CARD TABLE · COMPLETE RULES

Spades

Bid the number of tricks your partnership will take, then meet the contract while controlling overtricks.

Teams, deal, and bids

Partners sit opposite. Deal all 52 cards so each player receives 13.
Starting left of the dealer, each player makes one bid from 0 to 13. Partners' bids combine into one contract.
A bid of zero is nil. The nil bidder tries to take no tricks while the partner still works toward the partnership contract.

The player left of the dealer leads. Follow suit when able; otherwise discard or play a spade.
The highest spade wins a trick containing spades. Otherwise the highest card of the led suit wins.
Spades may not be led until broken by a spade played on another suit, unless the leader holds only spades.
The trick winner leads next. There are 13 tricks per hand.

Making the contract scores 10 points per bid trick plus 1 point per overtrick or bag.
Missing the contract scores −10 points per bid trick.
A successful nil is +100; a failed nil is −100. The nil player's tricks still count toward the team trick total.
Ten accumulated bags normally cost 100 points, with the ten bags removed from the bag count.
First partnership to the agreed target wins after a completed hand. If both cross it, higher score wins; tied scores require another hand.

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