Card games

Mirror Spades

A version of Spades

Your bid is the number of spades you hold

In Mirror Spades nobody chooses a bid: you bid exactly as many tricks as you hold spades, and a hand without spades bids Nil. The whole game is in the play — taking the tricks your spades promise and stopping the other team from taking theirs. Partners sit across, 10 a trick, bags count, and the first team to 500 wins.

Players
4 players
Length
15–30 min per game
Type
Card games
Mirror Spades illustration

Play Mirror Spades online with friends

At Masa, Mirror Spades is a game of its own right next to Spades: pick it in the games list, open a table and share its code or link with your friends, or sit at a house table. Bots fill the empty chairs, and voice chat keeps the table talking.

How to play

  1. 1

    4 players in 2 teams: partners sit across from each other. The first team to 500 points wins. The winning partners share the pot (minus the 5% table fee).

  2. 2

    Everyone gets 13 cards. Spades are always trump.

  3. 3

    Bid exactly the spades you hold (none = Nil)

  4. 4

    Follow the suit that was led if you can. If you can't, play any card — a spade beats every other suit. The highest spade wins the trick, otherwise the highest card of the suit led.

  5. 5

    You can't lead spades until a spade has been played (spades are broken), unless you have nothing but spades.

House rules

Pick any of these when you create a table; a table that changes none plays the rules above.

  • Nil worth — 100 · 50
  • Failed Nil — Bags · Helps partner · No bags
  • Nil pass — Off · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4
  • 10 for 200 — A team bid of 10 or more scores double
  • All 13 tricks — Normal · Wins · 200 · 500
  • Bags — 10 = −100 · 5 = −50 · −10 each · No penalty
  • Mercy rule — −200 · −500 · None
  • Sets in a row — Off · 2 lose · 3 lose
  • Leading spades — Once broken · Any time · After trick 1

Frequently asked questions

Is Mirror Spades the same game as Spades?

No. Mirror Spades is played at the same kind of table as Spades, but with rules of its own — see “How to play” above. At Masa it is a game of its own, with its own tables, stats and achievements.

Can I play Mirror Spades online with friends?

Yes. Open a Mirror Spades table and share its code or link. Empty seats fill with other players or bots, so a game always starts.

Is Mirror Spades free to play?

Yes. You play with Chips, which have no cash value: nothing can be won or cashed out.