FAQ · The Whole Table Answered
EVERYTHING
YOU ASK,
IN ONE PLACE.
Rules, bidding, modes, leagues, scorekeeping, premium — the short answers to the questions we get most. Still stuck? Hit support.
00
OVERVIEW
BooksMade Spades was built to get you into the game fast. Jump into Ranked to climb the leaderboards, drill in SOLOs against bots, run a private table in CREW, or level up in competitive Leagues. Traditional Ace High, JJ22, or JJA — every version of Spades, one app.
Free to play, no credit card required. Free accounts are ad-free for the first 5 days, then may see ads; Premium Access is $1.99/mo or $14.99/yr to remove ads, unlock premium emojis and expanded chat, and talk live with Voice Chat in CREW and League games. No pay-to-win. Just Spades.
Built this app to capture the fun, competition, togetherness, and classic trash talk that make Spades what it is. Read on — and if you enjoy it, follow us on social and spread the word.
01
GAMEPLAY
01How do I play a card?
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How do I play a card?
Playing a card is two taps. The first tap selects the card and raises it up. The second tap plays it.
02What happens on the first hand?
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What happens on the first hand?
The first hand of every game bids itself in JJDD and JJA — there’s no bid phase. Your goal as a team is to make “board” — 4 books.
02
BIDDING
03How does bidding work?
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How does bidding work?
After the first hand, you bid with your partner as a team. Tap the books you expect to take plus up to three possible books, then lock in your bid. You can bid zero as long as the team total hits board — no nils, for now.
04What is Bidding Up?
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What is Bidding Up?
The team that bid first in a hand can go up 1 book after the opponents lock in their bid — both teammates must agree. Use it wisely: 1 book can be the difference between winning, setting, or bagging.
05What is Blind Bidding and when can I use it?
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What is Blind Bidding and when can I use it?
When your team is down at least 100 points (bags included), you can bid Blind 7 (140pts) before seeing your cards. Both partners must agree — if either says no, you bid normally.
03
CONNECTIVITY
06What happens if I disconnect from a game?
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What happens if I disconnect from a game?
You’re placed in a disconnected state. While disconnected, the app plays a random legal card for you whenever your play timer runs out. If both you and your partner are disconnected, your team loses automatically at the end of the next play timeout.
07How do I rejoin a game after disconnecting?
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How do I rejoin a game after disconnecting?
Go back into the mode you were playing — Ranked, CREW, or League — and the game automatically tries to reconnect you.
08Does disconnecting affect my Ranked rating?
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Does disconnecting affect my Ranked rating?
Yes — leaving early costs you. If you’re disconnected, you’re scored as a loss no matter what — even if your team goes on to win. On top of that loss, you take an extra disconnection penalty, steeper than a normal loss.
We know Spades can be a war... but in defeat let’s all try to “Have some class...”
We know Spades can be a war... but in defeat let’s all try to “Have some class...”
04
SOCIAL
09How do I add friends?
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How do I add friends?
Open the Friendslist section in your profile and enter the other player’s public ID (find your own in your profile). You can also tap a player’s avatar during a match to view their profile and send a request from there.
05
MODES
10What is SOLOs mode?
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What is SOLOs mode?
SOLOs is single- player Spades against smart bots. Start a game immediately to practice, learn the rules, or play at your own pace — no waiting, no matchmaking.
11How does Ranked mode work?
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How does Ranked mode work?
Ranked queues you up with a random teammate against live players for rating points. Win matches to climb the leaderboard and prove your skill against the BooksMade community.
12What are CREW Games?
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What are CREW Games?
CREW is your own private lobby — invite the people you want to play with. CREW games are casual, non-rated, and fully customizable with your own house rules.
15What is Spades HQ?
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What is Spades HQ?
Spades HQ is where you watch the top live Ranked games as they happen — see who’s playing and the score update in real time. From there, tap Scorekeeper to track a live in-person game without paper or pull up your league history — the app auto-saves your rules and game state so you can pause and pick up right where you left off.
06
LEAGUES
13How do Leagues work?
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How do Leagues work?
My Leagues is where you’ll find every league you’ve created or joined — jump in to view standings, match history, and start or join league games. Joining a league is always free. Creating a new league is a one-time $10 fee — no recurring charges, no expiration. Want Events & Tournaments? See League Pro below.
14What is Spades League Pro?
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What is Spades League Pro?
League Pro is a one-time boost — any league member can buy it — that unlocks Events & Tournaments — bracketed competitions with their own scoring and leaderboards. $9.99 for 1 month, $24.99 for 3, $49.99 for 6, or $89.99 for 12 — boost time stacks. Only players with an active Premium Access subscription can be added to Pro events and tournaments; everyone else keeps playing your league’s standard games.
07
PREMIUM
16What does Premium Access include?
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What does Premium Access include?
Premium removes ads while you play, unlocks premium emojis and expanded chat phrases, and gives you Voice Chat in CREW and League games. Core game is free forever. $1.99/mo or $14.99/yr.
17Do new players get any ad-free time?
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Do new players get any ad-free time?
Yes. When you create a free account and sign in, your first 5 days are ad-free. After that, free accounts may see ads between hands; Premium Access removes them for good. Guest play isn’t included.
18How do I get free Premium by sharing the app?
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How do I get free Premium by sharing the app?
Sign in and share the app from the Home or More screen — your message includes your public ID as a referral code. You can also find and copy your code on your Profile page. A new friend enters it under Profile → Enter Promo Code and gets 1 free month of Premium right away. Once they’ve played 3 games after entering your code, you earn 1 free month too. Guests don’t have a public ID, so you’ll need an account to refer friends.
19Are there limits on referral rewards?
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Are there limits on referral rewards?
Yes:
- You can earn up to 6 free months in total from referrals (6 friends who reach 3 games).
- A friend can use one referral ID, once, and can’t combine it with a promo code they’ve already redeemed.
- Referral IDs are for players who have never subscribed, and you can’t use your own.
- Your reward is only earned after your friend plays 3 games, not at sign-up.
- If you’re already a paying subscriber, your free months are banked and added when your subscription ends, so they’re never wasted.
- We may revoke rewards for abuse, such as fake accounts.
Didn’t find it?ASK ANYTHING.
ASK ANYTHING.
WE’LL WRITE BACK.
New rule question? Bug at the table? Feature request? Send it over — real replies, no ticket queue purgatory.
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