The Objective of Spades

Spades is a trick game, much like hearts or bridge. The player with the highest ranked card wins the trick. Each player must bid how many tricks they will make before the hand begins. The amount of tricks you bid and make applies to your score and the first player to reach the final score wins.

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 bid is selected from the drop-down menu. The host then decides on a bid in the same manner.

The Normal Bid

After you have selected your cards. The normal bid menu will appear in the middle of the screen. Click on the menu 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 Bids

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.

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