Royal Playing Deck • Official game instructions. Standard trick-taking rules apply: follow the suit led when you can. A rank change never grants a card permission to be played as a wildcard.
Setup
Four players, two partnerships, 52 standard cards, no Jokers.
Choose trump
- The dealer shuffles.
- The player on the dealer's right cuts.
- The dealer reveals the bottom card. Its suit becomes trump for the entire round: Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, or Spades.
- Return the revealed card to the deck and prepare the deck for a normal deal so no one can identify the actual last card dealt.
- Deal all 52 cards, 13 per player.
Play and score
Follow normal Spades play and scoring, except the chosen suit is trump for that round. No cards gain wildcard privileges. Play Classic to 500 points or Quick Match to four round wins.