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Spades rules and score calculator
Spades is the American partnership trick game with a simple bid and nasty penalties. Rules, scoring, bags and nil, in one place.
Players4, in two teams
Cards52, 13 each
TrumpsSpades
GameFirst to 500
Start Spades scorecardOpen a Spades scorecard. Use team names as players: 10 × bid, +1 per extra hand, −10 × bid when set.
How to play Spades
- Deal 13 cards each. Partners sit opposite each other.
- Bid. Each player bids how many hands they'll take. Partners' bids add up to the team's contract.
- Play. Follow suit if you can. Spades are trumps and can't be led until one has been played on another suit ("broken").
- Score the team against its combined bid.
Spades scoring
| Result | Points | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Make your bid | 10 × bid | Bid 5, take 5 → 50 |
| Extra hands (bags) | +1 each | Bid 5, take 7 → 52 |
| Fail your bid (set) | −10 × bid | Bid 5, take 4 → −50 |
| Every 10 bags collected | −100 | Keep a tally of bags |
| Nil bid made / failed | +100 / −100 | Player bids zero |
The first team to 500 points wins.
1-0 scores the bid, bags and sets automatically. Track nil bids and the 10-bag penalty by entering a correction round, for example −100 for the team that hit 10 bags.
Start Spades scorecardOpen a Spades scorecard. Use team names as players: 10 × bid, +1 per extra hand, −10 × bid when set.
Common questions
How are bags counted in Spades?
Each hand won above the team's bid is a bag worth 1 point. Every 10 bags costs 100 points.
What happens if you get set in Spades?
Your team loses 10 points for every hand it bid.
What is a nil bid?
A player bids to win no hands. Making it scores 100 for the team; failing costs 100.
Can you lead spades at the start?
Not until spades are broken, meaning a spade has been played on another suit, unless you have only spades left.
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