Cutthroat Spades is regular Spades without partnerships. Four players each receive 13 cards, bid how many tricks they expect to win, play every trick for themselves and keep separate scores. Spades are always trump. The first player to reach the agreed target, usually 500 points, wins. The rules documents cited here include sources from 2022 and 2024, which helps explain why groups use different house rules for nil bids, bags and winning scores.
Cutthroat Spades Rules at a Glance
| Rule | Standard casual version |
|---|---|
| Players | 4 players |
| Deck | Standard 52-card deck |
| Cards per player | 13 |
| Partnerships | None |
| Trump suit | Spades |
| Tricks per hand | 13 |
| First bid | Player to the dealer's left |
| Typical winning score | 500 points |
| Nil bid | Optional, usually worth +100 or -100 |
| Bag penalty | Usually -100 points for every 10 bags |
Groups often change the nil rules, bag penalty, minimum bid and target score. Agree on those details before dealing.
1. Deal the Cards
Use a standard 52-card deck. Shuffle and deal all the cards, giving each of the four players 13 cards.
Each player has an individual hand and score. There are no teams, partners or shared bids.
The player to the dealer's left bids first. Bidding then moves clockwise.
2. Bid How Many Tricks You Expect to Win
A trick contains one card from each player. With four players holding 13 cards each, every hand has 13 tricks.
Look at your hand and announce the number of tricks you expect to win. A regular bid can range from 1 to 13.
For example:
- A hand with the ace of spades and several other high spades might be worth 5.
- A hand with few high cards might be worth 2.
- A hand with no likely winning cards may qualify for a nil bid if your group allows nil.
Your bid applies only to you. You must meet your own bid, regardless of the bids made by the other players.
3. Play the Tricks
The player to the dealer's left leads the first trick.
Following Suit
You must follow the suit that was led if you can.
If the first card is a heart:
- A player holding a heart must play a heart.
- A player with no hearts may play any card, including a spade.
- A spade played when the player cannot follow hearts can win the trick.
How the Winner Is Decided
The highest card in the led suit wins unless a player plays a spade. Spades beat cards from the other three suits. If more than one spade is played, the highest spade wins.
Card rank runs from high to low:
Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2
The winner collects the four cards and leads the next trick.
Breaking Spades
In the usual version of Spades, you cannot lead with a spade until spades have been broken. Spades are broken when a player plays one because they cannot follow the suit led.
After spades are broken, any player may lead a spade.
A common exception lets you lead a spade before it has been broken if spades are the only suit left in your hand.
4. Score Each Player Separately
Use this scoring system unless your group agrees to another one:
- Make your bid: Score 10 points for every trick bid.
- Take extra tricks: Add 1 point for each trick above your bid. These extra tricks are called bags.
- Miss your bid: Lose 10 points for every trick bid.
- Reach 10 bags: Subtract 100 points and reset your bag total to zero.
Scoring Example
If you bid 4 and win 5 tricks:
- Bid score: 4 × 10 = 40 points
- Extra tricks: 1 bag
- Total: 41 points
If you bid 4 and win 3 tricks:
- You missed your bid by 1 trick.
- Score: -40 points
Cutthroat Spades leaves no partner to cover a missed bid or absorb extra bags, so bidding mistakes affect your score directly.
5. Optional Nil Bids
A nil bid means you promise to win zero tricks.
With the usual scoring method:
- Successful nil: +100 points
- Failed nil: -100 points
Winning even one trick makes the nil fail.
Nil rules vary between groups. Some groups do not allow nil bids. Others use a 50-point bonus and penalty instead of 100 points. Decide the nil value before the game starts.
6. Decide How the Game Ends
The usual target is 500 points. The first player to reach that score wins. Some groups use 250 or 300 points for a shorter game.
If two players reach the target during the same hand, the player with the higher total score wins. You can also agree to play another hand as the tiebreaker.
How Cutthroat Spades Differs From Regular Spades
| Cutthroat Spades | Partnership Spades |
|---|---|
| Every player scores alone | Two partnerships share a score |
| Every player bids alone | Partners combine their bids |
| No partner can cover a missed bid | A partner can help make the team bid |
| No partner can protect a nil bid | A partner can help protect a nil |
| Three opponents can pressure the player in front | Players mainly challenge the other team |
The card play remains the same in most respects. The important change is that every bid and trick affects your own score.
Basic Strategy for Winning
- Bid conservatively. Count tricks you expect to win, not tricks you hope to win.
- Value long spade suits highly. Several spades can win tricks after opponents run out of another suit.
- Treat kings and queens carefully. An opponent may hold the ace, and no partner can protect your high card.
- Track void suits. A player with no cards in the led suit can trump with a spade or discard a dangerous card.
- Avoid unnecessary bags. Extra tricks add points now but move you closer to the 100-point bag penalty.
- Challenge the leader's bid. If one player is close to the target, the others have a reason to stop that player from making the bid.
- Use nil bids carefully. Three opponents can all play in ways that force you to take a trick.
For a first game, use four players, standard dealing, no blind nils, nil worth 100 points, a 10-bag penalty and a 500-point target. That gives everyone a clear set of rules before the first hand begins.