Netflix's 'House of Cards' Trailer: Betrayal and Beltway Intrigue (Video)

On Thursday, non-Netflix subscribers get a first look at the streaming video service's ambitious David Fincher-directed Beltway political intrigue series House of Cards.

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And it delivers what appears to be chilly storyline filled to the brim with shots of darkened Washington D.C. corridors, late night plotting by political operatives and even a cameo by CNN's John King. 

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The official Cards trailer opens at a presidential inauguration, where a new commander-in-chief is being sworn in. Shortly after, Congressman Francis Underwood (Kevin Spacey) seems surprised to learn that he won't be named Secretary of State. "This is going to be a big year for us," says his wife, Claire (Robin Wright). 

All thirteen episodes of the debut season of the series, which was produced by Media Rights Capital, will be available to subscribers on February 1, 2013.

"Take a step back, look at the bigger picture, that's how you devour a whale -- one bite at a time. Give and take, Welcome to Washington,"  Spacey says menacingly at the end of the clip.