Classic Spades

Bid Your Hand • Lead the Suits • Spades are Trumps
Spades Game

Master the ultimate bidding card game! In Spades, you and your partner must accurately predict how many tricks you can win. It’s a delicate balance of strategy, card counting, and knowing exactly when to play your trump cards.

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How to Play

1

Place Your Bid

At the start of each round, look at your hand and predict how many "tricks" (rounds) you will win. Your team's combined bid is the goal.

2

Follow or Trump

You must follow the lead suit. If you can't, you can play a Spade—the permanent trump suit—to win the trick over higher cards of other suits.

3

Score Points

Reach your bid to score points. If your team fails to win as many tricks as you bid, you get "set" and lose points instead!

Trump Strategy

The Power of "Nil"

If your hand is very weak, you can bid "Nil" (Zero). If you win 0 tricks, your team gets a massive bonus—but just one trick will ruin it!

Avoid "Sandbags"

Winning more tricks than you bid gives you "bags." Collect 10 bags, and your team loses 100 points. Precision is better than greedy winning.

Bleed the Spades

If you have high non-trump cards, try to force your opponents to use their Spades early so your Kings and Aces are safe later in the round.

Common Questions

When can I lead with a Spade?
You cannot lead with Spades until "Spades are broken"—meaning someone has used a Spade to trump another suit, or you have nothing but Spades left in your hand.

What is a "Blind Nil"?
In some variations, a player can bid Nil before even looking at their cards for a double point bonus. It's the ultimate Spades gamble!