How do you play 3-player Spades?
With three players you cannot split into even teams, so the game goes cutthroat and the deck is trimmed to deal evenly.
A 51-card deck, 17 each
Fifty-two cards do not divide by three, so one card, typically the two of clubs, is set aside. That leaves 51 cards dealt 17 to each player, for 17 tricks per hand. Everything else about the deck stays the same, and the removed low card rarely affects strategy much.
Cutthroat, no partners
Like Solo Spades, the three-handed game is every player for themselves. You make your own bid, make or miss it alone, and cannot rely on anyone to cover a Nil. The two opponents will often cooperate briefly to set the leader, which keeps the table tense.
Same rules, new math
Following suit, breaking spades, bags, and set penalties all work as usual, but with 17 tricks the bidding totals and counting shift. It is a great option when you have exactly three players. Deal in at 3-Player Spades, or try the two-player game when someone drops out.
The fastest way to make this stick is to deal a hand and try it.
Keep reading - related questions
How do you play 2-player Spades?
Two-player Spades reworks the game into a duel between two people. Instead of dealing all the cards at once, players first go through a draw phase, taking turns revealing cards and choosing whether to keep them, to build a 13-card hand. Once hands are set, both players bid and play out tricks using the normal follow-suit and trump rules.
What is Solo Spades?
Solo Spades, often called Cutthroat, strips out the partnerships so that all four players compete individually. Everyone bids for themselves, scores for themselves, and there are no teammates to cover for you. The core trick-taking rules stay the same, but with no partner the whole game becomes a shifting free-for-all where temporary alliances form and break.
How many cards are used in Spades?
Standard four-player Spades uses a full 52-card deck with no jokers. It is dealt out completely, giving each of the four players 13 cards, which means 13 tricks are contested per hand. Several variants adjust this: Joker Joker Deuce Deuce uses 54 cards, three-player Spades removes one card for 51, and two-player Spades builds hands through a draw.