The card game Spades is typically played with four people split into two groups, though it is possible to play with just two people. The instructions below lay out how using a standard 52-card deck; ace is high, and 2 is low. The goal is to be the first player to reach 500 points.
Setup
Shuffle the deck; there’s no deal. The first player draws the top card and decides whether to keep it. If they keep it, they put the second card face down in a discard pile. But if the player decides not to keep the first card, they put it face down in a discard pile. Then, they draw and keep the second card.
The second player goes through the same process with the next two cards in the draw pile.
The players continue alternating this selection process until they’ve collected the entire deck. At that point, each player will have 13 cards in their hand. The remaining 26 cards are set aside and not used in this hand.
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Bidding
The second player bids first. Each player looks at their cards and bids, indicating the number of tricks a player must win to score points. Any number from zero (or nil) to 13 is a legal bid for each player. Players may not pass, and bids do not have to increase with each player. There’s only one round of bidding.
Bidding Nil
A player who bids nil is claiming they won’t win any tricks during the hand. If they’re successful, they’ll earn a 100-point bonus. However, if they win one or more tricks, they’ll receive a 100-point penalty.
Double Nil
Before choosing their first card, a player may bid double nil, also known as blind nil. After bidding double nil, the player may look at their cards and discard up to three, replacing them by drawing randomly from the previously discarded cards. If they’re successful and don’t win any tricks, they’ll earn a 200-point bonus. However, if they fail, they’ll receive a 200-point penalty.
Gameplay
The second player goes first (or leads). They may not lead with a spade unless their hand only includes spades. Unless a player has no other option, they can’t lead with a spade until the suit is “broken” (see below).
Players alternate turns, and each player must follow suit (i.e., play the same suit that was led) if possible. The person who plays the highest rank of the suit wins the trick unless a spade is played. In that case, the person who plays the highest rank of spades wins the trick. The winning player should set the trick in front of them so it’s easy to tell how many tricks each player has won.
Breaking Spades
Spades are broken when a player cannot follow suit and chooses to play a spade. Spades are also broken if a player has no other option and leads with spades.
Scoring
If a player meets their bid, each trick they win counts for 10 points. Tricks won above the bid are worth one point each. If a player does not meet their bid, they lose 10 points for each trick they bid.
Scoring for nil and double nil bids take place as described above.
Sandbagging
A player should avoid winning too many tricks above their bid, known as “bags.” Following “sandbagging” rules, each time a player wins 10 bags (cumulative throughout a game), they’ll receive a 100-point penalty.
Continuing Play
After scoring a hand, if neither player has reached 500 points, the second player becomes the first to draw the next hand.
Winning
The first player to reach 500 points is the winner. If both players reach 500 in the same hand, the player with the higher score is the winner. If there’s a tie, play another hand.