How to Play

Overview

3 of Spades is a trick-taking card game for 5–7 players. Each round, one player wins a bidding auction, secretly forms a team by calling cards held by other players, selects a trump suit, and then tries to win enough point cards to meet their bid. The twist: teams are hidden until called cards are played.

Goal: Be the first player to reach the target score (default: 500 points) across multiple rounds.

Game Setup

The game uses a standard 52-card deck. Before dealing, a few low-value cards are removed to ensure equal distribution:

Players	Cards Each	Cards Removed	Teams
5	10	2♣, 2♦	3 vs 2
6	8	2♣, 2♦, 2♥, 4♣	3 vs 3
7	7	2♣, 2♦, 2♥	4 vs 3

Removed cards are shown to all players. The dealer rotates clockwise each round.

Phase 1: Bidding

After cards are dealt, players bid for the right to lead the round:

• Bidding starts at 150 points and goes up to 250
• The player left of the dealer bids first (they must bid at least 150)
• Each subsequent player can raise by 5 or 10, or pass
• Once you pass, you're out of bidding for this round
• Any active bidder can jump to 250 to instantly win the bid
• Last player standing wins the bid at their amount

⚠️ Risk: If your team fails to reach the bid amount, the opponent team scores your bid amount instead. Bid carefully!

Phase 2: Secret Team Formation

The bid winner forms their team by calling cards they do NOT hold:

• 5–6 players: Call 2 cards
• 7 players: Call 3 cards
• Whoever holds those cards is secretly on the bid winner's team
• The bid winner also selects a trump suit

What Everyone Knows:

• ✅ Which cards were called (announced publicly)
• ✅ What the trump suit is
• ✅ Who the bid winner is

What's Hidden:

• ❓ WHO holds the called cards (only the holder knows)
• ❓ Which team each player is on (until revealed)

💡 Key Mechanic: Teams are revealed only when a called card is played during a trick. This creates tension — you don't know who your allies are until mid-game!

Phase 3: Playing Tricks

The bid winner leads the first trick. Play proceeds clockwise:

• Must follow suit: If you have cards of the led suit, you must play one
• Void: If you have no cards of the led suit, you may play any card (including trump)
• Trump beats all: Any trump card beats any non-trump card
• Highest wins: Highest card of the led suit wins (if no trump played); highest trump wins (if trump played)
• Winner leads: The trick winner leads the next trick

Card ranking (high to low): A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2

All tricks are played until hands are empty. No early termination.

Phase 4: Scoring

Point Values:

Card	Points
3♠ (Three of Spades)	30
Each Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10	10
Each 5	5
All other cards	0
Total in deck	250

Round Resolution:

• Count points won by the bid winner's team
• If bid team's points ≥ bid amount: Bid team scores the bid amount; opponents score 0
• If bid team's points < bid amount: Opponents score the bid amount; bid team scores 0

Important: Scores are tracked per player (not per team), since teams change every round.

Winning the Game

The game continues round after round until a player reaches the target score:

• 300 points — Quick game (~15–20 minutes)
• 500 points — Standard game (~30–45 minutes)
• 750 points — Extended game (~45–60 minutes)

The player with the highest score when the target is reached wins. If multiple players cross the target in the same round, the highest score wins.

Strategy Tips

Glossary

Trick	One round of play where each player plays one card. The highest card wins the trick.
Trump	The suit chosen by the bid winner. Trump cards beat all non-trump cards.
Led Suit	The suit of the first card played in a trick. Other players must follow this suit if they can.
Void	Having no cards of a particular suit. When void in the led suit, you can play any card.
Called Card	A card named by the bid winner during team formation. The holder is secretly on the bid winner's team.
Bid Amount	The number of points the bid winner's team must win to score. Ranges from 150 to 250.