How to Play Spades
Getting the idea of how to play spades isn’t difficult, but success comes more often by developing strategies that best cater to your style of play. Spades is a four-player trick-taking game involving bidding, the luck of the draw, and team play.
Objective
The object of a game of spades is for a team to be the first to reach 500 points through several rounds of hands. This is done by winning tricks taken through the course of a hand, aiming to meet or exceed the bid taken before the first trick.
Game Components
All you need to play the game of Spades are four players to group into two teams and a standard 52-card deck.
Game Setup
Like most card games, players are situated in a way that prevents others from viewing cards in their hands. Imagine four players sitting around a square card table, one person on each side of the table.
Player and Team Formation
The game is played with two teams, two players each. Teammates are positioned across the table from each other.
Dealing the Cards
Often, each player will draw one card a piece before starting a game. Whichever player has drawn the highest-valued card or the highest-valued Spade is set to be the first dealer.
After thoroughly shuffling the cards, the player to the dealer’s right cuts the deck to prevent it from being stacked. Beginning from the dealer’s left, cards are dealt one at a time until all 52 cards have been distributed evenly. Each player should have 13 cards each when the dealing’s done.
Bidding Phase
The bidding process could be considered one of the most important parts of the game because how successfully a player bids will heavily impact your score. Whichever team did not contain the dealer gets to make the first bid.
Bidding Process
Nil and Blind Nil
The exact points for nil and blind nil bids can vary slightly depending on house rules, but 100 points for blind nil and 50 points for regular nil is a standard guideline. However, in some variations, blind nil can be worth more than 100 points.
Team Coordination
Though teammates don’t show cards to each other, they can communicate while trying to determine what to bid. If one of the two thinks the best route is to make a nil bid, it’s good to let the teammate know to avoid creating a scenario that would damage the teammate’s intentions (i.e., playing a card that might force the nil player to win the trick).
Teamwork, however unspoken it might be, is an important road to take towards winning a game of Spades. A team can try to work together throughout a round, doing what they can to ensure each player on the team meets or exceeds their bid while also trying to ensure that opponents aren’t getting theirs.
Playing the Game of Spades
At its core, Spades is a series of tricks you take as wisely as possible with the cards you’ve been dealt until someone eventually crosses the finish line. The better you understand how this aspect of the game works, the more craftily you can maneuver through the game.
Trick-Taking Rules
After placing the bids, it’s time to begin the first trick. The player sitting to the dealer’s left takes the first turn, placing the first card of the trick face up on the table. Players can not break in the Spades suit on the first trick.
Players must follow suit whenever possible and can play any other suit if they lack the trick’s suit. The player who used the highest valued card in the trick wins the trick.
Spades Suit
The entire suit of Spades is used as a trump suit, trumping Diamonds, Hearts, and Clubs of any value. The only card that can beat a Spade card is another Spade of greater value.
Winning Tricks
There are a few ways to win a trick.
- Have the highest valued card of the same suit that the trick began with.
- Break the starting suit with a Spade when your turn comes up.
- Have the highest valued Spade card played in a trick.
Scoring
After each hand, points are tallied and recorded before moving on to the next round.
Points Calculation
If a team meets or exceeds the sum of their bid, they get 10 points for each stack within the combined bid. If both players on a team bid 3, totaling 6, they win 60 points. If a team exceeds their combined bid, each trick taken beyond that number counts for 1 point.
Also, if a player bids nil and is successful, 50 points are added to their score. When a player opts for a blind nil and is successful, they’ll score 100 points.
Overtricks (Bags)
Penalties
Winning the Game
There is no set number of hands per game, and the game continues until players reach the set score.
Reaching the Target Score
The target score is most often 500 points. The first team whose sum score reaches 500 wins the game.
Tiebreakers
This might happen occasionally, but it is extremely rare, particularly when hinging on how the house rules are set up regarding scoring.
Strategies for Success
Molding a personal game-playing style is important after you’ve picked up the game’s flow via the rules, setup, etc... However, there are staple strategies that you can adopt to help you get to that point.
Bidding Wisely
It’s best to not go for the gusto unless you’re extremely confident in your hand. The better you can assess your hand, the better your outcome will be. It’s better to reach what your hand can achieve with a little cushion rather than going for a higher number and coming up short.
Communication
Communication between partners is key (specifically when playing against real opponents rather than AI). Better teams are those who communicate effectively with one another.
Trump Management
The King, Queen, and Jack of Spades are also extremely valuable but can still be trumped by the Ace of Spades.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
In Spades, you can be bested regardless of whether or not you’ve made a mistake. Nonetheless, it’s best to avoid helping your opponents by avoiding the following.
Overbidding
Hubris might score you a good deal of points, but more often than not, it’s a good way to score zero points in a round. Use good judgment when bidding for the best outcome.
Neglecting Team Play
If you and your partner hurt each other’s chances of reaping tricks, you’ll suffer for it. Try to win yours while also allowing your teammate to win theirs.
Mismanaging Spades
Using the wrong Spade card at the wrong time can hamper (if not ruin) your progress throughout a hand. Use your Spade cards wisely, be patient, and pay attention to what’s going on so that you can use them at the most beneficial time.