Spades

The classic partnership trick-taking card game — bid the tricks you'll win, cover for your partner, dodge the bags and chase 500 points.

How to play

Spades is a four-player game in two partnerships, sitting across from each other. You partner the seat opposite you against the other two. Each hand begins with every player bidding how many of the 13 tricks they expect to take; a bid of zero is Nil, a risky promise to take none.

Spades are always trump but can't be led until the suit is 'broken' by a discard. Follow the led suit if you can; otherwise play anything. The highest spade wins the trick, or the highest card of the led suit if no spades are played.

• Make your team's combined bid to score 10 points per trick bid.
• Extra tricks are 'bags' — every 10 bags accumulated costs your team 100 points.
• Land a Nil for a bonus, but take even one trick and it backfires. First team to 500 wins.

Controls

• Desktop: click a bid button (Nil or 1–13), then click a legal card in your hand to play it.
• Phone & tablet: tap your bid, then tap a card — playable cards are highlighted, no keyboard needed.
• Cards you can't legally play are dimmed automatically.

Game modes

• Daily — everyone gets the same shuffle each day to compare results.
• New Game — a fresh random deal against three CPU opponents.
• Online — a live 4-player match; partners are seated opposite you.

Tips & strategy

• Count your sure winners — high spades and aces — before bidding, and shade down if your hand is shapeless.
• Bagging out is a slow killer; if you've made your bid, try to dump tricks rather than collect overtricks.
• Support a partner's Nil by winning tricks yourself so they never have to.

About Spades

Spades is a traditional American trick-taking game built around bidding and partnership play. This is an original, free browser version with capable CPU opponents, daily deals, and live online matches — no download or sign-up.

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