The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Tricks in Spades for Spades Players

New to the world of spades? Don’t worry — you’ll get a hang of the game soon enough. While spades can seem complicated at first, it’s actually pretty straightforward. And if you don’t believe us, we encourage you to play a few games right here at 247spades.com. We promise that, provided you have a basic understanding of how the game works, you’ll pick it up in no time.

To succeed in spades, either online or in the real world, you’ll need to know about tricks, which are a fundamental part of the game. Below, we’ll outline some essential information about tricks, as well as provide explanations for some other key factors, including bag penalties and card rankings.

Understanding the Game of Spades

Spades has been around since the late 1930s and is commonly played with four players, who make up two teams of two players each. The goal is to be the first team to pass a predetermined number of points, usually 500, by accurately guessing how many tricks they think they’ll win.

Successful bids are worth ten points each. If a team bids that they’ll win eight tricks, and they're correct, then they’ll receive 80 points. There are other ways to earn/lose points, but that’s the most basic way.

So, how does the actual gameplay work? Here’s a basic guide:

• All players are dealt thirteen cards.
• Players bid on how tricks they expect to win. The bids of both players on the team are combined.
• The player to the left starts a round by putting down a card.
• Every player plays a card, in turn.
• The player with the highest card wins the trick.
• The winning play gets the next round underway.
• The process is repeated until all thirteen cards have been played.
• The cards are reshuffled and dealt until a team has accumulated 500 points.

Decoding Spades Terminology: Tricks and Bags

You’ll hear the words ‘tricks’ and ‘bags’ mentioned frequently when playing spades, and with good reason — both of them can have a significant impact on the points tally and, as a result, on the outcome of the game.

Players bid on how many tricks they think they’ll win during the thirteen rounds. In each round, the player who plays the highest-ranking card wins the trick. For instance, if the round contains 4, 5, 7, and the queen of diamonds, the player who played the queen of diamonds would win the trick.

Bags refer to any tricks you win above the number of the bid. For example, if a player bid they’d win seven tricks, but actually won nine tricks, then they’d have two bags. Each bag is worth an additional one point. However, if a player accumulates 10 bags, then they are given a 100-point deduction.

The Role of Jokers in a Spades Game

In most games of spades, the jokers have no role whatsoever, since they’re not used. You won’t find any jokers used in the games we offer here at 247spades.com, for instance.

However, at some point you might come across a game that does use jokers. So, what happens then? In this scenario, the two jokers would replace the 2 of diamonds and 2 of clubs. They also become the highest-ranking cards in the game.

There’s a Big Joker (red) and a Little Joker (black). The Big Joker is the highest-ranking card, which means it’ll win any trick in which it is played. The Little Joker is the second highest ranking; it’ll win any trick provided the Big Joker isn’t in there.

The Concept of Bag Penalty in Spades

A bag refers to any tricks you win above the number that you bid. If you bid that you’ll win five tricks, but actually win seven, then you’ll have two bags. Each bag is worth 1 additional point. So in that scenario, you’d get 52 points; 50 for your bid, and 2 for the bags you picked up.

Earning bags can sound like a good thing, since they help to give additional points. But if you get too many of them, then they’ll cost you more than they're worth — every bag penalty results in a 100-point deduction.

You’ll receive a bag penalty if you reach 10 bags. As such, it’s important to think carefully about your bid.

Understanding the Ranking of Cards in Spades

Each trick is won by whoever puts down the highest ranking card. In most cases, the ranking of cards will be: A,K,Q,J,10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2. An Ace of hearts will beat an 8 of hearts, for instance.

However, if a player plays a trump card, then they’ll win the trick. A player may play a trump card if they can’t play a card in the suit of the leading card (the first card to be played in the trick). Spade cards are trump cards, as are joker cards if they’re being used.

Mastering the Art of Bidding in Spades

You’ll win a game of spades by bidding correctly. Bid too highly, and you’ll win no points. Bid too conservatively, and it’ll take you hours to win. Some handy tips for bidding correctly include:

• Thoroughly assess your hand, noting the range of high/low ranking cards.
• Establish non-verbal communication cues with your playing partner.
• Make a calculated assessment of how much risk to take.

Unraveling the Mystery of the Big Joker in Spades

The Big Joker, if included in the game, is the most powerful card in the game. Not only is it the highest ranking card, which means it’ll win the trick, but if it’s the lead card (first card) then all opponents must play the highest spade they have in their hand. The bottom line? Having the Big Joker can really help you towards victory!

Exploring Variations: Playing Spades with Five Players

Most games of spades are played with four players, but you can play with other combinations of players, including five. In this variant, every player plays by themselves (not in teams), and receives ten cards rather than 13. The two of diamonds and two of hearts are removed. From there, the usual gameplay is followed until a player reaches the winning number of points.

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