How to play

The one-minute version

1. Get 13 cardsFour players. Two teams. Your partner sits opposite.Four players. Every player for themselves.
2. Bid your tricksYour bids combine into one team target.Bid how many tricks you expect to win.
3. Follow suitPlay the suit led if you can. Otherwise, play any card.
4. Win the trickHighest spade wins. With no spades, highest of the led suit wins.
5. Reach the targetScore at the end of each hand. Quick seat plays to 300.

Scoring at a glance

Make your bid

+10 per trick bid

Extra trick

+1 point + 1 bag

Miss your bid

−10 per trick bid

10 bags

−100 points

Bidding

After the deal, starting left of the dealer, each player bids how many tricks they expect to win. Standard and Jokers allow bids from 1 to 13, plus Nil when the host enables it.

• Count likely winners. Aces, supported kings and high spades are a useful starting point. Long spades can win tricks late in the hand.
• Pairs: your bid and your partner's add up to one team contract. Bid 4 and 3, and you need 7 tricks between you.Solo: your bid is yours alone. If all four bids add up past 13, someone will miss their bid.
• Watch the clock. Quick seat gives you 15 seconds to bid. If time runs out, your seat plays automatically until you return.

Whiz, Mirror and Suicide have their own bidding rules. See Game modes. Blind nil is a Pairs option chosen before seeing your cards.

Playing a trick

The player left of the dealer leads the first trick. Play goes clockwise, one card each.

• Follow suit if you can. If you cannot, play anything, including a spade.
• Highest spade wins. With no spade in the trick, the highest card of the suit led wins.
• The winner leads next.
• Spades must be broken before you lead one: someone must play a spade on another suit first. If all your remaining cards are spades, you may lead them.

Scoring

• Make your bid+10 points per trick bid.
• Extra tricks+1 point and 1 bag each.
• Miss your bid−10 points per trick bid.

Pairs example: this calculator shows one contract, not a whole team hand. At the table, numbered bids combine; nil is scored separately. A nil bidder's tricks become bags and never help the team contract.Solo example: this is your own contract. Your bid, tricks and nil result are scored individually. Your total changes by this hand's points, less any penalty triggered by your cumulative bags.

Nil & blind nil

Nil is a promise to win no tricks. Take none and earn the bonus; take even one and lose the same amount.

Blind nil is chosen before seeing your cards. It is available only in Pairs Standard or Jokers when the host enables it, and is off by default.Blind nil is not available in Solo. Regular nil is available in Solo Standard or Jokers when the host enables it.

A nil bidder's tricks count as bags. They never help the partner's contract. The partner must make their bid alone.Tricks taken while nil count as bags. They do not earn extra-trick points, and taking any trick also loses the nil bonus.

Hosts can turn Nil off in Standard and Jokers. Whiz, Mirror and Suicide use their own nil rules. Check the table's settings before joining.

Bags

Each trick over a made numbered bid earns 1 point and 1 bag. Bags carry between hands. At 10 bags, you lose 100 points; any bags left over stay on your score.

Once your contract is made, avoiding extra tricks helps keep bags down. A failed nil can add bags even though it earns no extra-trick points.

Game modes

The host picks the mode. Quick seat always plays Standard. Solo supports Standard and Jokers; the other modes require partners.

Standard

Classic Spades, using the rules on this page. The host chooses whether Nil is allowed.

Jokers

The Big and Little Joker are the highest trumps. The 2♣ and 2♦ are removed, keeping 52 cards.Big Joker › Little Joker › A♠ › K♠ › … › 2♠

Whiz Pairs

Bid exactly the number of spades you hold, or Nil.

Mirror Pairs

Bid exactly the number of spades you hold. No spades means Nil.

Suicide Pairs

On each team, one partner must bid Nil and the other bids 4 or more.

At the table

• Turn timer: the host chooses 5 to 20 seconds per turn. Quick seat uses 15 seconds.
• Away: miss a turn and your seat plays automatically until you return. Open the lobby or touch the table to take control again. Closing the browser does not leave your game.
• Leaving: use the exit control and confirm Leave. Leaving an active game counts as a forfeit, and your seat plays automatically so the others can finish.
• Seat filling: quick seats fill automatically after a short wait. Hosts can also choose Fill seat.
• Table talk: choose ready-made phrases and faces, with no typing. You can mute a player's table talk.
• Settings: the gear opens controls over the table. You can change game preferences or report a problem without leaving play.

Chips & prizes

Each player pays the table's entry when the game starts. The winning partners each receive the Pairs payout below.Each player pays the table's entry when the game starts. The winning player receives the Solo payout below.

These payouts include the entry returned and already account for the house share. Chips and gems are play money and cannot be cashed out.

All-in uses your whole chip balance above the 5M entry tier.

Pairs quick seats (6K, 9K, 20K and 50K) all pay at the 30K rate.Solo quick seats (5K, 10K and 20K) all pay at the 30K rate.

Questions