if you cannot, you may play anything, including a spade. The highest card of the led suit wins — unless a spade is played.

Spades are trump

Any spade beats every card of another suit, and the highest spade wins the trick. But you may not lead a spade until spades have been 'broken' — played when someone could not follow suit — unless spades are all you hold.

Scoring

Make your combined bid and score ten points per trick bid. Miss it and you lose ten points per trick bid. A made Nil adds 100 and a failed Nil subtracts 100, scored on top of the partner's contract.

Bags

Every trick won beyond your bid is a 'bag', worth one point. They add up across the game, and each time a side reaches ten bags it is penalised 100 points — the game's check on constant overbidding.

Common questions

How many tricks are there in a hand?: Thirteen — one for each card in a hand. The four players each contribute a card to a trick, and thirteen tricks empty every hand before it is scored.
Can I change my bid after I see play start?: No. Bids are locked in once made, before the first card is led. Reading your hand and bidding it accurately is the heart of the game.
What happens if my partner and I both fall short?: Your side is 'set': you lose ten points for every trick you bid together. A single missed contract can swing a game, which is why honest bidding matters.
Does the game save if I leave?: Yes. The current match and your statistics are stored in your browser, so the score is waiting when you return. Clearing your browsing data resets it.

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