Spades is a fun card game where players have to offer tricks, or sequences of cards in a round, in order to win. You can play in pairs or with individual players, but you do need at least two people to play Spades. Follow the steps below to learn how to have fun playing Spades!
Step
Part 1 of 3: Divide and Bid
Step 1. Determine the number of scores that need to be won to end the game
This score is usually a multiple of 100 (often 500), but players can set a score lower or higher than that, depending on how long they want the game to last.
Step 2. Know that four players usually play Spades
You can have more or fewer players, but Spades tournaments are usually played in groups of four. If playing in a team, the players should sit facing each other. Therefore, it is best to play Spades at a square table where one player can sit on each side of the table.
Step 3. Shuffle and deal the cards
Distribute the cards evenly among the players until all 52 cards have been dealt. Although not mandatory, the etiquette in playing Spades is that all players do not take and see their cards before all the cards have been dealt.
If the number of players is not a factor of 52, just distribute the cards until everyone has the same number of marksimal cards and set the remaining cards aside
Step 4. Take your cards, cover them so your opponent can't see your cards
If players want to arrange their cards by suit or value, they should take this opportunity to do so. Keep in mind that rushing your cards can reveal information about your cards to other players, which you don't want them to know, so be careful!
Step 5. Start bidding
Bidding involves each player looking at the cards in their hand and determining how many tricks can be won. For example, if you bid on two tricks, you are betting that you will win “at least” two tricks. If your Spades game involves a partner, the two offers from you and your partner are combined into a “contract”. If you bid two tricks and your partner bids three tricks, both of you must win a total of five tricks to fulfill your contract.
- The first player to bid is usually the player sitting to the left of the dealer/dealer, and continues clockwise.
- Make sure you write down your bids so you don't forget who bid what as the game progresses.
- Each player must bid at least one trick; You cannot pass unless you are playing a game with a zero bid variation (read below).
Step 6. Use nil and blind nil bids, if all players agree to the offer
In a regular game of Spades, each player must bid at least one trick. One variation of this game is to allow for a blind nil or nil bid. Agree on this variation first before starting bidding.
- nil offer is an offer that you will not get a single trick. A player can get a bonus of 100 points, for example, if he bids nil and doesn't take any tricks, and incurs a -100 penalty if he takes at least one trick.
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Blind nil offer is when you bet that you won't get a single trick until you see your cards. In some variations, a player bidding blind nil may exchange two cards with his partner. In some variations, a player can only bid blind nil if their score is behind by at least 100 points.
A blind nil bid that is successfully fulfilled earns 200 points; unfulfilled blind nil bids get a -200 points penalty
Part 2 of 3: Divide and Bid
Step 1. Determine the number of scores that need to be won to end the game
This score is usually a multiple of 100 (often 500), but players can set a score lower or higher than that, depending on how long they want the game to last.
Step 2. Know that four players usually play Spades
You can have more or fewer players, but Spades tournaments are usually played in groups of four. If playing in a team, the players should sit facing each other. Therefore, it is best to play Spades at a square table where one player can sit on each side of the table.
Step 3. Shuffle and deal the cards
Distribute the cards evenly among the players until all 52 cards have been dealt. Although not mandatory, the etiquette in playing Spades is that all players do not take and see their cards before all the cards have been dealt.
If the number of players is not a factor of 52, just distribute the cards until everyone has the same number of marksimal cards and set aside the remaining cards
Step 4. Take your cards, cover them so your opponent can't see your cards
If players want to arrange their cards by suit or value, they should take this opportunity to do so. Keep in mind that rushing your cards can reveal information about your cards to other players, which you don't want them to know, so be careful!
Step 5. Start bidding
Bidding involves each player looking at the cards in their hand and determining how many tricks can be won. For example, if you bid on two tricks, you are betting that you will win “at least” two tricks. If your Spades game involves a partner, the two offers from you and your partner are combined into a “contract”. If you bid two tricks and your partner bids three tricks, both of you must win a total of five tricks to fulfill your contract.
- The first player to bid is usually the player sitting to the left of the dealer/dealer, and continues clockwise.
- Make sure you write down your bids so you don't forget who bid what as the game progresses.
- Each player must bid at least one trick; You cannot pass unless you are playing a game with a zero bid variation (read below).
Step 6. Use nil and blind nil bids, if all players agree to the offer
In a regular game of Spades, each player must bid at least one trick. One variation of this game is to allow for a blind nil or nil bid. Agree on this variation first before starting bidding.
- nil offer is an offer that you will not get a single trick. A player can get a bonus of 100 points, for example, if he bids nil and doesn't take any tricks, and incurs a -100 penalty if he takes at least one trick.
-
Blind nil offer is when you bet that you won't get a single trick until you see your cards. In some variations, a player who bids blind nil can exchange two cards with his partner. In some variations, a player can only bid blind nil if their score is behind by at least 100 points.
A blind nil bid that is successfully fulfilled earns 200 points; Unfulfilled blind nil bids get a penalty of -200 points
Part 3 of 3: Score
Step 1. After all the tricks have been played, the team or player counts the number of tricks they have
Count the number of tricks you won. (Each trick should be a set of four cards, so divide your total by four to find the total number of tricks.)
Step 2. Compare the number of tricks won with the number of tricks submitted as bids at the start of the game
If you bet five tricks, and you win at least five tricks, multiply the contract number by 10 to get your score. (A four-trick bid and a four-trick win earns you 40 points.) If you bid five tricks, for example, but only managed to collect four tricks, multiply the number of tricks bid by 10, but convert the result to a negative number. (Offers four tricks, but wins only three tricks, costs you a -40 point penalty.)
Step 3. If the number of tricks you have won exceeds the number of tricks offered, award yourself “sandbag” or “overtrick” points for each additional trick won
If, for example, you bid on three tricks, and win four tricks, you get 30 points for fulfilling your contract/bid, as well as one extra point for exceeding the contract. So you will get 31 points.
If you get a total of 10 sandbag points, you are penalized 100 points. This total applies throughout the game, so be careful about winning extra tricks
Step 4. After making sure all points have been recorded, let the dealer/dealer collect all the cards and shuffle them to start a new round of play
Continue playing like this until one person/team reaches the predetermined number of scores at the start of the game.
Tips
- When you bid, pay attention to what cards you have. Your high cards "may" win the trick, but only if neither player has a higher spade. If you have an ace of hearts but also another 6 of hearts, one of the players may have no hearts at all and may issue a spade to beat your ace.
- Pay attention to when the high cards are played, who is playing the cards, and how many spades are in the hands of the other players.
- If you are playing a variation of the game that uses joker cards, remember that the joker and 2 are the high spades.
- Remember that spades are trump cards and will beat all other cards.
- Try not to beat your partner by using a trump card. If your partner draws an ace of hearts, and you are reasonably sure that the other players will also draw hearts, that ace wins. If you pull out a spade and win, you're wasting your partner's high card and hurting yourself.
- There is no discussion between you and your partner about the cards you both have; this includes cheating.
