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Game Objective

Spades is a trick game, much like hearts or bridge. The player with the highest ranked card wins the trick.

The Deck

This online card game uses a standard pack of 52 cards. In Spades the cards in each suit, rank from highest to
lowest: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.

The Deal

Gamblers Palace features 2-player Spades. In 2-player spades there is no deal. Instead, the deck is placed face-down between the two players, and they take turns to draw cards.

At your turn you draw the top card, look at it and decide whether you want to keep it.

* If you want to keep it you put it in your hand, and draw the next card, which you look at and must then discard face down.

* If you decide not to keep the first card, you discard it face down and then draw the next card, which you put in your hand.

It is then the other player's turn to draw. This continues until the stock is exhausted. You then each have a hand of 13 cards and have discarded 13 cards.

How to Choose your Cards

If you choose to keep the card shown, click and drag the card to your side of the table. The next card from the stock pile will automatically go to the discard pile. Your opponent cannot see the card in the discard pile.

If you choose to discard the card shown, click and drag the card to the discard pile to the right. The next card from the stock pile will automatically go to your side of the table.

The choosing of cards alternates between players until each player has 13 cards in their hand.

The Bidding

Each player must make a bid, which is the number of tricks they expect to take. It is important to realize that in Spades both players' bids stand. (It is not like other bidding games in which only the higher bid counts).

First the challenger, (the player who is not the host of the table), decides on a bid based on the cards in his or her hand. The agreed upon bid is then selected from the drop-down menu. The host then decides on a bid in the same manner.

How to Place Bids

The Blind Bid

If you choose to make a blind bid, click the menu below "select blind bid". While holding the left-click on your mouse, scroll over the bid of your choice. Release the left-click button to select your bid. Press, "continue". Your bid will be displayed to the right of the screen.

The Normal Bid

If you choose to make a bid after you select your cards, click "continue" when the blind bid menu appears.

The normal bid menu will appear in the middle of the screen after you have selected your cards. Click the menu and, while holding the mouse button down, scroll over the bid of your choice then release the button. Press "continue" your bid will be displayed to the right of the screen.

How to play the hand in 2 player spades

The challenger leads with any card except a spade for the first trick. Each player, in turn, must follow suit if able; if unable to follow suit, the player may play any card.

The highest spade played wins a trick containing a spade; if no spade is played, the highest card of the suit led wins the trick. The winner of each trick leads to the next. Spades may be played anytime after the first play.

How to play a Card

All cards that are legal plays are highlighted blue. Click on a legal card of your choice and drag it to the middle of the table.

Scoring

A player that takes at least as many tricks as his/her bid calls for receives a score equal to 10 times the bid.
Additional tricks (overtricks) are worth an extra one point each.

If a player does not make his/her bid, he/she loses 10 points for each trick that was bid.

The player who reaches the designated point total first wins the game. If both players reach the designated point total in a single hand, the player with the higher score wins.

Blind 7

This must be declared by a player before, either player looks at their cards. A player scores 140 points if he/she takes at least 7 tricks. If a player takes a lower number of tricks, he/she loses 140 points. Higher blind bids are also allowed - Blind 7 for 140, Blind 8 for 160 and so on. Blind 7 is the minimum blind bid.

10-for-200

This scores 200 points if a player bids 10 tricks and takes at least 10 tricks, and loses 200 points if he/she takes a lower number of tricks.

Moon or Boston

This is a bid to take all 13 tricks and wins the game automatically if this is accomplished. The player loses 200 points if he/she fails to take all the tricks.

The Score

Both players' bids and the number of tricks won will be displayed on the right side of the table.

At the end of each hand, the score for that hand is displayed on the right side of the table.

The total score is displayed below your character on the left side of the screen.

The Clock

The player that creates the table chooses the amount of time per hand. For example: If 4 minutes was chosen, then each player has a total of 4 minutes to play his/her hand. Your clock will only run when it is your turn to play, and it stops when you complete your turn. If you run out of time, then you lose the game and your wager, if playing in a real money game.

Spades Card Game History

Spades was invented in the USA in the 1930's and is played quite widely in that country. Until recently it has been little known elsewhere, except in a few places where American troops were stationed, for example in parts of Germany. However, since the mid 1990's Spades has become popular internationally because of its easy availablity in on-line card rooms on the Internet.

The introduction of of on-line play and tournaments has also led to some standardisation of the rules.

Spades is a plain-trick game in which spades are always trumps. It is most often played as a partnership game by four players, but there are also versions for three, two or six players.

Tips:

When bidding as the first bidder, indicate strengths by saying things like, "I think I can take five or, maybe, six suits," but never specify the exact suit or ranking of the cards in your hand.

Bid intelligently by taking into account the first partner's bid. Spades is a game of communication between partners.

The first bidder is responsible for taking the tricks he indicated he would take in his bid. If he takes more or fewer than he bid, he is punished in the scoring process. In the same scoring round, both the first and second bidder are responsible for taking tricks indicated in the second bid. If they take more or fewer as a team, they are punished in the scoring process.

Spades may not lead the play of a hand until a player follows with a spade. A player can only follow with a spade when he no longer holds the suit led.

Tricks containing spades are won with the highest spade. If there are no spades in the hand, it is won by the highest card of the suit led.

Spades is a game of partnership, so remember what cards fall early in the game. That way you can play off of your partner's strengths, and he can play off of yours.