How to play Spades
- Four players play in two teams, and partners sit opposite each other. Playing alone, you and Green, your computer partner, play Purple and Blue. With 2 Players, Orange and Green play Purple and Blue: each person has a computer partner.
- Each player gets 13 cards. The deal moves one seat to the left every hand, and the player on the dealer's left bids first and leads the first trick.
- Bid how many tricks you think you'll win, from 1 to 13. Your bid and your partner's are added together: that's your team's contract. You can also bid nil, a promise to win no tricks at all.
- Play the tricks. The leader plays any card, and everyone else must follow suit if they can. If you can't, play any card, including a spade.
- A trick goes to the highest spade in it. If there are no spades, it goes to the highest card of the suit that was led. Aces are high. The winner leads the next trick.
- Spades can't be led until a spade has been played on an earlier trick (spades are then "broken"), unless you have nothing but spades left.
- After 13 tricks the hand is scored, and the next hand is dealt. The first team to reach 500 points wins, or 250 for a shorter game. If both teams get there in the same hand, the higher score wins, and a tie means one more hand.
Scoring
| What happened | Points |
|---|---|
| Your team wins at least its contract | 10 for each trick bid, plus 1 for each extra trick (a bag) |
| Your team wins fewer tricks than its contract | Minus 10 for each trick bid |
| Every 10 bags your team collects | Minus 100 |
| A nil that wins no tricks | Plus 100 |
| A nil that wins a trick | Minus 100 |
The tricks won by a player who bid nil don't count towards their partner's bid, but they do count as bags.
Controls
- Bid: tap a number, or Nil. The panel shows everyone else's bid so far.
- Play a card: tap it. The cards you're allowed to play stand up with a yellow edge.
- Keyboard: use ← and → or Tab to move along your cards or the bids, and Enter to choose.
Each card lands on the table in front of the player who played it, and the winning card of each trick lights up before the cards are swept away. The score bar at the top shows each team's points and bags, and during a hand, the team's bid and the tricks it has won so far. With 2 Players, a cover screen hides the cards whenever the device passes to the other player.
Computer levels
The computer players only know what a person in their seat would know: their own cards, the bids, and every card played so far. They never see another hand or the order of the deck. The level you pick is for your two rivals. Your computer partner always plays at Hard.
| Level | How it plays |
|---|---|
| Easy | Often plays any card it's allowed to, and its bids can be a trick out. |
| Medium | Plays sensible cards, high to win a trick and low when its partner is already winning, and bids by counting its high cards and spades. It doesn't remember which cards have gone. |
| Hard | Remembers every card played and who has run out of which suit. It bids nil with a weak hand, protects its partner's nil, tries to make your nil fail, and once its bid is made, avoids extra tricks unless it can still make your team fall short. |
| Expert | Before each card, tries every card it could play on 30 imagined deals of the cards it hasn't seen, and plays the one that scores best. It bids by playing out imagined hands too. |
Tips to win
- Count your sure tricks. Aces, kings with another card of the suit, and high spades usually win. Bid a little under what you expect: a contract that fails costs far more than a bag.
- Mind your bags. Ten bags cost 100 points. Once your team has made its bid, try to lose the rest of the tricks.
- Don't trump your partner. If your partner is already winning the trick, play your lowest card instead.
- Second player low, third player high. Playing second, keep your high cards back. Playing third, play high to beat the leader.
- Bid nil with a weak hand. Low cards, few spades and no aces or kings make a good nil. Play your highest safe card under the winning one to get rid of danger cards.
- Protect your partner's nil. Win tricks with high cards so your partner can play under you.
About Spades
Spades belongs to the same family of trick-taking games as Whist and Bridge. It was first played in the United States in the 1930s and became one of the most played card games in the country. The rules here are the standard partnership rules: bids of 1 to 13 or nil, spades broken before they can be led, 10 bags costing 100 points, and a game to 500. Some players add a blind nil (bid before looking at your cards) or a fixed first lead; those aren't part of this version.
Questions
What does nil mean in Spades?
Nil is a bid of no tricks at all. If the player who bid nil wins no tricks, their team scores 100 points. If they win even one, the team loses 100. Their partner's bid is scored on its own.
What are bags in Spades?
Bags are the tricks a team wins over its contract. Each one is worth a point now, but every 10 bags cost 100 points, so a team that keeps underbidding pays for it.
When can you lead spades?
Once a spade has been played on an earlier trick, because someone had no cards of the suit led. Before that, you can only lead a spade if you have nothing else.
How many points do you need to win Spades?
500 points, the usual target, or 250 if you choose the shorter game. A team that falls behind can still catch up with a good nil.
Can two people play Spades on one phone?
Yes. Choose 2 Players: each of you gets a computer partner, and a cover screen hides your cards while you pass the device.
Can I play Spades alone?
Yes. Choose vs Computer: you and your computer partner play two computer players at the level you pick.
Is this Spades game free?
Yes. It's free in your browser, with no download, no sign-up and no ads during a game.
Updated 8 November 2026