Spades Card Game
Play the classic Spades card game online for free. Four players, two teams, spades are always trump — bid your tricks, make your contract and beat the opposing team.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What is Spades?
Spades is a classic four-player partnership trick-taking game, hugely popular in North America. Players sit in two teams (partners face each other), bid the number of tricks they expect to take, and spades are permanently the trump suit.
Who leads the first trick?
In this implementation the seat to your left leads the first trick. Leading spades is forbidden until spades have been 'broken' by someone playing a spade — unless a player holds nothing but spades.
What does Nil mean and how is it scored?
Nil is a bid of zero tricks. If the bidder takes no tricks at all, the team gains 100 points; if they take even one, the team loses 100. The Nil bidder's partner still scores their own contract as usual.
What are bags and why do they matter?
Bags are overtricks — tricks a team takes beyond its contract. Each bag scores 1 point, but bags carry across hands: every 10 accumulated bags trigger an extra -100 penalty, so careless underbidding can actually cost you.
How do I win the whole match?
Hands are scored one after another and both teams' points accumulate. The first team to reach 500 points wins the match. If both teams cross 500 after the same hand, the higher total wins — and an exact tie means one more hand. Watch your bags: they carry over too, and every 10 cost 100 points.
When can I lead spades?
Only after spades have been broken — meaning at least one spade has been played to a trick (typically as a ruff). If your hand consists solely of spades, you may lead spades even before they are broken.
How does my team's contract work?
Your team's contract is the sum of your bid and your partner's bid (Nil counts as 0). Together you must take at least that many tricks. Making the contract scores 10 points per bid trick; falling short costs 10 points per bid trick.
Is this Spades game free?
Yes, this Spades game is completely free to play in your browser — no download, no account and no real-money gambling. You and an AI partner face two AI opponents, and it works on both desktop and mobile.
Game overview
- Four players in two teams (you and your partner across the table versus the two opponents), each dealt 13 cards from a standard 52-card deck.
- Cards rank A high down to 2. Spades are always trump — any spade beats any card of another suit.
- Fulfil your team's contract: take at least as many tricks as your team bid in total.
- Bid before play, follow suit when you can, ruff with spades when you cannot, and watch out for overtricks (bags) — every 10 accumulated bags cost your team 100 points.
Card ranking
A > K > Q > J > 10 > 9 > 8 > 7 > 6 > 5 > 4 > 3 > 2
Spades are permanent trump: within a trick, the highest spade beats everything; with no spades played, the highest card of the led suit wins.
Bidding
After the deal, each player in seat order announces a bid from 0 to 13 — the number of tricks they expect to take.
Nil (bidding zero)
A bid of 0 is called Nil. Take no tricks at all and your team scores +100; win even one trick and it loses 100. Your partner's contract still counts as usual.
Team contract
The team contract is the sum of both partners' bids (Nil counts as 0). The team must take that many tricks together.
How the game flows
The first trick
Breaking spades
Turn order
- The leader plays any legal card; the other players must follow the led suit if they can.
- A player out of the led suit may play anything, including a spade to ruff the trick.
- The highest spade wins the trick; with no spades, the highest card of the led suit wins. The winner leads next.
- After 13 tricks the round is scored: contracts settle, Nil bids resolve and bags are counted.
Scoring
| Case | Points |
|---|---|
| Contract made | 10 points per contracted trick plus 1 point per overtrick (bag) |
| Contract missed | -10 points per contracted trick |
| Nil made (0 tricks) | +100 points |
| Nil set (took at least one trick) | -100 points |
| Every 10 accumulated bags | Additional -100 points penalty (bags carry across hands) |
Match play (first to 500)
A match consists of multiple hands. Both teams' points accumulate across hands, and the first team to reach 500 points wins the match. If both teams reach 500 or more after the same hand, the higher score wins; on an exact tie, another hand is played. Every new hand is re-dealt and re-bid, with the bidding start and first lead rotating around the table.
Strategy tips
Bid honestly
Count your sure winners: high spades and aces almost always take a trick. Bidding too high sets your team; bidding too low fills your bag pile.
Save your spades
Spades are trump and control. Don't burn the queen of spades early — she is the most captured card in the game.
Create voids and ruff
Discard to create a void in a short suit early; later you can ruff those tricks with spades your opponents cannot follow.
Protect a Nil partner
If your partner bid Nil, win tricks they cannot escape — even ugly ones. Keeping their hand clean is worth 100 points.
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