Spades Card Game
America’s classic partnership trick-taking game: bid how many tricks you’ll take, use spades as trump and reach 500 points with your partner.
You and your partner (across) vs. 2 computer opponents. First team to 500 points wins!
How to play Spades
There are 4 players in two teams: your partner sits across from you. Everyone gets 13 cards and bids how many tricks they think they’ll win; the team’s bid is the total of both.
You must follow the suit that was led. If you’re out of that suit, you can play a spade, which is trump and beats any other suit. Spades can’t be led until they’ve been “broken,” meaning someone has already played one.
If your team makes its bid, you score 10 points per trick bid plus 1 for each extra trick (the “bags”). Piling up 10 bags costs you 100 points, and missing your bid takes away 10 points per trick bid. First team to 500 wins.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I bid?
Count one trick for each Ace, nearly one for each King with another card of the same suit, and one for each high spade. A long spade suit usually brings in extra tricks too.
Why are bags bad?
Each extra trick is worth just 1 point, but every 10 bags you collect costs your team 100. That’s why bidding too low is risky too.
Is Spades like Hearts?
Both are 4-player trick-taking games, but in Spades you want to win tricks and you play with a partner, while in Hearts everyone plays for themselves and tries to avoid points.