Spades is a 4-player partnership trick-taking game played with the full 52-card deck, 13 cards per player and 13 tricks per hand. Each player bids the number of tricks they will take — a bid of 0 is "nil" and scores ±100. Spades are always trump and may not be led until a spade has been played. A team that takes at least its combined bid scores 10 per bid trick plus 1 per overtrick; falling short costs 10 per bid trick. Every overtrick is also a "bag", and ten accumulated bags deduct 100 points. The first team to 500 points wins.
Play now — it's freeSpades uses the complete deck: all 52 cards, ranks 2 through Ace in all four suits — nothing is removed. Each of the four players is dealt 13 cards.
Partners sit opposite each other: seats 0 and 2 form one team, seats 1 and 3 the other. Partners' bids are added together and their tricks are counted as a team.
After the deal, bidding starts with the player to the dealer's left and continues clockwise — each player makes exactly one bid:
| Bid | Meaning | Scoring if it works out |
|---|---|---|
| A number 1–13 | The tricks that player promises to take | Team bid = the two partners' numbers added |
| Nil (0) | Promises to take no tricks at all | +100 if successful, -100 if a single trick is taken |
There is no trump auction in Spades — spades are permanently the trump suit, so nobody "names" a trump.
On this site you can switch nil off in the house rules, and pick a 300-point or 500-point game before you start.
The player to the dealer's left leads the first trick. Every player must follow the led suit if holding one; a player who is void may play any card, including a spade.
While spades are "unbroken" — nobody has yet played a spade — a player may not lead a spade, unless spades are the only cards left in their hand. The first spade played to any trick breaks spades for the rest of the hand.
The highest spade played wins the trick; if no spade was played, the highest card of the led suit wins. The trick's winner leads the next trick, and play continues through all 13 tricks.
When the last trick is played, each team's tricks are tallied against its combined bid:
| Outcome | Points |
|---|---|
| Team made its bid (tricks ≥ bid) | +10 × bid, plus +1 per overtrick (a "bag") |
| Team failed its bid (tricks < bid) | -10 × bid |
| Successful nil bid | +100 |
| Failed nil bid (took one or more tricks) | -100 |
| 10 accumulated bags ("bagging out") | -100, bags reset to the remainder |
Bags carry over between hands, so underbidding to set opponents eventually backfires. A team also loses the match if its score drops to -200.
The first team to 500 points wins the match (house rule: 300 for a shorter game). If both teams pass the target in the same hand, the higher score wins; an exact tie plays another hand.
Bid honestly: count your sure winners (aces, high spades) and don't pad the bid — every missing trick costs 10 points.
Watch the bags: each overtrick is only 1 point now but a tenth bag costs 100, so dumping a trick can be worth more than winning it.
Protect your partner's nil: once they bid nil, win any trick they would otherwise take, even with your big spades.
Break spades early if you are long in them — leading spades drains opponents' trumps and takes control of the hand.
All 52 — ranks 2 through Ace in the four suits, with 13 cards dealt to each of the four players.
Four players in two fixed partnerships, partners sitting opposite each other; their bids are added and their tricks counted together.
A bid of zero tricks. Taking no trick at all scores +100; taking even one trick scores -100 for the team.
Not until spades are broken — someone has played a spade onto a trick — unless spades are the only cards left in your hand.
Overtricks: each trick taken beyond the team's bid is worth 1 point and also counts as a bag. Ten accumulated bags trigger a 100-point penalty.
The team loses 10 points for every trick it bid, regardless of how many tricks it actually took.
The first team to 500 points wins (this site also offers a 300-point house rule), and a team that drops to -200 loses immediately.
Yes — you can play Spades online free at spades.yeeqia.com directly in your browser, no download or sign-up required to try a table.
Yes — the site is mobile-first and runs in any modern Android or iOS browser, with a full English interface.