Spades

Objective

Reach at least 500 points with your partner and beat the other team.

Deal and setup

Four players form two fixed teams: you and the player opposite against the other two. Each receives 13 of the 52 standard cards, without jokers. Ranks run from 2 through 10, J, Q, K, A. Spades are always trump.

How to play — step by step

1. The first dealer is random; dealing then rotates clockwise. The player to the dealer’s left bids and leads first. Each player bids once from 0 to 13. Bids need not increase; passing or changing a bid is not allowed.
2. Nil promises to take no tricks. Success gives the team +100 points; taking any tricks costs 100. Failed-Nil tricks do not help the partner’s contract, but count as bags. Each Nil is scored separately.
3. Follow the suit led if possible. Otherwise play any card; trumping or beating is optional. The highest spade wins, or the highest card of the suit led if no spade was played. The winner leads next.
4. You cannot lead spades before any spade has been played, unless your hand contains only spades. The first spade breaks spades for the rest of the hand. There are no additional discard restrictions on the first trick.
5. Partners’ nonzero bids are added. Making the contract earns ten times the bid and one point per overtrick. Missing it loses ten times the bid. Each ten accumulated bags costs 100 points; remaining bags carry forward.
6. After all 13 tricks, totals and a scoring breakdown appear. Select Next hand to continue. A team wins with at least 500 points; if both reach it, the higher score wins. Ties require another hand. Negative scores alone do not end the match.
7. No blind Nil, card exchange or special bonus for 10 or 13 tricks. Wins, XP and achievements count only after the full match. Surrender is a loss without XP or reward progress. Faces and separately unlocked backs use the shared Collection.

Important rules to remember