♠️

Spades

Partnership trick-taking. Bid honest, take your tricks.

4 (partners) players45-90 minMediumcard
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What you need

  • Standard deck

Setup

  1. Partners sit across from each other.
  2. Deal entire deck — 13 cards each.
  3. First game to 500 wins (or 250 for short).

How to play

  1. Each player bids the number of tricks they'll take.
  2. Partners' bids combine. Hit it = 10 × bid points. Miss = -10 × bid.
  3. Each extra trick = 1 'bag'. Every 10 bags = -100.
  4. Spades are always trump. Can't lead spades until they've been 'broken'.
  5. Highest card of suit led wins the trick, unless a spade is played.

Host tips

  • Nil bid (zero tricks) = +100 if you make it, -100 if not. Optional.
  • Best with the same 4 people all night.

Snack & drink pairings

🍿 Snacks

  • Soul food spread
  • Wings
  • Mac and cheese

🥤 Drinks

  • Hennessy + cola
  • Beer
  • Sweet tea

Ready to play Spades?

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