Order Within Each Suit
Cards rank A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 from highest to lowest, in every suit. This version has no jokers, so nothing outranks the ace of spades. A higher card beats a lower card of the same suit, but rank alone settles nothing when the two cards belong to different suits.
Trump and the Led Suit
Spades are always trump, which is where most of the drama comes from. You must follow the led suit if you can; only when you are void may you play another suit or trump with a spade. That is how a humble 2 of spades, played legally, beats an ace of hearts. Without a trump on the trick, the led suit wins, however grand the other card: an ace of clubs played off-suit cannot beat a led 7 of diamonds.
Leading and Choosing Winners
You cannot lead a spade before spades are broken, unless your hand holds nothing but spades. When both cards are spades, the higher one wins: a 9 of spades beats a 4 of spades. The duel adds one twist to the ranking. The 26 cards discarded in the draw are out of play, so a king can be the highest card left in its suit if its ace went into a discard pile. Remember the high cards you threw away yourself. And when you do win a trick, use the lowest card that gets the job done, so your stronger winners are still there later.