Spades
About Spades
Spades is an enjoyable and popular partnership whist trick-taking game. Team up with one of our partner AIs to beat your opponents in Coppercod’s take on this classic card game.
To win, you and your partner must be the first pair reach 500 points. Points are scored by winning tricks, and for partnerships correctly predicting how many tricks they will win at the bid stage. Points will be deducted if your partnership fails to win the number of tricks bid.
Spades is simple to learn, but tricky to master as you take on AI opponents with perfect memory. Choose between easy and hard mode and make sure to track your all time and session stats to follow your improvement as you learn!
Quickfire Rules
After the cards are dealt evenly between four players, each player bids on the number of tricks they think they can win, based on their hand. Each player then plays one card in turn, following suit if they can. If they cannot follow suit they may play any other card in their hand, including a Spade, which is the Trump. No player can lead with a Spade until the first has been played – Spades are broken.
At the end of each round, points are scored by the number of tricks each partnership has collected. 10 points are awarded for every trick collected if the partnership bid is matched or bettered, and 10 points are deducted for every trick bid if the partnership bid is not matched. If any player bids nil for a round, the partnership received 100 bonus points if the player takes no tricks, but minus 100 points if the nil bid fails.
Spades Terms
Bid: Each player decides based upon the cards in their hand how many tricks they will win.Trick: Each player plays a card in turn, and the best card played wins that trick.
Trump: Spades are the Trump suit and are elevated higher than all other cards. They can be played when a player cannot otherwise follow suit.
Spades are broken: After the first Spade is played, players may then lead with Spades.
How Your Partner Plays
Playing with a partner you can't communicate with can be frustrating, but here are some tips on how you can get along:
- With the opening lead, your partner will play a singleton or low in their strongest suit to tell you which suit they want you to bring back
- They will watch your opening lead and try to bring that suit back for you if they can
- If they spot that you are void in a suit they will run that suit to give you the opportunity to trump
- Once your contract is looking made they will either shed winning cards to try and avoid bags or try to set the opponents if that is possible
- If you bid nil, they will lead any suit you are out of or else lead their highest cards, taking bags if needed
- They won't 'nil bid' unless they don't hold a spade honor, don't hold any ace, you haven't nil bid and you aren't within sight of victory
- They won't 'blind nil' unless you have acted, you have not bid nil, you could lose the game this round or they are last and the bids in front of them are 10 or over