How to Play Spades with Jokers

Spades is a game of strategy, but the intricacy can wane after you’ve been playing for awhile. To add a little extra complexity to your rounds, try playing Spades with jokers.

When playing Spades with jokers, players typically treat the jokers as the highest-ranking cards or as wild cards that can represent any other card in the deck.

If you want to hone your skills so you can start experimenting, Spades.co gives you the opportunity to play spades online for free against a computer. The user-friendly interface is easy for anyone to understand, including beginners and those looking to level up.

Understanding Card Order

If you’re playing a game of Spades with a full fifty-two-card deck, it’s crucial to understand the order of the cards and the difference between the two jokers. The 'big' joker and the 'little' joker are among the two best cards.

The big joker, or the one with the biggest joker illustration on the card, trumps all, including the little joker. If your deck has identical jokers, you can label them 'big' and 'little' yourself.

Spades follow as the best cards to play when not playing with a specific suit. When playing strictly hearts, clubs, or diamonds, the highest card wins the round. However, every group may have its own house rules and play differently. Whatever you and the opposing team decide, it’s important to establish the rules at the beginning and agree from the start.

Playing the Game

Once you’ve established who goes first in Spades, you can get the round going. The person to the left of the dealer begins, makes their bid, and plays their first card–a card of any suit other than spades.

Players must follow the specific suit, like hearts, clubs, or diamonds, if they are able. If you don’t have a card of that suit, you can play any card you have in your hand. If no Joker or Spade is played, the highest card wins. The winner of each turn begins next.

Strategize, but Fairly

Have a card you know will win and want to play it, even though you have a card that falls within the same suit? That’s called a ‘renege’ in Spades.

What happens when you renege in Spades? Failing to follow suit when you can is a serious offense in Spades and usually results in penalties, depending on the specific house rules of the game. This could mean losing the trick, having your bid reduced or, at worst, being disqualified from the hand.

To stay fair in the competition, it’s important to follow the rules of Spades out of respect for your other players, including your partner. Playing fair upholds the integrity of the game and ensures a level playing field for everyone. By being ethical in the spirit of competition, you foster trust and respect among your fellow players and create a positive gaming environment for all.

Play from Anywhere with Spades.co

Spades.co makes the popular card game accessible to anyone, anywhere. With easy-to-understand directions and guidance for Spades players, this game can be enjoyable for players of any skill level!