How to Play Spades With 2 Players: Bidding, Tricks and Scoring

Spades is a trick-taking game built around one question: how many tricks can you honestly win? It is usually played by four people in two partnerships. There is no single official version for two, but the game adapts to a head-to-head match with a few changes. This guide gives the core rules, the scoring, and a simple two-player setup that works with a normal deck.

The core idea

• Spades are always trump. Any spade beats any card of another suit.
• Before each hand, each player bids the number of tricks they expect to win.
• You score points for making your bid and lose points if you fail.

Card ranking

Ace is high, then king, queen, jack, 10, down to 2. Spades beat every other suit.

Setting up for two players

Because the usual rules assume four players, here is the simplest two-player setup.

1. Use a standard 52-card deck. No jokers.
2. Deal 13 cards to each player. Put the other 26 cards aside face down. They are not used this hand.
3. Each player looks at their hand and bids a number from 0 to 13. Bid in secret and reveal together, or let the non-dealer bid first.
4. Play 13 tricks.

Because only 26 cards are in play, the total of the two bids usually lands lower than 13. That is normal.

Playing the hand

1. The non-dealer leads any card, except a spade, until spades have been "broken" (someone has played a spade on an earlier trick, or you hold only spades).
2. The other player must follow suit if they can.
3. If they cannot follow suit, they may play any card, including a spade.
4. The trick is won by the highest spade if any spades were played, otherwise by the highest card of the suit led.
5. The winner leads the next trick.

Keep your tricks in a pile so that you can count them.

Bidding

Count how many tricks you expect to win:

• High spades (ace, king, queen) are likely tricks.
• Aces and kings in other suits often win a trick, especially early on.
• A short suit (one or two cards) gives you a chance to trump it with a spade when that suit is led.
• Long spade holdings win extra tricks near the end.

A beginner's guess is to bid the number of aces and kings plus any spades above the 10, and to be a little cautious.

Nil

A nil bid means you promise to win no tricks at all. If you do it, you score +100. If you win even one trick, you lose 100. Nil is a good call with a hand full of low cards and few spades. Some groups play blind nil, a nil bid made before looking at your cards, which scores 200 or loses 200.

Scoring

• Making your bid: you score 10 points per trick bid. A bid of 4 made scores 40.
• Extra tricks (bags): each trick over your bid is worth 1 point but counts as a bag.
• Ten bags: when you collect 10 bags over the game, you lose 100 points and the bag count goes back to zero.
• Missing your bid: you lose 10 points per trick bid. A bid of 4 where you take 3 tricks loses 40.
• Nil: +100 if you win no tricks, -100 if you win any.

Play to 250 points, or 500 for a longer game. Agree on the target first. If both players pass the target in the same hand, the higher score wins.

These are the common scoring rules, but some groups vary them. Agree on the numbers before the first deal.

Tips for two-player Spades

1. Bid honestly. Overbidding costs points. Underbidding gives bags that add up. Aim to make your bid exactly, or one over.
2. Do not lead spades early unless you have a very strong suit. Leading spades before the opponent has to play them wastes your high ones.
3. Count the spades. There are 13 in total. In a game with only 26 cards played, you know which are still out by tracking what has been played.
4. Use short suits. If you have only one or two cards in a suit, you can trump it when it is led and win a trick you would not otherwise win.
5. Lead high cards that are likely to win. A king is better led after the ace has gone.
6. Manage bags. Once you have made your bid, try to lose the extra tricks if you are close to ten bags.
7. Think about nil. If your opponent bids nil, try to force them to take a trick. If you bid nil, lead and play your lowest cards.

Other versions

The standard game is partnership Spades for four players, where partners combine their bids and tricks. The two-player setup above is a simple adaptation.

Where to go next

If you like trick-taking, see how to play Hearts with 2 players. For a card game built for two from the start, read 2 player card games or how to play rummy with 2 players. Browse the Board and Card category for free games in your browser.

Spades is a traditional game with no owner. Software and boxed sets sold under the same name may be trademarks of their publishers. This page is an independent guide and is not affiliated with any publisher.