How to play Cutthroat Spades

Cutthroat Spades is a variation of the popular card game Spades that involves each player playing on their own. The rules are pretty much the same–which is why it’s best to understand how to play Spades, step by step, before diving into this version–except for a few key distinctions, including the absence of teams. In this quick guide, we’ll walk you through how to play Cutthroat Spades.

Objective

Similar to a regular game of Spades, the objective of Cutthroat Spades is to score the highest number of points by accurately predicting the number of tricks you’ll win in each round. The game ends after the first player reaches a predetermined score, typically 500 points.

Set-Up

A game of Cutthroat Spades is played with a standard fifty-two-card deck, but you can also play Spades with Jokers. At the start of each game, a dealer is chosen by drawing cards. The player who draws the highest card becomes the dealer, and the one who gets the second-highest card sits to his or her left and is the first to bid and play.

Here’s how the game should be set up based on the number of players:

Four-Player Game

A typical Cutthroat Spades game consists of four players. Each player is dealt thirteen cards.

If playing with Jokers, two Jokers are added to the deck while the two of Clubs and the two of Diamonds are removed. The Jokers become part of the Spades suit and are now the two highest-ranked cards in the game, with the Big Joker (red) ranking higher than the Small Joker (black).

Three-Player Game

In a three-player game, the two of Clubs is set aside and not used, totaling a fifty-one-card deck with only twelve cards for Clubs and thirteen cards for all other suits. Players are then dealt seventeen cards each.

If playing with Jokers, no cards are removed from the deck and two Jokers are added. With fifty-four cards, the game deals eighteen cards to each player.

Five-Player Game

In a five-player game, both the two of Clubs and the two of Diamonds are removed, leaving the deck with fifty cards. The dealer then gives each player ten cards.

If playing with Jokers, all four deuces are taken out from the deck and the two Jokers are added. Players are still dealt ten cards each.

How to Play Cutthroat Spades

The player to the left of the dealer starts the game by leading the first trick with a card of their choice. The round continues clockwise with the next players following suit, if possible. If a player can’t play a card of the same suit, they can play any card.

The highest-ranked card in the turn wins the trick. If players play a spade, then the highest spade played wins. After each trick, the player who won the previous trick leads the next one. This continues until all cards have been played.

Scoring

After each hand, points are tallied based on tricks and bids:

• Winning a trick that matches a previously declared bid: Ten points per trick
• Overtricks (also called bags or overbooks): One point per bag
• Successful Nil bids: Fifty points
• Failure to meet declared bid: Ten points per trick
• Unsuccessful Nil bids: Minus fifty points
• Five or more overtricks: Minus fifty points (and a bag count reset to zero)

Points may be added or subtracted based on additional rules set by the players. The game continues until one player reaches a predetermined winning score, which is often 500 points.

Learn More About Spades

Spades is a game that can help you hone your strategizing skills while having fun! Learn more about how to play Spades step-by-step to get better at Cutthroat Spades or other Spades game variations. You can also try your hand at a round on Spades.co!