Spades is a trick taking game traditionally for 4 players in fixed partnerships but this variation is for 2 players playing against each other. As for 4-handed Spades, the object is to try win the number of tricks you bid . Spades are always trumps.
There are two players, you against a computer bot.
A standard 52 card pack is used. The cards in each suit rank from highest to lowest: A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2.
The object of the game is to score as many points as possible. In this version, first player to 300 points wins the game. Points are scored by winning at least as many tricks as you bid.
The cards are not dealt in the traditional way. Instead, all 52 cards are placed in a stock face down in the
middle of the table. The player designated to go first (alternates each deal), looks at the top card of the
stock and decided whether to keep it or not. If decides to keep, that card becomes part of the hand and the player LOOKS at
the next card in the stock and then discards it (does not take part in the hand). If the player decides not
to keep the first card, it is discarded and the player keeps the next card in the stock.
This alternates until each player has 13 cards and has discarded 13 cards.
So, once hands are determined, there are 26 cards not in play, 13 of which each player has viewed.
(The computer player will remember all 13 cards it has discarded to influence subsequent card playing decisions.)
The bidding begins with the player first drawing a card. This alternates with each hand. Each player bids a number of tricks that they must try to win in order to get a postive score. Each player must bid a number, and in theory any number from 0 to 13 is allowed. Unlike other games with bidding, there is no requirement for each bid to be higher than the last one, and players are not allowed to pass. There is no second round of bidding.
A bid of 0 tricks is known as Nil. This is a declaration that that the player who bid Nil will not win any tricks during the play. There is an extra bonus for this if it succeeds and a penalty if it fails. It is not possible to bid no tricks without bidding a Nil. If you don't want to go for the Nil bonus or penalty you must bid at least 1.
The player who bid first leads to the first trick.
The other player then plays a card to the trick.
Players must follow suit by playing a card of the same suit as the card led if they can; a player with no card of the suit led may play any card.
The trick is won by the highest card of the suit led or by the highest Spade (if one is played).
The winner of a trick leads to the next.
Spades may not be led until either some player has played a spade (on the lead of another suit, of course), or the leader has nothing but spades left in hand.
Playing the first spade is known as "breaking" spades.
Note: Cards that may not be played in the trick will be shown in darker color making it easy to see valid cards to play. If there is only one valid card, it will automatically be played. This option (Auto Play One) can be switched off in Preferences.
If a player takes at least as many tricks as bid, he/she receives a score equal to 10 times its bid. Additional tricks (overtricks) are called "bags" and are worth an extra one point each. A player which (over several deals) accumulates ten or more bags has 100 points deducted from his/her score. Any bags beyond ten are carried over to the next cycle of ten overtricks (bags).
If a player does not make his/her bid, they lose 10 points for each trick they bid.
If a bid of Nil is successful, the Nil bidder receives 100 points. If a bid of Nil fails - that is, the bidder takes at least one trick - the bidder loses 100 points.
The player that reaches 300 points first wins the game. If both players reach 300 points in a single deal, the one with the higher score wins.