Spades Strategy: How to Bid and Win More Hands
To bid well in Spades, count your sure tricks: Aces, Kings with at least one other card of the suit, and high spades, then add about one trick for a long spade suit or a void you can trump. Bid slightly low rather than high, since being set costs 10 points a trick while a spare trick costs only a bag. In play, take your contract first, then stop winning tricks, and work with your partner to set the other team when they bid high.
Counting tricks before you bid
Good Spades starts with an honest count. Go through your hand suit by suit and give yourself a trick for each card that will almost certainly win:
| Holding | Tricks | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Ace (non-spade) | 1 | Wins the first round of the suit, unless someone is void and trumps it |
| King with 1+ others | ½ – 1 | Wins if the Ace is gone or played before it |
| Bare King (alone) | 0 – ½ | Easily caught by the Ace |
| Queen with 2+ others | ½ | Only after the Ace and King have gone |
| Ace / King of spades | 1 each | Spades can't be trumped |
| Each spade past the 4th | about 1 | Long spades win late when the others run out |
| Void (no cards) in a suit | about 1 | If you have a spade to spare when it's led |
Don't count the same spades twice. If you're counting a void in clubs as a trick, that trump has to come from somewhere: six spades can cover a void and still win length tricks, two spades can't.
Bidding with your partner
Your bid and your partner's are added together, so listen before you speak. If your partner has already bid 5 and you have a borderline hand, the safe choice is the lower number: your team needs only enough tricks between you. If the other team has bid high, there are fewer tricks to go round, and your soft tricks (Queens, unguarded Kings) are less likely to win.
- The four bids usually add up to 10–12. If they add up to 13 or more, someone will be set; play tight.
- If they add up to 9 or less, plenty of tricks are spare and bags are on the way. Plan to duck.
- Bidding last is an advantage: you know everyone else's count and can shade your bid to fit.
When to bid Nil
A Nil (+100 or −100) is worth as much as a 10-trick contract, so it's a great bid with the right cards. Look for:
- No Aces and no Kings, and no Queen of spades without small spades to protect it.
- Few spades, and all of them low (2, 3, 4). High spades will be forced to win.
- Low cards in long suits. A suit like 2-4-7-9 lets you play under almost anyone.
- A partner who can cover: if your partner bids high, they can win the tricks you're afraid of.
Playing a Nil: get rid of your highest cards early, the first time you can't follow suit. Late in the hand, when everyone is out of cards, a stranded Jack is very hard to lose.
Covering your partner's Nil
When your partner bids Nil, your job changes: you're now protecting them as well as making your own bid. Play high on tricks where your partner might be forced to win. If a suit is led and your partner plays after you, put your King or Ace on it so their card can slip underneath.
Lead your partner's short suits so they can throw away dangerous high cards, and if you have a void, trump early to take over tricks. The other team will be trying to bust the Nil by leading low cards your partner can't get under.
Avoiding bags
Every 10 bags cost 100 points, which is a whole hand's work. Once your contract is safe, stop winning: play your lowest card in each suit, and throw away high cards when you can't follow. Count tricks as you go: if your team has its 7 and three tricks are left, every extra one is a bag.
Late in a close game, bags can be a weapon. If the other team is on 7 or 8 bags, letting them win harmless extra tricks can push them over 10 and cost them 100 points.
Setting the other team
When the other team bids aggressively, a set (−10 per trick bid) can be worth more than your own contract. Signs it's on: their bids add up to 7 or more, and you hold stoppers in their long suits.
- Keep your high spades to trump their winners rather than leading them out.
- Lead the suit they're short in only when you want them to waste trumps.
- Win the trick with the cheapest card that does the job, so your partner keeps their high cards for later.
- If you're about to be set yourself, at least make sure they're set too.
Card-play habits that win tricks
- Second hand low, third hand high. If you play second, keep your high card back; if you play third, play high to beat the leader or force out a higher card.
- Don't play over your partner's winner. If Hops' Ace is already winning, play low and save your King.
- Lead from strength, cashing Aces early before someone runs out of the suit and trumps them.
- Remember the spades. There are 13. Once you've counted the ones played, you'll know when your last spade is the boss.
Practise all of this against Hops in Spades on GameLake: press Teach me and he'll suggest a bid or a card and explain why. For the rules or scoring, see how to play Spades and Spades scoring explained.
Frequently asked questions
How do you know what to bid in Spades?
Count the cards that will almost surely win: Aces, guarded Kings, high spades, plus about one trick for a long spade suit or a suit you can trump. Then round down.
Is it better to overbid or underbid in Spades?
Underbid by a little. Missing your bid costs 10 points per trick bid, while one spare trick costs only a bag.
When should you bid Nil in Spades?
With no Aces or Kings, two or three low spades at most, and low cards in your long suits. A partner with a strong hand who can cover you makes it safer.
How do you avoid bags in Spades?
Bid accurately, and once your contract is made, play your lowest cards and throw your high ones so the other team wins the rest.
Should you lead spades in Spades?
Once they're broken, leading spades is good when your team holds most of them: it pulls the other team's trumps so your side suits win.