Spades is a four-player game that uses a standard 52-card deck (with the Jokers removed). The deck is then shuffled and dealt, with each player receiving 13 cards.
How to play Spades card game?
The player to the left of the dealer places the first bid. Following the bidding, the same player leads the first trick. Following that, turns are rotated clockwise around the table, with each player matching the suit of the original played card. If a player does not have a card matching the original suit, he or she may play a different suit. After each of the four players has played a card, the highest card of the original suit wins the trick and earns the player a point.
This pattern continues, with the player who won the last trick directing the turn's play. If the player is unable to follow the original suit, they may play any other suit, including, which may not be led until it is "broken."
The round concludes when all cards have been played, and the scores of each team are tallied (described below). The goal for the team is to win at least the number of tricks bid. Ace is the highest card and is always the trump suit.
Bidding
After each player receives their hand, a bidding window is presented to them.
The player must decide how many tricks they wish to attempt. Each team's possible score range is affected by the bids placed for them. Swiping left or right, tapping right or left arrows, or tapping the number next to the currently selected value will allow you to change the value. If you scroll all the way to the left, you'll notice a special "Nil," which is a bid of zero. If you bid Nil, you commit to not taking any tricks during the round; taking a single trick results in a point penalty for the team, while avoiding tricks results in a point bonus for the team.
In the first round of the first game, a player is chosen at random to be the "dealer," and the player to their left bids first; the player to the left of the dealer becomes the new dealer in the next round. Each player bids clockwise, beginning with the player to the left of the dealer, stating how many tricks they expect to win that round. Individual bids for each team are combined; both team members are responsible for reaching the combined team bid.
After each player has placed their bid, the round begins. The player to the Dealer's left becomes the new dealer at the start of a round or game, and the cycle is repeated.
Scoring
After each round, the scores of each team are tallied. The number of tricks taken by a team is compared to the number of tricks bid for.
If a team successfully takes at least as many tricks as they bid, they receive 10 points for each bid taken. If a team falls short of its bid, it loses 10 points for each bid placed. For example, if a team bids 7 and takes 8 tricks, they receive 70 points for the bids and 1 point (and 1 sandbag if the "Sandbag Penalty" option is enabled in Settings) for the extra trick. Similarly, a team that bids 6 and takes 5 tricks loses 60 points. If a team takes more tricks than they bid (and "Sandbag Penalty" is enabled in Settings), they gain one point and one sandbag for each extra trick taken; collecting 10 sandbags results in a loss of 100 points.
For bidding Nil, a special scoring rule is used. If a player bids Nil and successfully avoids taking tricks, their team gains 50 (for a game of 250) or 100 points (for a game of 500); if a player bids Nil and successfully avoids taking tricks, their team loses 50 or 100 points. For example, if one player on a team bids Nil and takes one trick, and their partner bids 6 and takes five, the team loses 50 points for failing to go Nil and gains 60 points for taking six tricks in total.
If a team achieves the Winning Score (500 points by default), the game is over and that team is the winner. If both teams score 500 points in the same round, the team with the higher score wins. If both teams have the same number of points, a new round is played to determine who will win. If the "Mercy Rule" is enabled in the Settings, a team that reaches -200 points loses the game and the other team wins.
Spades online is a popular card game for four players. It is free to play on your web browser.
