How to play Spades?

Spades is a fun trick-taking card game. It's a popular game in the USA as well as in any other countries. Here's how to play Spades.

Spades Rules for Four Players

The four players are seated in pairs, with partners on opposing sides of the table. Dealing and playing are done in a clockwise direction.

The Order of the Cards

A regular 52-card deck is used. A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.

The Arrangement

The initial dealer is selected at random, and the deal rotates clockwise. The cards are jumbled and then dealt one at a time, starting with the player on the dealer's left and working clockwise until all 52 cards have been dealt and everyone has 13.

Bidding

Each partnership must submit a bid, indicating how many tricks they plan to play. It's critical to remember that in Spades online, both sides' bids are valid (it is not like other bidding games in which only the higher bid counts). The non-side dealer's must first agree on a bid. Based on their cards, each partner on that side indicates the number of tricks they intend to take. There is some undefined banter about "halves" and "maybes," but no explicit information regarding cards possessed is allowed. You can say things like "I know I can take four tricks, but I might be able to take six" but not "I have a couple of high hearts and a singleton in clubs." After then, the agreed-upon bid is written down. After then, the other party agrees on a bid in the same way.

The value of nil indicates that the player will not win any tricks during the game. Any single participant has the option to bid nil. The nil bidder's partner will also bid on how many tricks the partnership will take.

Only a player whose team is down by at least 100 points can bid blind nought. Before a player examines at his cards, he declares a nil bid. The bidder may trade two cards with partner: the bidder discards two face-down cards, which partner picks up and returns with two face-down cards.

Playing with the Hand

Everyone must play their lowest club on the opening trick. If a player does not have any clubs, he or she must discard a diamond or a heart. The trick does not allow the use of spades. It doesn't matter much in which sequence the four players play their cards on this initial trick – but if you want to be picky, the holder of the two of clubs should lead, and the others should play clockwise. The highest club played wins the trick.

The winner of the first trick advances to the next. A card other than a spade can be led. Each player must follow suit if they are able; if they are unable to follow suit, they may play any card. The highest spade played wins a trick with a spade; if no spade is played, the trick is won by the highest card of the suit led.

Whoever wins a trick advances to the next. Spades may not be led until one of the following conditions is met:

Somebody has played a spade (on the lead of another suit, of course), or the leader's hand is entirely made up of spades.

Breaking spades refers to the act of playing the initial spade.

Scoring

A team that takes at least as many tricks as their bid requires obtains a score equal to ten times their bid. Overtricks (additional tricks) are awarded one point apiece.

The sandbagging rule states that if a team scores ten or more overtricks over the course of multiple deals, it loses 100 points. Any overtricks in excess of ten are carried over to the next cycle of ten overtricks, so if they reach twenty overtricks, they lose another 100 points, and so on. (Note that keeping track of overtricks individually is not necessary because the cumulative number of overtricks taken appears as the final digit of the team's score, if positive.)

If a team fails to make its bid, they lose ten points for each trick they failed to bid.

If a nil bid is accepted, the side of the nil bidder receives 50 points. This is in addition to the score earned (or lost) by the nil bidder's partner for tricks performed. If a nil bid fails, the bidder's side loses 50 points (but still receives whatever amount scored for the partner's bid, and the tricks won by the nil bidder count towards making the partner's bid).

Blind nil bids are worth twice as much as regular nil bids; they gain 100 points if successful and lose 100 points if they fail.

The game is won by the team that reaches 500 points first. The side with the higher score wins if both sides reach 500 points in a single deal.

Spades is a free online and you can enjoy it in your web browser.