Overtricks (tricks won over the bid amount) are called 'bags,' and they're worth one point. If a player is successful with either type, they receive a bonus of 100 points. There's also blind bidding, where players bid without looking at their cards. Nil and Blind BiddingĪ nil bid is when a player declares their intention to not win a single round. However, if you bid seven and only won five tricks, your score is -70. If you bid six and won nine tricks, the score for the round would be 63-60 points for the bid and three points for the overtricks.

If your team doesn't make its bid, you lose 10 times your bid's value.įor example, if your team bid four and won four tricks, your score is 40. Overtricks (tricks you win over your bid amount) are worth one point each. If your team meets its bid, you get 10 points for each winning trick. Players can rotate as dealer instead of making the winner of the round the dealer. Whoever wins the round goes first on the next turn and takes over as dealer. If you only have spades in your hand, you can lead with this suit. If players play more than one spade, the winner is the one with the highest-ranking spade. If they can't, they can put any card in play-even if it's a spade. The player going first puts any card except a spade on the table. Unlike other games with bidding, bids don't need to be higher than the last one. Players can't pass, and there's no second round of bidding. Once you make a bid, you can't change your mind. However, spades trump all other cards.īid higher if you're swimming in spades or higher-ranked cards. Total up your and your partner's bids to see how many tricks you must take so you don't lose points.Ī player wins a trick by getting the highest card that matches the suit of the first card that was played. Bids must be between 0 and 13, and the person to the dealer's left gets to go first. The most popular arrangement is by suits.Įach player looks at their hand and bids how many tricks they think they can rack up. The players pick up their cards and arrange them any way they'd like. Once a card leaves a player's hand, they can't undo the move unless they correct their mistake before the next person puts a card down. The deal proceeds in a clockwise fashion. The dealer hands out 13 cards one at a time, starting with the person on the dealer's left. After the dealer thoroughly shuffles the cards, the person sitting to the dealer's right cuts the deck. The person with the high card gets the job. Choose who'll be the dealer by having everyone randomly select a card. Grab a deck of 52 cards and remove the jokers. That's because, in Spades, there are usually two teams with two players on each team. Want to play Spades, a fast, fun, and exciting card game? If so, you'll need to rustle up three more players. Play Spades card game online at Anytime Games for a fast, relaxing, and fun diversion! Spades Rules Briefly Explained Setup