Q&A
How Many Spades Are in a Deck of Cards?
A standard 52-card deck has 13 spades: ace, king, queen, jack and 10 down to 2. See all four suits, their colours, the card order and the top spades in Spades.
There are 13 spades in a standard deck of cards: the ace, king, queen, jack and the numbers 10 down to 2. The deck has 52 cards in four suits of 13 — spades ♠, hearts ♥, diamonds ♦ and clubs ♣ — plus jokers that most games, including standard Spades, leave out.
In the card game Spades all 13 spades are trump. Deal a hand against bots and count how many you get.
Practice vs BotsThe four suits in a 52-card deck
Spades ♠ and clubs ♣ are the black suits; hearts ♥ and diamonds ♦ are the red suits. Each suit has the same 13 ranks: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2. That makes 26 black cards and 26 red cards.
So the answer is the same for every suit: 13 spades, 13 hearts, 13 diamonds and 13 clubs. A double deck, used by some games such as canasta or Spider Solitaire, has 26 of each.
Counting the spades
Of the 13 spades, 3 are face cards (jack, queen and king), 1 is the ace and 9 are number cards from 2 to 10. Across the whole deck there are 12 face cards and 4 aces.
Jokers are not part of any suit. Most decks include two, but they are removed for standard Spades, so the game is played with exactly 52 cards and 13 spades.
Card order: which spade is highest?
In standard Spades the ace is high: A, K, Q, J, 10 and down to 2. The ace of spades is the strongest card in the game and the 2 of spades is the lowest spade.
Joker variants change the top of that list. In Joker Joker Deuce, the big joker, the little joker and the 2 of spades all rank above the ace of spades, so the 2 of spades goes from the weakest spade to one of the strongest trumps.
Why spades matter in the game of Spades
Spades are always trump. When you cannot follow the suit that was led, any spade beats any heart, diamond or club, so the 13 spades decide many tricks. You may not lead a spade until one has been played on another suit (spades are "broken"), unless you hold nothing else.
Four players share the 52 cards, 13 each, so an average hand holds about three spades. Holding five or more is a strong trump hand; holding none or one changes how you bid. How many cards each player gets, and how the deal changes with two or three players, is covered in how many cards you get in Spades.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many spades are in a deck of cards?
Thirteen: the ace, king, queen, jack and 10 through 2. Every suit in a standard 52-card deck has 13 cards.
How many spades are face cards?
Three: the jack, queen and king of spades. A full deck has 12 face cards, three in each suit.
What is the highest spade?
The ace of spades in standard play. In joker variants the jokers and the 2 of spades can rank above it.
How many black cards are in a deck?
Twenty-six: 13 spades and 13 clubs. The other 26 cards are red hearts and diamonds.
Do you use jokers in Spades?
Not in the standard game, which uses 52 cards. Some house variants add one or two jokers as the highest trumps.
Related Topics