International · Trick-taking · Partners

Spades: rules and how to play

سبيدز

Spades is the partnership classic where spades are always trump. Each player bids the tricks they expect to take, and the team adds its bids into one contract. Make it for ten points a trick, go Nil for a hundred, and keep an eye on the bags: overtricks that cost you 100 when they pile up.

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Spades: Partners · bid or go nil · watch the bags

Players: 4, in two teams of two
Deck: 52 cards, spades always trump
Goal: First team to 500 points
A game: Several hands, to 500

How to play in one minute

Deal 13 cards each. Spades are always trump.
From the dealer's right, everyone bids once: 0 to 13 tricks. A bid of 0 is Nil. Your team's contract is the sum of its other bids.
The player on the dealer's right leads. Follow suit if you can; the highest spade wins, otherwise the highest card of the suit led.
You can't lead spades until a spade has been played, unless you hold nothing else.
Make your contract for 10 points a trick bid, plus 1 a bag. Every 10 bags cost 100. The first team to 500 wins.

The rules

Bidding

A standard 52-card deck, ace high, 13 cards each. Starting on the dealer's right, everyone bids once how many tricks they expect to take, from 0 to 13. A bid of 0 is Nil: you try to take no tricks at all. Your team's contract is the sum of its bids other than Nil.

Playing

The player on the dealer's right leads. Follow suit if you can, otherwise play anything. The highest spade takes the trick, or the highest card of the suit led if no spade was played. You can't lead spades until they are broken, unless you only have spades. Spades are broken as soon as any spade is played, even one led from a hand of only spades.

Scoring

Contract made: 10 points per trick bid, plus 1 for each extra trick (a bag).
Contract missed: minus 10 per trick bid.
Nil made: +100. Nil failed: -100. Tricks taken by a Nil player count as bags and never help the partner's contract.
Every 10 bags cost your team 100 points; the rest carry over.
Both teams score before the game is checked. The first team to 500 wins, and a team that falls to -200 loses. If both cross the same line in one hand, the higher score wins; an exact tie plays on.

Example

You bid 4 and your partner bids 3, and your team takes 9 tricks: 70 + 2 = 72 points and 2 bags.

Tips from the table

Bid what you can count. Every extra trick is a bag, and ten bags cost 100.
Go Nil with low cards and short suits, and lean on your partner: their high cards are your cover.
Once your contract is made, duck the tricks you don't need instead of collecting bags.
Long spades are tricks you can count on late in the hand, once the other suits run out.