# The Shady Spade — 6-Player Partner Card Game

> Secret partner card game with hidden alliances and a special 3 of Spades card. (iPhone/iPad app by Vijay Goyal.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-shady-spade/id6760261655 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Vijay Goyal](https://appshunter.io/developer/1883512366)
- Category: Games
- Price: Free
- Rating: 5.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.0 · 18 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-03-12
- Data updated: 2026-10-02
- Monetization: free

## What is The Shady Spade?

The Shady Spade is a 6-player secret partner card game where alliances are hidden, bids are bold, and one legendary card changes everything.

THE LEGENDARY SHADY SPADE
The 3 of Spades is worth 30 points -- the most valuable card in the deck. Capture it and swing the game in your favour. Miss it and watch your opponents celebrate.

HOW IT WORKS
- 6 players split into two secret teams of 3
- The highest bidder declares trump and calls 2 secret partners using hidden cards
- Partners stay secret until their called card is played -- anyone could be your ally
- Bid between 130-250 points to win the round
- Make your bid - your team scores. Get SET - lose everything

WHAT MAKES IT UNIQUE
- 48-card deck (no 2s) with point values on every card
- Aces, Kings, Queens, Jacks and 10s = 10 pts each
- 5s = 5 pts each
- The Shady Spade (3 of Spades) = 30 pts
- Total points per round = 250

THREE WAYS TO PLAY

SOLO MODE
Jump in instantly. Face 5 AI opponents with unique names and personalities. Perfect for learning the game or playing anytime, anywhere. No internet needed.

ONLINE MODE
Play with 5 real friends anywhere in the world. The host creates a room and shares a simple 6-character code. Friends join in seconds -- no account, no email, no sign-up required.

CUSTOM GAME
The most flexible mode. Mix 2-5 human players with AI opponents. Play hot-seat on one device passing it between players, or connect remotely. Great for family nights when not everyone has a phone.

PRIVACY FIRST
No account required. No email address collected. Just pick an avatar name and start playing. Online sessions use anonymous connections only -- we never store personal data.

DESIGNED FOR EVERYONE
- Beautiful dark and light mode
- Emoji avatars for all players
- Full game history with hand-by-hand breakdown
- Works on iPhone and iPad

The Shady Spade is free to download and free to play. No ads. No in-app purchases. Just pure card game strategy.

Download now and find out -- do you have what it takes to capture The Shady Spade?

## Key features

- 6-player secret partner gameplay
- Unique 48-card deck with point values
- The legendary 3 of Spades card
- Solo, online, and custom game modes
- No account or sign-up required for online play
- Privacy-focused with anonymous connections

## Is The Shady Spade safe?

Not enough ratings yet to assess The Shady Spade.

## Is The Shady Spade legit?

The Shady Spade has limited verification signals. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for The Shady Spade is 58 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data.


## Frequently asked questions about The Shady Spade

### What is The Shady Spade?

The Shady Spade is a 6-player secret partner card game. Players form two teams of three, with alliances hidden until specific cards are played. The game features a unique 48-card deck and a special 3 of Spades card worth 30 points.

### How do you play The Shady Spade?

Players bid on the number of points they think their team can score. The highest bidder declares trump and calls two secret partners using hidden cards. Teams score if they make their bid; they lose everything if they are 'SET'.

### Can I play The Shady Spade offline?

Yes, The Shady Spade offers a Solo Mode where you can play against 5 AI opponents. This mode does not require an internet connection, making it perfect for playing anytime, anywhere.

### How does online multiplayer work in The Shady Spade?

In Online Mode, you can play with up to 5 real friends globally. The host creates a room and shares a 6-character code. Friends can join quickly without needing an account, email, or sign-up.

### Does The Shady Spade have ads?

No, The Shady Spade is free to download and play with no advertisements. The developers emphasize pure card game strategy without interruptions.

### What devices does The Shady Spade support?

The Shady Spade is designed for everyone and works on iPhone and iPad. It also supports the Apple Watch, offering a versatile gaming experience across devices.

### Is The Shady Spade suitable for younger players?

The Shady Spade has an age rating of 4+, indicating it is suitable for a wide range of players. The game focuses on strategy and partner dynamics.

### How often is The Shady Spade updated?

The Shady Spade was last updated on September 24, 2026, with version 2.0. This indicates a commitment to ongoing development and improvements for the game.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.0 — 2026-09-24

Apple Watch companion — keep score from your wrist. Add a round, undo the last
  one, and see running totals without picking up your phone.

  Real-Life Scorekeeper — playing with physical cards? Track a six-player game in
  the app. Record the dealer, winning bidder, partners, called cards, bid and
  result, and the app does the scoring for you.

  Share a live scorecard — let anyone follow along read-only with a six-character
  code or a link, then save and share a final scorecard when the game ends.

  Also in this release:
  • Themes — Casino Night, Midnight Blue and Parchment, with Dark, Light or System
  • A guided first game for new players
  • Full iPad and landscape support across every screen
  • Scan a QR code or tap an invite link to join a game instantly
  • A round-by-round review after every hand, showing who caught which points
  • Smarter AI opponents that read the table instead of playing at random

### 1.10 — 2026-06-24

Leaderboard UI / Moderation

  - Simplified leaderboard from cluttered tabular UI into a rankings-first view.
  - Added compact Sort and Mode menus.
  - Moved recent games into a sheet.
  - Added player detail sheet.
  - Added mode filters.
  - Added report options from:
      - player detail
      - recent game row
      - bidder/partner/defense names

  - Kept leaderboard update pipeline unchanged.

  Gameplay UI Clarity

  - Removed duplicated “Your turn - tap a card to play” prompts.
  - Kept the hand area as the main action prompt.
  - Changed current trick copy to describe table state instead of repeating action instructions.
  - Several game table clarity experiments were made and some were reverted per your feedback.

  Online Multiplayer Fixes

  - Fixed online “Round 0” at game start.
  - Fixed AI takeover freezes in online multiplayer.
  - Fixed multiple online host/crash/presence issues.
  - Added host presence monitoring for non-host clients.
  - Improved AI replacement state sync.
  - Added online-to-solo fallback when host starts with no other human players.
  - Strengthened several Firestore write paths with retry/error handling.

  Multiplayer Status UI

  - Added clearer multiplayer status pills for host/client role, AI seats, reconnecting, and host migration.
  - Improved Bluetooth reconnect/host-migration copy.
  - Removed earlier intrusive connection/message overlays from active gameplay.

  AI Improvements

  - Added many AI strategy improvements, including:
      - 3 of Spade strategy
      - defense called-suit targeting
      - opponent bid inference
      - position-aware calling
      - trump exhaustion detection
      - over-ruff prevention
      - intentional void creation
      - endgame exact lead logic
      - long-suit establishment
      - trump-pull logic
      - per-player hand probability modeling
      - defense point-denial mode
      - safer play after bid is already made
      - finessing
      - discard signaling
      - 3-trick endgame planning
      - better bidder/partner coordination after reveal

### 1.9 — 2026-06-03

AI & Gameplay

  - Shared AIEngine across all modes — Solo, Online, and Bluetooth bots now all use one engine; strategy changes apply
  everywhere
  - Bot personalities — 5 profiles: conservative, aggressive, pointFeeder, trumpController, riskTaker
  - Smarter AI strategy — card memory, lowest-winning-card logic, point-feeding seat awareness, defense urgency
  - Partner-reveal intent — bots now model when/whether to reveal themselves as a partner
  - Random initial dealer — first bidder no longer predictably player 1 on every new game
  - New Game entry point — "Play Solo" + "Multiplayer" merged into a single "New Game" flow with a player-count picker (1
  player = Solo, 2–6 = Online with AI fill)

  Bug Fixes
  
  - Round numbering — fresh Solo games now always start at Round 1 (not a stale persisted number)
  - Turn avatar highlight — green highlight now follows the active player per card, not the trick leader
  - Solo/P&P leaderboard double-write — fixed game ID truncation so server dedup works correctly
  - Online room join blocked — AI slot join rule fixed in Firestore (isAISlot helper)
  - Leaderboard auth gate — listeners and sends now wait for Firebase anonymous auth before firing
  - Duplicate leaderboard send — in-flight claim guard prevents live send + flush race

Other bug fixes as well.

### 1.8 — 2026-04-29

Bug fixes.

### 1.7 — 2026-04-24

v1.7
  • Bid display now always shows each player's latest bid — no more stale amounts
  • Your bid button pulses green when it's your turn to bid
  • Fixed several AI-freeze issues in all game modes
  • How to Play section updated with accurate scoring and avatar info
  • Stability improvements for online and Bluetooth games

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## More apps by Vijay Goyal

- [xBill: Split Bills & Expenses](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xbill-split-bills-and-expenses/id6780284715)

All apps by Vijay Goyal: https://appshunter.io/developer/1883512366

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-10-02.*