Spades In The Media

Spades is a legendary card game played across the U.S. and other parts of the world. However, it hasn’t made all that many appearances in pop culture and the media, unlike many other famous card games, like Texas Hold’em or Blackjack.

With that said, it does make some rare appearances. And true Spades fans should know where they are!

Are you curious to learn more about the obscure pop culture references to this game? Then, this post is for you. We take a deep-dive into all Spades appearances in the media, music, and even video games, providing all the details you need to impress your friends at your next quiz night.

Black-Ish - TV Series

The card game Spades appears in a Black-ish episode of the same name. The story tells of how Ruby gets Junior to be her Spades partner.

The inclusion of Spades in the episode is culturally significant. Spades is a card game with deep roots in African-American communities. It was and is a social activity, with various rules and modifications passed down over the generations.

This episode looks at some unwritten rules that govern the game. Characters are proud to be spades partners, with the episode showing how the culture takes the game seriously.

The game is also a focal point for family dynamics. Ruby, Junior, and others use Spades as a backdrop to express themselves and get closer to those around them.

Atlanta - TV Series

Spades also features in the TV series Atlanta in an episode entitled “Barbershop.” Characters appear to be playing the card game in the barbers as a backdrop for conversations among the characters.

Atlanta first premiered in 2016 and gained critical acclaim for its unique storytelling style and how it dealt with cultural issues. The main plot follows the life of Earn Marks, a young man who wants to find ways to support his family by managing the career of his rapper cousin, Alfred “Paper Boi” Miles.

During the Barbershop episode, characters gather together to play the intense and strategic game of Spades. Again, Spades is culturally significant in this context because of its significance in African-American communities. Its inclusion allows the screenwriters to formulate more compelling and believable interactions between the characters, offering a more authentic depiction of their lives.

Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll is a classic children’s story revolving around Alice and her adventures after falling down the rabbit hole. The author cleverly includes playing cards as part of the story to create a sense of mystery and mystique, including those in the Spades suit.

Spades first make an appearance alongside the Queen of Hearts. The queen, famous for the line “off with their heads!” uses playing card soldiers that artists regularly depict as spades. These grunts carry out her bidding and do what she says.

Of course, Alice doesn’t play spades herself, nor do any of the other characters. However, the spades imagery used throughout the original book and various films has created an association between the game of Spades and the classic novel over time. Artists regularly include spades when depicting scenes in the book.

House Of Cards

House of Cards is a drama all about the Machiavellian machinations of the American political machine. The series doesn’t include anyone playing Spades, but the title is metaphorically significant and refers to card games like it.

The idea of a “house of cards” suggests the inherent weakness of political alliances and the game people play to gain power. While they might present a strong front on the outside, it could always be a bluff.

This idea reflects strategies players use in games like Spades. Participants may place fewer cards or raise the number of contracts they believe they can fulfill to intimidate the other side, causing them to make decisions they wouldn’t ordinarily make.

House of Cards also refers to the cutthroat world of card games. Players aren’t afraid to take each other to the cleaners if it means winning money or gaining prestige. The same is true of politicians in the series.

Ace Of Spades by Motorhead

Motorhead’s famous single Ace of Spades is another reference to the risks associated with the Spades card game, though it doesn’t reference it directly. The band likely used the concept to depict artists’ rebellious, risk-taking, fast-paced rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle in the 1980s.

The Ace of Spades is the highest-value card in Spades when the rules specify aces high. As such, Motorhead probably used it as a gambling metaphor to describe a rocker’s attitude to life. The lyric “you know I’m born to lose, and gambling’s for fools” backs up this assertion, suggesting that the subject might have a cavalier or risky attitude to life, similar to the game.

The single also features the late Lemmy Kilmister’s epic guitar solo. Some analysts believe this mimics the euphoria of being dealt an Ace of Spades in a high-stakes game of Spades where money is at stake. The soundtrack is now synonymous with rock and roll and one of the most famous riffs of all time.

Finally, the Ace of Spades is a fast-paced, intense music mimicking the card game. Players must think on their feet and convert their contracts into points to win, which is always a race against time.

Spades (2015 Film)

The 2015 film Spades is another pop culture reference to the card game of the same name. However, like the other media examples, it doesn’t feature anyone playing a game of Spades.

The film’s plot involves a group of dangerous men coming together to complete one final assignment – killing one of their own. Unfortunately, an innocent family gets caught in the middle.

The name “Spades” comes from the fact that the men find that the game’s rules have been changed and stacked against them. At first, it only seems like fun until someone gets hurt.

This concept probably originated from Spades’ reputation for leading to violence. Players must avoid reneging where they fail to place cards of the same suit from their hand to follow the lead one. When this happened historically, it often led to punch-ups and brawls as players accused each other of cheating to maintain more favorable hands. That could be the reference in the film.

Other than that, the reference to the card game Spades in the film is minimal. While other movies feature popular card games like poker and rummy, Spades is one of those lesser-known games that is elusive on the big screen.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater also refers to playing cards in the story. However, like many other media examples given thus far, none of the characters ever sit down to play a game (which is frustrating).

The link to Spades comes from the character of The Boss in the game. The story often refers to this elusive person as “The Joy” and links them to the Queen of Spades, a high-ranking card in the game Spades.

Furthermore, the playing card theme runs throughout the Metal Gear Solid game, with various characters associated with specific cards. The creator of Metal Gear Solid, Hideo Kojima, regularly uses metaphors and symbols in his creations, including elsewhere in the Metal Gear Solid series. He could have had the game Spades in mind when creating metaphors for Snake since everyone follows the lead’s hand (The Boss), but nobody knows what the next play will be.

Unfortunately, any additional references to Spades are likely pure speculation. Metal Gear Solid is a third-person action game without card mini-games (unlike the Final Fantasy series that released various titles around the same time).

The Queen of Spades by Alexander Pushkin

Another reference to spades as the suit (but not the card game) is in Alexander Pushkin’s Queen of Spades, written in 1833. The story revolves around the lead protagonist, Hermann, and his desire to learn the secret of winning the card game Faro (an old game descended from Bassett).

The characters in the story believe that the winning strategy descends from the Count of St. Germain, a mysterious character that French philosopher Voltaire described as the “man who knows everything and never dies.” His secret allegedly involves knowing the sequence of winning cards that trumps all other hands. Hermann takes this information and thinks the winning strategy involves leveraging the three, seven, and Queen of Spades. However, the precise method continues to evade him. Over time, he becomes obsessed with the secrets given to him by the Countess and uses various tactics to secure more information from her, including seducing her maids and entering her chamber.

As such, the title “Queen of Spades” is multi-layered. It is a reference to the game of Faro, the countess herself (having special knowledge), and the risky tactics Hermann employs to discover the truth about the card game he wants to win.

Black Spades In The Military

Spades also made an appearance in the military during the Second World War. Soldiers in the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the American 101st Airborne Division painted spade symbols on the sides of their helmets to bring them good luck. The ace of spades was associated with good fortune, or so they thought. However, confusion between the various battalions led to the painting of all four suits on the sides of helmets, plus additional markings and symbols to help soldiers identify each other.

During the Vietnam War, some thirty years later, spades made another appearance in the military, with American soldiers using the symbol as a psychological weapon. U.S. soldiers believed that the spade symbol represented death and ill fortune to the Vietnamese soldiers and hoped that it might hurt their morale. American servicemen would leave the ace of spades on the bodies of fallen Viet Cong as a form of psychological warfare.

Incredibly, the tactic proved effective, so much so that the 2nd Battalion 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division asked the United States Playing Card Company to produce a crate of ace of spades in bulk (without supplying any of the other 51 cards in a standard deck). The brand labeled shipments “Bicycle Secret Weapon” after the bicycle depicted on the reverse of the card.

It is likely soldiers got the idea to use the ace of spades from playing the card game Spades. Military personnel would spend vast expanses of time waiting for orders from their superiors. During that time, playing cards and gambling were popular in mess tents and barracks.

Curiously, the 2003 Iraq War brought other Spades references to the military. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, the army issued U.S. soldiers with playing card sets featuring pictures of wanted Iraqi officials. Top brass believed giving playing cards to soldiers using them all day would familiarize them with the faces of enemies they needed to capture or kill. Sitting right at the top of the list of targets was the ace of spades – ex-dictator Saddam Hussein.

Red Dead Redemption 2 - Rockstar

Finally, the critically acclaimed game by Rockstar, Red Dead Redemption 2, features numerous scenes where characters are playing card games, including Spades. The story follows the trials and tribulations of vagabond Arthur Morgan as he and his band of fellow outlaws try to make a living on America’s frontier. As they explore the vast expanse of wilderness, they encounter various taverns, bars, and homesteads where people are playing cards. During some missions, Arthur himself must play cards but usually finds himself unconscious and strung up by the police or rival gangs before the game can end. However, players aren’t expected to know all the rules.

Rockstar is also the studio behind the popular Grand Theft Auto games, where it also depicted people playing cards. Card games give virtual environments a grittier, darker feel.

Why The Card Game Spades Does Not Feature Prominently In Pop Culture And The Media

As you can see, references to the game Spades in pop culture and the media are limited. But why?

Cultural Specificity

One potential reason is the cultural specificity of the game. Unlike poker, Spades is not universal across all groups in the U.S. or the world. Instead, it is mainly concentrated among the African-American community, passed down by generations of family players. As such, it fell out of popularity among the bulk of the population for much of the 20th century. It was only when TV series began exploring African-American culture post-2010 that it became well-known again.

Shifts In Pop Culture Trends

Another reason for the lack of references to Spades in pop culture is the prominence of other games. Blackjack, Texas Hold’em, and Rummy have all stolen the limelight in recent years.

Some commentators argue this phenomenon is self-reinforcing. Movies and TV series portray these games as daring and sexy, encouraging more people to play them. As they gain popularity, filmmakers and artists feel pressured to reference them, making them even more popular. Other games, like Spades, fall into obscurity.

Adding to this, the internet has supercharged some games’ popularity even further. Live streaming of poker tournaments introduced viewers to the best players in the world, creating a sense of mystique and intrigue. Bluffing and player skill in the game have cinematic appeal, while in Spades they don’t.

Complexity

Spades is also a somewhat complex card game. (We explain the rules elsewhere). You have to form “contracts,” multiply your winnings by ten, and reach a total of 500 to win. Players used to playing other card games might find this formula intimidating if playing for the first time.

Lack Of International Reputation

Spades also lacks international reputation. While it is popular in parts of the southern U.S., it is virtually unknown in many other parts of the world. Musicians, movie-makers, and TV bosses are conscious of this. Spades is not popular in the U.S. and is completely unknown in many major markets. Therefore, depicting other games is more appealing.

Conclusion

In summary, Spades makes a few explicit appearances in the media. However, these are few and far between. Some pop culture refers to it directly, while others allude to it metaphorically or use symbolism.

This fact makes writing any in-depth guide on spades in the media and pop culture challenging. Movies, music, and literature refer to playing cards often, but Spades hardly gets a mention compared to other games.

For context, the pop culture references to poker include movies like Casino Royale, Maverick, and Rounders, TV shows like Poker After Dark and High Stakes Poker, and literature, such as The Cincinnati Kid by Richard Jessup and Molly’s Game by Molly Bloom. You simply don’t find this level of artistic renown for Spades, which is significantly less popular across all categories, including video games.

It’s not all bad news, though. Spades is an undiscovered gem, and, likely, artists will soon realize this and start including it in their work more often. That might give the game a broader appeal and potential for growth in the future.

DISCLAIMER: The games on this website are using PLAY (fake) money. No payouts will be awarded, there are no "winnings", as all games represented by 247 Games LLC are free to play. Play strictly for fun.