Bidstar: play Spades online free

What is Bidstar Spades?

Bidstar is classic partnership Spades, ready to play in your browser. You and the player across the table are a team. Each of you bids how many tricks you will take, spades are always trumps, and your side scores ten points a trick when you make your contract. Fall short and you lose the lot; take too many and the bags pile up.

Play with a computer partner against two computer opponents at four levels, invite friends to an online table where computer players fill the empty seats, or pass one screen around. Go nil for a 100-point gamble, switch on blind nil for a comeback, and race to 500. A daily deal gives everyone the same four hands each day.

How to play Bidstar Spades

1. Four players in two teams: partners sit across from each other. Everyone gets 13 cards.
2. Starting left of the dealer, each player bids the number of tricks they expect to win, from 1 to 13, or nil (zero). Your side's contract is the two bids added together.
3. The player left of the dealer leads. Follow suit if you can; if you can't, play any card, including a spade to trump.
4. Spades can't be led until one has been played on another suit, unless you hold only spades. The highest spade wins a trick; otherwise the highest card of the suit led.
5. Make your contract to score 10 points per trick bid, plus 1 for each extra trick (a bag). Miss it and you lose 10 per trick bid. Every 10 bags costs 100 points.
6. Nil scores 100 if that player takes no tricks and loses 100 if they take any. The first side to 500 wins; a side that falls to -200 loses.

Bidstar Spades tips and strategy

• Count aces and kings in side suits as tricks, add your high spades, and count extra spades beyond three as likely winners.
• When your partner bids nil, lead high cards and play over them so they can throw low.
• Once your contract is made, stop taking tricks you don't need: ten bags cost 100 points.
• Lead a suit your partner is void in, so they can trump it, and avoid leading into an opponent's void.

The four computer levels

Easy bids roughly and plays loosely. Medium bids honestly and follows the basics. Hard counts every card and void, covers its partner's nil and attacks yours, reads its partner's discards and stops collecting bags once the contract is safe. Insane deals the unseen cards out hundreds of ways that fit the bidding and everything played, then plays each choice to the end of the hand and keeps the one that scores best. Hints use the Hard player: two a hand on Easy, one on Medium and Hard, none on Insane.

Nil, blind nil and bags

A nil bid is a promise to win no tricks at all, worth 100 points either way, and your partner's tricks still make their own bid. With the blind nil option on, a side at least 100 behind may bid blind nil before looking at the cards, for 200. Overtricks count as bags: they earn a point each, but every tenth bag costs your side 100, so a careful team bids accurately.

Play Spades online with friends

Choose Online, then Quick match or Invite friends. The host picks the target score, the blind nil option and the level of the computer players who fill empty seats. Cards are dealt on our server and each player only ever receives their own hand. The daily deal and wins against the computer each have a leaderboard, along with your best winning streak against Insane.

Bidstar Spades FAQ