Spades

You and Buffer (across) against Zip and Skip. Bid the tricks you can take, spades are always trump, and every extra trick is a bag. This table plays to 250 instead of 500, and nil is the only special bid (no blind nil).

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Spades

Partnership Spades: you and Buffer against Zip and Skip. Bid the tricks you can take, spades are always trump, and every extra trick is a bag. This table plays to 250 instead of 500.

Play to 250
Team vs 2 bots

How to play

Bid. Each player bids the tricks they expect to take; partners' bids add up. Bid nil to promise none: +100 or −100.
Follow suit. Play the suit led if you can. With none, trump with a spade or discard. Spades can't be led until one has been played.
Win the trick. The highest spade wins; with no spade, the highest card of the suit led.
Score. Make your bid: 10 per trick bid, +1 per extra trick (a bag). Miss it: −10 per trick bid. Every 10 bags cost 100. First team to 250 wins.

Quick tips

Value side suits by length. An Ace in a side suit is usually a trick. A King is often one when you hold two or three cards of that suit, but in a long suit the others run out and trump it. Count long-suit Kings as maybes.
Short suits make trump tricks. A void or a single card in a side suit lets you trump early. With a few small spades and a void, you can add a trick to your bid.

5 more tips in the Spades guide →