Spades Cash Review – Earn Pocket Change for Having Fun
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Spades Cash is worth checking out if you’re interested in making some extra pocket change each week and love to play card games like Spades.
7/10
Cost
8/10
Features
7/10
Ease of use
8/10
Services
7/10
Growing up with a Windows 95 computer, playing Solitaire was one of my favorite activities as a kid. Changing the back of the card deck and selecting between a few beautiful game themes was a lot of fun, and I also enjoyed playing games like Minesweeper and Hearts. When my family upgraded our computer, playing cards on the PC with games beyond Hearts and Solitaire was exciting. I remember Spider Solitaire and Spades, which were both games I spent a lot of time enjoying as a middle schooler.
Of course, nowadays, our mobile devices give us an inordinate number of puzzle games, arcade games, and card games to play in the palms of our hands. They also have opened the door to games that allow you to enter cash tournaments and compete for real money. One popular name behind many of these games is Skillz, which now offers Spades Cash. Learn more about Spades Cash and whether it’s worth your time in this game review.
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What is Spades Cash?
Spades Cash is a mobile game made by Skillz, a company founded in Boston by Andrew Paradise and Casey Chafkin in 2012. Skillz has launched over 500 games in the 10 years since, including popular card games like Solitaire Cube and other games like Dominoes Gold. Skillz lets players compete for real cash in head-to-head competitions against each other online and has even been integrated into other mobile games for cash games, including Bubble Shooter League by Outplay. Skillz is really good about game performance improvements, too, so you can expect a robust gaming experience that is constantly evolving.
Playing the game
Spades Cash is a solo game, even when playing head-to-head with other players. Each player is dealt the same hand and then has their bids and points tracked individually as part of scoring. Players take turns playing one card at a time, matching the first card’s suit whenever possible. The highest-value card wins. This is known as winning a “trick,” with aces as the highest card in each suit. It’s important to note that the highest-value spade is the winning trick if a spade is played.
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- Cash tournaments not available in AR, CT, DE, LA, and SD
How does Spades Cash work?
As you can see from the screenshots below, Spades Cash is easy to play. You’ll start by navigating to the App Store on your iPhone or iPad to download and install the game app.
After you open the game, you’ll get to pick a name and avatar associated with your account. A name and avatar are auto-suggested for you, but you can always change these at a later time.
Once you’ve created your profile, you’ll have the opportunity to play a practice round and watch a tutorial to learn how Spades Cash works.
You’ll then be able to fund your account with an initial deposit. You can fund your account via credit card or PayPal. To complete your registration, you will need to confirm your birth date and email address.
How much does Spades Cash cost?
Like other card and casino games in the Skillz family of mobile games, there is a virtual economy powering Spades Cash. This means you can win a few different things, some of which you can exchange for cash back and other cash prizes.
Event entry fees
Different events have different entry fees. For example, there are practice events where entry fees are only 1 Coinz and payout are 2 Coinz and 1 Ticketz. Additionally, you can play in a head-to-head tournament for an entry fee of $0.60 with a prize of $1 plus 50 Ticketz. Like a Spades Battle, larger brackets require a $3 entry fee and pit you against 31 other players for a total prize payout of $65, plus 225 Ticketz.
Daily Rewards
While you can put in your own money to compete at higher levels, earning free coins and tickets through daily rewards is possible. For example, if you log in and play for seven days straight, these are the following rewards you can earn:
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- Day 1: 10 Skillz Coins
- Day 2: $0.20
- Day 3: 1,000 Ticketz
- Day 4: 20 Skillz Coins
- Day 5: 500 Ticketz
- Day 6: 2,000 Tickets
- Day 6: $0.40
That means that in just a week of playing, you could rack up $0.60, 3,500 Ticketz, 30 Skillz coins, and anything you may have won while playing the game.
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- Deposit/Withdraw with Credit Cards or Your PayPal Account
- Cash tournaments not available in AR, CT, DE, LA, and SD
Spades Cash features
Solo gameplay
Spades Cash is a great option if you love playing Spades and want an uninterrupted gaming experience. In each match, you’ll play against AI opponents, all of whom get the exact same deal. The winner is the player who earns the most points against the AI players.
Multiplayer competitions
Spades Cash also has a way to play with head-to-head multiplayer competitions powered by the Skillz platform. Skillz matches you with similarly skilled players so that the matchups are always fair, meaning you will have a good chance to compete. Multiplayer games have entry fees based on Skillz tokens, and you can see what sort of prize pool you’re playing for when you join a competition.
Bidding
When you start a round of Spades Cash and look at your opening hand, you will be asked to bid based on how many tricks you’re confident you can win from that hand. The game will let you know their estimate, and you can then place a bid ranging from NIL (zero) to 13 tricks.
Remember that while a NIL bid means you won’t take any tricks, it is worth 75 points. This means it can pay off if you’re right and cannot accept any tricks while playing your hand.
Bags
As you play, any tricks you win that exceed your bid earn you a “bag,” which can ultimately result in a -20 point penalty if you have two bags at the end of the game. You can also lose points at 10 times your bid if you don’t reach your bid. As such, overtricks and overbids can cost you valuable points, and it’s important to bid as accurately as possible.
Scoring
Each hand is scored based on how many bids you make, how many bids you miss, any NIL bids that are made or missed, and an overall adjustment based on whether or not you have collected two bags throughout a hand.
Each match is scored based on how your hands score and some additional modifiers. For example, getting a trick instead of a bag will earn 100 points per trick. Additionally, you’ll get an extra 50 points if your opponents get bags. Keep in mind that each bag you get loses you 25 match points and potentially hurts your hand score.
Ticketz
As you play Spades Cash, you progress through different play tiers, accumulating Coinz, Ticketz, and money. Ticketz can be exchanged for various Skillz rewards using the app, including Skillz swag like stickers and Popsockets, bonus cash, and gift cards.
Who is Spades Cash best for?
Card game fans. If card games are your preferred mobile game, Spades Cash is worth checking out. With an easy-to-use interface and fun prizes, the game offers many features that add to the depth of your play experience.
People who like friendly competition. You won’t become rich overnight playing in Spades Cash tournaments — but you might get enough money to pay for coffee or a nice dinner every few weeks. Especially if you like competing head-to-head with other players with a similar skill level, Spades Cash’s matchmaking is a major selling point of the app.
Who shouldn’t use Spades Cash?
People looking to make money. Spades Cash can let you rack up change with each game, but the prize payouts are relatively modest, even if you’re skilled. Spades Cash is a fun way to get some extra pocket change but isn’t really worth considering as a side hustle or reliable income stream.
Related: Best Games to Win Cash
Individuals with gambling problems. Although Spades Cash isn’t gambling per se, any app that makes it easy to wager money and try and win prizes is one that should be approached responsibly. Never bet money or fund your account with money you’re not willing to lose — especially if you’re funding your account via credit card and could wind up paying interest outside of Spades Cash’s in-game economy.
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- Use Code 'JOYWALLET' to Get $5 Bonus Cash On Your First Cash Game
- Deposit/Withdraw with Credit Cards or Your PayPal Account
- Cash tournaments not available in AR, CT, DE, LA, and SD
Pros and cons
Pros
- Easy-to-use mobile app. Spades Cash is a well-designed and user-friendly app that makes it easy to start playing Spades for real money.
- Fair matchmaking for head-to-heads. Playing with others online can be thrilling—but not if you’re going to get crushed every game. Thankfully, Spades Cash and Skillz have a robust matchmaking platform to ensure you’re only ever playing against other people at a similar level.
- Clear tutorials. If you haven’t played Spades in a while or are learning the ropes for bidding, there are clear tutorials and practice rounds to help you start playing Spades Cash.
Cons
- Prize pools are a bit misleading. When looking at prize payouts, make sure you factor in the cost of entry when calculating your total prize. For example, I entered a $1 Rookie competition where entry was $0.60, and the winning prize was $1. When I won this competition, my balance only actually increased by $0.40, since I had spent $0.60 to enter.
- High thresholds for redeeming Ticketz. Like the arcade games that offer tickets at a Chuck-E-Cheese, there are very high thresholds to meet if you want to redeem your Ticketz for something worthwhile. Just $1 in bonus cash will cost you 20,000 Ticketz, with a $50 gift card reward link costing 1 million Ticketz.
FAQs
Is Spades Cash a scam?
No! I truly did win some matches in the games I played and earn the prize pool advertised. I felt like the matchmaking system was fair and that I was evenly matched in each game I played.
How old do you have to be to use Spades Cash?
Spades Cash requires users to be at least 17 years of age or older to play a cash game.
Does Spades Cash teach you how to play Spades?
Yes! Suppose you’re not already a Spades player but are interested in learning to play. In that case, there is an in-game tutorial that walks you through the basic gameplay mechanics as well as the bidding system before you ever compete. You can also enter practice tournaments to get used to the user interface before you hop into larger tournaments.
Are cash tournaments available in all states?
Cash tournaments aren't available in these states: AZ, AR, CT, DE, IN, LA, ME, MT, SC, SD. However, you can still play the game with virtual currency.
The bottom line
Spades Cash is worth checking out if you’re interested in making some extra pocket change each week and love to play card games like Spades. The game is available for iOS and Android, but the latter requires you to download the game manually from the Skillz website.
Some prize payouts aren’t as exciting as they seem when you factor in the entry fee. If you’re 17 or older and looking for a new mobile app to kill some time competing in, Spades Cash is certainly a great choice. Backed by Skillz, a robust in-game economy allows you to win more than just cash prizes. With a well-designed interface and quick-to-play gameplay, Spades Cash is a great addition to your smartphone’s existing game library.
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Writer
Brent Ervin-Eickhoff is a Chicago-based writer, stage director, and filmmaker with a background in digital marketing and content creation. In addition to Joy Wallet, Brent has written for Complex, Volkswagen, HowlRound, Picture this Post, and Third Coast Review, among others. He currently serves as the Associate Director of Marketing for Content Creation at Court Theatre at the University of Chicago. Brent graduated from Ball State University with Academic Honors in Writing.
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