Rules of Spades

Spades is usually played by four players in two partnerships, with the spade suit always acting as trump. Each team bids how many tricks it expects to take, then tries to make that number over 13 tricks of play. The standard game is simple once you know the flow, but the arguments usually start around nil, bags, misdeals, and house rules.

This page is the clean rules-first version. If you want the printable version, use the rules cheat sheet. If you want to understand scoring in more detail, go next to spades scoring explained.

Setup and cards used

The standard game uses a normal 52-card deck with no jokers. Four players sit in fixed partnerships, usually with partners facing each other. Every card is dealt, so each player starts the hand with 13 cards.

Spades are always trump. That means any spade beats any heart, diamond, or club when players cannot follow suit and choose to trump the trick. Within the spade suit, the ace is highest and the two is lowest in standard play.

How the cards are dealt

The deal rotates clockwise. The dealer shuffles, offers a cut if your group uses one, and deals all 52 cards one at a time until each player has 13. If a player receives the wrong number of cards, the hand is usually declared a misdeal and redealt.

Most groups do not allow players to expose cards, redeal because they dislike a hand, or ask for a new deal after bidding has begun. That is why a simple rule sheet matters if money or tournament stakes are involved.

How bidding works

After players sort their hands, each person gives a bid for how many tricks they expect to take. The team total is the partnership bid. In standard spades, bids are made individually but counted together by team.

• Example: one partner bids 3 and the other bids 4, so the team contract is 7.
• Making the bid: the team needs at least 7 tricks to succeed.
• Missing the bid: if the team takes only 6, it gets set and loses points.

Some groups allow table talk before bidding, but most do not allow players to reveal exact cards or run improper signals. For a better bidding breakdown, see how to bid your spades hand.

How trick play works

The player to the dealer’s left leads the first trick. Players must follow suit if they can. If they cannot follow suit, they may usually play a spade to trump the trick or discard another suit if house rules allow it.

The highest card in the suit led wins the trick unless one or more spades are played. If a spade appears, the highest spade wins. The winner of each trick leads the next trick.

• If clubs are led and everyone follows clubs, highest club wins.
• If clubs are led and a later player is void in clubs, that player may play a spade and trump the trick.
• If two players both trump with spades, the higher spade wins.

When spades are broken

In standard play, you cannot lead spades until the suit has been broken. A suit is broken the first time a player uses a spade to trump because they cannot follow the suit that was led.

Once spades are broken, players may lead spades on later tricks. Some house rules also allow a player to lead spades earlier if the player has nothing but spades left. That is a common exception and should be agreed on before play.

How scoring works

The usual scoring method is 10 points per trick bid if the team makes the contract, plus 1 point for every overtrick, often called a bag.

• Bid 6, take 6 = 60 points
• Bid 6, take 7 = 61 points
• Bid 6, take 5 = -60 points

The most common winning total is 500 points, but shorter games to 250 or 300 are also common for casual play. For a full breakdown with examples, use spades scoring explained and how many points win in spades.

Nil, blind nil, and bags

Nil means a player bids zero tricks. If that player takes none, the team gets a bonus. If the player takes even one trick, the nil fails and the team takes a penalty. The most common value is plus or minus 100, though some groups use 50.

Blind nil is a higher-risk version bid before looking at the hand. Some groups allow it only when a team is behind. Others do not use it at all.

Bags, or overtricks, are extra tricks beyond the contract. In many standard games, collecting 10 bags over time triggers a 100-point penalty. Some home games remove the bag penalty entirely for simplicity.

Common house-rule changes

The rules arguments in spades usually come from local variations, not from the core game. Common changes include:

• different nil values
• blind nil allowed or not allowed
• bag penalty used or ignored
• jokers added as big and little trumps
• different winning score, such as 300 or 750
• mercy rules or special tournament scoring

None of those are automatically wrong. The problem only starts when the table assumes everyone is playing the same version. Use common spades house rules before game night if your group mixes backgrounds.

Quick-start summary

If your group is playing for small stakes, settle the rule questions before the first hand, not after the first dispute. Our money-game rules template can help you write that down clearly.