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Outline of the US

We connect people to play cards together!

We’re a small, US-based company led by two people who love building software and playing cards. We work remotely and use our own games to connect when playing. If you send feedback or reach out via social media, you’ll often hear from a co-founder.

Our Story

We started Trickster Cards in 2014 after trying to play cards online with family. Nothing quite worked. Sites at the time hadn’t made the jump to mobile and most apps couldn’t connect between Android and iOS, let alone phones and PCs.

After discussing the problem, we knew we could solve it. We’d met working on web browsers at Microsoft. There we saw how web technologies could be used to bridge the gap between devices. We decided this was an opportunity to combine our technical and social interests in a new project.

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In July 2014, Trickster Hearts went live on the web. Apps quickly followed for Android, iOS, and other platforms. Then more card games and the all-in-one Trickster Cards experience. We’ve learned a lot in the years since but our focus remains the same: we connect people to have fun playing cards together—while having fun making it possible.

The Founders

Jacks of all trades, we do a little bit of everything for Trickster Cards. Aside from hearing how our games help people connect, what we enjoy most is writing the code that makes it all work.

Tony Ross

Favorite Games: Euchre, Pitch and Spades

Tony grew up in the Midwest where card games were a staple at gatherings. He learned Pitch from his family, then Euchre and Spades at college before moving to Seattle to start a career in software. These days Tony is back in Iowa raising the next generation of card players while continuing his work on Trickster Cards.

Ted Johnson

Favorite Games: Euchre, Pinochle and Spades

Also originally from the Midwest, Ted now calls Seattle home. A fan of cutthroat Spades, Ted learned Pinochle from his wife's family and Euchre from Tony. He enjoys testing his skills against new opponents, often playing Compete games or Daily Challenges when he's not working on Trickster Cards.

Our Partners

The community around card games is what really makes them special. We’re proud to partner with some great groups and individuals to deliver unique experiences with our games.

The World Series of Spades

Comedian Clint Coley and his team elevate the game of Spades to a spectator sport in the ultimate Spades league. Between their televised in-person tournaments, they run remote competitions on Trickster Cards—and work with us to make it the best place to play Spades online.

Follow @theworldseriesofspades on Instagram.

Professor T (Spades Lessons)

An expert Spades player and core member of the World Series of Spades, Professor T is also a bona fide college professor. He’s partnered with us to produce a top-tier set of Spades lessons. Let him teach you how to play—and how to play better.

Follow @_professort on Instagram.

Ralph Lipe (Bridgit)

An ACBL Silver Life Master and software engineer, Ralph created and collaborates with us on the Bridgit bot for Bridge bidding which powers our 2/1 preview. Like all of our bots, Bridgit is open source so anyone can see how it works and contribute.

Visit the Bridgit project page on GitHub.