Continue learning: How to Play Spades: Tricks, Trump and Bidding · Spades Rules: Following Suit, Trump and Tricks · How to Bid in Spades: Count Winners and Avoid Overbidding · Spades Strategy: Track Suits and Protect Your Contract · Spades Scoring: Contracts, Bags and Nil · Spades FAQ
Quick answer: how does Spades scoring work?
Under one common partnership convention, partners add their bids to form a team contract. Making the contract scores 10 points per bid trick; each extra trick is one overtrick, often called a bag. Falling short commonly loses 10 points per bid trick. This is a general example, not a verified score table for this site’s embedded edition.
Worked example: bid five
Using that convention only: a team that bids five and takes five earns 50 contract points. If it takes six, it earns 50 plus one bag point, for 51. If it takes four, it misses the contract and the example convention deducts 50. Other tables may score these outcomes differently.
Bags, nil and penalties
A bag is an overtrick beyond the team bid. Some rules accumulate bags and apply a penalty at a threshold such as ten, but the threshold and penalty can vary. Nil is a bid to take zero tricks; its bonus or penalty is separate and also depends on the chosen rules.
Check the edition you are playing
Before relying on a score target, nil option or bag threshold, read the score panel and instructions inside the game. This site embeds an HTMLGames version against computer opponents; we do not claim that every common partnership rule is enabled in that edition.
What are bags in Spades?
Bags are overtricks beyond the team bid. Some scoring systems add one point per bag and penalize a team after a threshold, but the exact rule varies.
What happens if a Spades team misses its bid?
A common convention subtracts 10 points per bid trick when a team falls short. Check the rules for the version you are playing.
How is a five bid scored in Spades?
Under a common convention, making five scores 50, taking six scores 51 including one bag, and taking four loses 50. Other editions may differ.
Does every Spades game use the same scoring?
No. Nil bonuses, bag penalties, contract scoring and target scores vary by ruleset. Use the in-game scoring instructions for the edition at hand.