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Spades
Spades is a four-player partnership trick-taking game where spades are always the trump suit. It rose to popularity in the United States in the 1930s and remains a college and military staple. Partners combine their bids into a contract and must take at least that many tricks together.
Spades Rules
The full 52-card deck is dealt evenly, thirteen cards each, with players in two fixed partnerships seated across from each other. After looking at your hand, each player bids the number of tricks they expect to take; a bid of zero is 'nil.'
Play proceeds clockwise and you must follow the led suit if you can. Spades are trump and beat any non-spade card, but you cannot lead spades until they've been 'broken' by being played on a trick where someone couldn't follow suit. The highest spade, or highest card of the led suit if no spade is played, wins.
Each partnership needs to take at least its combined bid. Making it scores 10 points per bid trick; extra tricks ('bags') score 1 each but ten accumulated bags cost a 100-point penalty. A successful nil bid earns 100, but failing it loses 100. First side to 500 wins.
Spades Strategy & Tips
Bid your aces and high spades
Count near-certain winners: aces, the King when you hold the Ace, and long spade holdings. Conservative, honest bidding beats overbidding that piles up set hands.
Protect a partner's nil
When your partner bids nil, take the lead and play high to win tricks so they can safely shed dangerous cards. Cover them by overtaking suits they're trying to dump.
Manage your bags
Taking far more tricks than you bid earns bags, and ten of them cost 100 points. If you've made your contract, dump high cards to avoid grabbing needless extra tricks.
Hold trump for control
Don't waste spades early. Saving them lets you ruff opponents' aces and seize the lead late in the hand when the tricks matter most.
Frequently Asked Questions
What suit is trump in Spades?
Spades, always. The trump suit never changes — any spade beats any card of another suit, which is what gives the game its name.
What is a nil bid in Spades?
A bid to take zero tricks for the entire hand. Succeeding earns your team 100 points; taking even one trick fails it and loses 100.
What are bags in Spades?
Tricks taken beyond your bid. Each bag adds 1 point, but accumulating ten bags triggers a 100-point penalty, so overtaking can backfire.
Can you lead with spades?
Not until spades are 'broken' — meaning a spade has been played because someone was void in the led suit. The exception is when your hand holds nothing but spades.