How to play Spades
The goal
You and your partner, Juniper, play against Bramble and Clover. Bid how many tricks you will take, take at least that many, and be the first team to reach the target score (250, 300, or 500 points).
The deal and the bid
- Each player gets 13 cards. The deal moves one seat clockwise every hand.
- Starting to the dealer’s left, each player bids the number of tricks they expect to win, from 1 to 13. Your bid and your partner’s bid add up to your team’s bid.
- Nil (if on) is a bid of zero: you promise to win no tricks at all. Your partner’s bid stands on its own.
- Blind nil (if on) is a nil bid made before you look at your cards. It is offered only when your team is behind by 100 points or more. You then pass two cards to your partner, and they pass two back. Computer players never bid blind nil.
Playing the tricks
- The player to the dealer’s left leads the first trick. Play goes clockwise, and each player plays one card.
- You must play a card of the suit that was led if you have one. If you don’t, play any card.
- Spades are trump. The highest spade wins the trick; if no spade was played, the highest card of the led suit wins. Aces are high.
- You can’t lead a spade until a spade has been played on an earlier trick (“spades are broken”), unless your hand holds nothing but spades.
- The winner of each trick leads the next one.
Scoring
| Result | Points |
|---|---|
| Your team takes at least its bid | 10 per trick bid, plus 1 per extra trick |
| Your team takes fewer tricks than its bid | Minus 10 per trick bid |
| Nil made / broken | Plus 100 / minus 100 |
| Blind nil made / broken | Plus 200 / minus 200 |
| Every 10 bags (extra tricks), if bags are on | Minus 100 |
Tricks won by a nil bidder don’t count toward the partner’s bid. If the nil is broken, those tricks count as bags.
The game ends after the hand in which a team reaches the target. If both teams pass it, the higher score wins; a tie plays another hand. With the mercy rule on, a team at minus 200 or lower loses.
House rules
Choose these with each new game: opponent level (Easy, Normal, or Hard; your partner plays at the same level), the target score, and whether nil, blind nil, the bag penalty, the mercy rule, and jokers are in play. With jokers, the two of clubs and two of diamonds leave the deck, and the Big Joker and Little Joker join it as the two highest spades.
Playing a card
Tap a card to play it. Cards you can’t play this turn are shaded, and the ones you can play have a gold edge. With Tap twice to play on (the default on touch screens), the first tap lifts a card and the second plays it.
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Tab | Move to your hand or the bid pad |
| Left / Right arrows | Move between cards or bids |
| Enter or Space | Play the card, or choose the bid |
| 0–9 | Jump to that bid on the bid pad |
| L | Show the last trick |
| S | Show the score sheet |
Tips
- Aces and kings of side suits usually win a trick each; long spades win more as the hand goes on.
- A short side suit is a chance to trump in once it is led.
- Once your team’s bid is safe, extra tricks only add bags. Play low cards and let the opponents have them.
- When your partner bids nil, play high and win the tricks they might otherwise be forced to take.
Questions
Do the computer players see my cards? No. Each one plays from its own hand and the cards already played.
What does the bid suggestion count? High cards likely to win, long spades, and short suits you can trump. It is a starting point; you choose the bid.
Do I need an account? No. Your game saves on this device automatically, between every trick. An optional account adds cloud saves across devices.
