The Rules of Spades

Spades is an entertaining card game that is easy to learn and play. It can be enjoyed by a group of friends or family on game night, and a variation of the game can also be played by two individuals. Here is a look at the general rules of spades.

Cards Used For Spades

To play spades you will need a regular deck of 52 cards. Prior to the beginning of the game you should remove the jokers from the deck. All suits, numbers, and face cards are used in the game.

In this game the suit of spades is regarded as a trump, hence the name. This means that all spades cards in the deck are valued higher than any other card. The Ace of Spades would be the highest of all cards.

Some people like to play a variation of spades in which the jokers are used. In this case, the two jokers must be marked or designated as high and low. They they become the highest trumps, above the Ace of Spades.

When the jokers are used, you must remove two other cards from the deck. You can remove the 2 from either the hearts, diamonds, or clubs. Most people seem to choose the 2 of Diamonds and the 2 of Hearts to remove. It really doesn't matter as long as there are only 52 cards in the deck.

How the Cards Are Dealt in Spades

In the game of spades each player takes a turn acting as the dealer. The cards are dealt in a clockwise fashion, beginning with the player on the dealer's left. Prior to dealing the cards the dealer should have shuffled them well, and the player to the right of the dealer may be offered an opportunity to cut the deck.

All 52 cards are dealt to the four players at the table. When all cards have been dealt to the players, each player should have 13 cards in their hand. Any number other than this results in a misdeal and the cards must be dealt again.

Two-Handed Spades Variation

As we mentioned above, it is possible for two people play spades. In this case, 52 cards are also used and the jokers may be substituted as above. Each player will have a total of 13 cards to play the game, but there is no deal.

Instead, the player who did not shuffle is allowed to take the top card from the pile. They can then choose to keep this card or take the next card. If the original card is kept, the second card is removed and placed in a discard pile. If the first card is discarded, the player must keep the second card regardless of what it is.

Players are not allowed to see the second card unless that have chosen to discard the first one. Players take turns drawing cards until all cards in the deck have been exhausted. This will leave each player with a starting hand of 13 cards.

The Bidding Round in Spades

After the cards have been dealt, players are allowed to consult with their teammate to determine a bid for the hand. Players are not allowed to tell one another what cards they hold. There can only be discussion about the number of books each player thinks they can catch.

Players may bid a minimum of four books. This is called “Board” and is the lowest legal bid. The maximum bid is 13, also referred to as “Wheels”.

A team must catch the number of books that they have bid during play to succeed in the bid. The failure to succeed in the bid results in the players being “set” and receiving a minus score for the hand. For example, if a team bids 6 books and only catches 5 they have been set. Their score is a -60 for the hand.

Basic Spades Gameplay

After the bids have been made the game begins. The player to the left of the dealer goes first and may lead with any card except a spade. Spades can only be played if the player has no other suit or cannot follow suit. Once spades have been broken, they can be played at will.

Each player must follow suit if they are able. If a player is not able to play the suit which was led, a spade may be played. The highest spade wins the book. If no spades are played, the highest card in the suit wins the book.

The player who wins the book is allowed to begin the next round. This continues until all cards have been played. That means there are 13 rounds.

Totaling Points in Spades

Points in spades are totaled according to the number of books a team catches. Teams who achieve their bid are given ten points per book plus one additional point for each book over the bid.

Example: The team bids 6 books. They win 7 during the round. The score given is 61, 60 for the base bid and 1 for the extra book.

If a team does not meet their bid, the result is a minus score of their original bid times ten.

Example: The team bids 6 books. They win 4 during the round. The score given is -60.

How a Winner is Declared in Spades

Spades is typically played to a total of 500 points. The team which reaches this point total first is declared the winner. Players may choose to play to any number of points they desire. 

More Topics:

- New York City Spades Rules
- Deal variations in spades
- How Spades are Broken