The short answer
The Classic deck and rank order
Classic Spades uses one standard 52-card deck — no jokers. Within each suit, Aces rank high, followed by King, Queen, Jack, 10 down to 2. Spades are always trump and outrank every other suit.
Follow suit, or trump in
The player who leads a trick chooses the suit. You must follow that suit if you have a card in it. If you do not, you may play a Spade to trump the trick or discard a card from another suit. Spades cannot be led until someone breaks them by playing one on a non-Spade lead.
Try a Classic decision
Classic Spades uses Ace-high ranking with no jokers. Try these trick challenges — tap the card you think wins.
Classic Trick Challenge
1 / 3Hearts Led — Can a low Spade win?
Tap the card you think wins this trick.
Bidding, score, and bags
Each team bids the tricks it expects to win. Make your bid for 10 points per trick; miss it to lose 10 times your bid. Tricks over your bid become bags — every 10 bags costs 100 points. A successful Nil bid (zero tricks) earns 100 points; a failed Nil loses 100. Full detail on the scoring page.
Start a Classic match
Press Play Classic to open Practice vs AI with Classic preselected. You then choose your difficulty before sitting down. Classic is the default ruleset, so you can start right away.
Ready to try it for real?
Frequently asked questions
What deck does Classic Spades use?
A standard 52-card deck with no jokers. Aces rank high and Spades are trump.
What is the highest card in Classic?
The Ace of Spades is the highest trump and the highest card in the game.
When can I lead a Spade?
Not until Spades are broken — played on a trick led by another suit. The only exception is if you hold only Spades.
How does a Nil bid work?
Bid zero tricks for a 100-point bonus if you take none, and a 100-point loss if you take even one.