Spades Card Game

Spades is a trick-taking card game for four players in two partnerships, and this page lets you play the four-player partnership version in your browser for free. You sit at the bottom as South, with the computer player North as your partner, against the computer opponents West and East. There is no sign-in, and the three computer players are built in.

Spades are always trumps, so any spade beats a card of any other suit. Each hand, you and your partner bid how many tricks your team expects to win, then play 13 tricks to try to make that number. Points build up over many hands until one team reaches the target you choose: 250, 300 or 500.

How to play Spades online

1. Set the options in the toolbar: Nil bids (on or off), Bag penalty (on or off) and Game to (250, 300 or 500). Each option is remembered, but changing one starts a new match.
2. Click New game (or press N) to start a match.
3. When it is your turn to bid, click Nil or a number from 1 to 13. With the keyboard, use Left and Right (or Up and Down) to move the highlight, then press Enter or Space. Press 0 to jump to Nil.
4. Watch the blue outline to see whose turn it is. Each seat panel shows its bid and the tricks it has won this hand.
5. When it is your turn to play, click or tap a raised card. Cards you may not play are darkened. If you tap an illegal card, it shakes and the status line tells you why.
6. If you are stuck, click Hint (or press H) on your turn. It highlights a suggested bid or card and disappears after 6 seconds or when you take your next action.
7. After each hand, check the Score by hand table under the cards.

There is no Undo button. Press F for fullscreen, and Esc to close a dialog. Adding ?seed=123 to the page address fixes the shuffles for the whole match, so the same choices replay the same way.

Spades card game rules for 4 players

Spades is played with a 52-card deck, four players and 13 cards each. The seats run clockwise: you (South), West, North (your partner) and East. You and North form one team against West and East.

The dealer rotates clockwise each hand, so South deals hand 1, West deals hand 2, and so on. The player to the left of the dealer bids first and leads the first trick.

Spades rules and scoring

Each player makes one bid, once round the table, of 0 to 13 tricks. A bid of 0 is Nil. Your team’s contract is the two partners’ bids added together, ignoring Nil bids, so the total can go above 13. There is no blind nil.

If the partners who did not bid Nil win at least the contract, the team scores 10 times the contract. Each extra trick above the contract is a bag, worth 1 point. If the contract fails, the team loses 10 times the contract, and no bags are scored.

A Nil bidder scores +100 for winning no tricks, or -100 for winning one or more. For example, if one partner bids 4 and wins 4, and the other bids Nil but wins 1, the team scores 40 - 100 + 1 = -59 points, with the Nil trick counting as a bag.

When Bag penalty is on, every 10 bags cost the team 100 points, and 10 bags are removed. A team at -200 or below loses. When a team reaches the target score, it wins. If both teams reach it after the same hand, the higher score wins.

How do Spades tricks work?

The first player may lead any card except a spade. Spades cannot be led until they are broken, which happens when any spade is played, usually when a player who cannot follow suit trumps. A hand holding only spades may lead one.

A trick goes to the highest spade in it. If there is no spade, it goes to the highest card of the suit led. For example, if West leads the 10 of hearts, North plays the ace of hearts, and East, who has no hearts left, plays the 2 of spades, East wins the trick, whatever heart you play last.

Spades strategy and tips

Count your likely tricks before you bid: high cards in side suits and your spades. A bid you cannot make costs 10 points for each trick short.

Take extra tricks with care when Bag penalty is on. Ten bags cost 100 points, so a few extra tricks can turn into a large loss.

Nil is a big swing. It gains 100 points if you win no tricks, but loses 100 if you win one. Bid it with a weak hand and few spades.

You do not need to win every trick. If your partner already holds the trick, you can play a low card.

Frequently asked questions

Is Spades free, and do I need to sign up?

Yes, the game is free to play in your browser. You do not need to sign in or create an account.

Can I play Spades on a phone?

Yes. On narrow screens the hand of cards is shown in two rows, and the layout works at 320 px and 375 px width without horizontal scrolling. You tap to bid and play cards.

Is my game saved?

Yes. The match is saved in your browser after every bid and card, so reloading returns you to the same position. The save stays on this device only, and nothing is sent anywhere.

Can I play Spades online with other people?

No. The game has no online or multiplayer mode. You play with the built-in computer partner and opponents.

Is there an Undo button?

No. Once you play a card or make a bid, it cannot be taken back, so check your choice before you click. The Hint button can help you decide.

Does the game keep my scores and wins?

It keeps your options and a count of matches played and matches won on this device. A match counts once, when it ends.

Do the computer players cheat?

No. They only see the cards on the table, the cards already played and the bids, not your hand.

More games

• Hearts: a trick-taking game with no trumps and no partners, where you try to avoid hearts and the queen of spades.
• Klondike Solitaire: the classic one-player card game.
• FreeCell: a solitaire puzzle where every card is dealt face up.
• Dice Game: five dice, three rolls and thirteen boxes to fill.
• Dots and Boxes: a strategy game of drawing lines and claiming boxes.
• Reversi: a two-player board game of placing discs to flip your opponent’s pieces.