How to Play Spades: Card Game Rules for 4 Players (and 2)

Spades is a trick-taking game for four people in two partnerships, and the bidding is where it is won. Spades are always trumps; the trick is to say how many tricks you will take, then take exactly that many.

Setup

• Four players, partners sitting opposite each other.
• One 52-card deck, no jokers. Aces high.
• Deal all the cards, one at a time: 13 cards each.

Bidding

Starting left of the dealer, each player bids the number of tricks they expect to win, from 1 to 13. A partnership's bids are added together into one contract: if you bid 4 and your partner bids 3, your side must take 7.

Nil is a bid of zero tricks — a promise that you personally will take none. Your partner's bid stands on its own. Make it: +100. Take even one trick: −100.

Playing the tricks

1. The player left of the dealer leads the first trick. (In many games, the 2 of clubs leads instead.)
2. Everyone must follow suit if they can.
3. If you cannot follow suit, you may play any card, including a spade.
4. The highest spade wins the trick; if no spade was played, the highest card of the suit led wins.
5. The winner leads the next trick.

Breaking spades: you may not lead a spade until a spade has been played on an earlier trick — unless your hand holds nothing but spades.

Scoring

• Make your contract: 10 points per trick bid, plus 1 point for each extra trick.
• Fall short: lose 10 points per trick bid.
• Bags: those extra tricks are called bags (or sandbags). Collect 10 bags and your side loses 100 points, and the bag count starts again.

So bidding 7 and taking 9 scores 72 — but those 2 bags add up.

The first partnership to 500 points wins. A side that falls to −200 usually loses outright.

How to play spades with 2 people

Two-handed spades works well:

1. Shuffle and place the deck face down between you.
2. Taking turns, each player looks at the top card. Keep it and discard the next card face down unseen, or discard it face down and take the next card.
3. Continue until the deck is gone — you each hold 13 cards.
4. Bid and play as above, with no partners.

You never know which cards are in the discard pile, which makes bidding much harder — and more interesting.

Tips for beginners

• Count your sure tricks: Ace of spades, high spades, and Aces in other suits.
• Short suits are valuable. Holding no diamonds means you can trump the first diamond trick.
• Avoid bags late in the game. Sometimes the right play is to lose a trick on purpose.

Spades is a long game for a full table. A large-index deck lets everyone read the cards on the far side of the table without leaning in.

Frequently asked questions

How many players do you need for spades?

Spades is built for four players in two partnerships, with partners sitting opposite each other. Two people can play the two-handed version, where each player builds a 13-card hand by keeping or discarding cards from the top of the deck.

What does nil mean in spades?

Nil is a bid of zero: a promise that you personally will win no tricks. Making it scores 100 points for your side, and taking even one trick loses 100.

Can you lead spades on the first trick?

No. Spades cannot be led until a spade has been played on an earlier trick (spades are broken), unless the player on lead holds nothing but spades.

What are bags in spades?

Bags (or sandbags) are tricks your side takes beyond its bid. Each one scores a single point, but every 10 bags collected costs your side 100 points.