Spades scoring
Enter each partner’s bid and tricks to score a hand. The calculator uses the same rules as ourfree Spades game: 10 points per trick bid, 1 per bag, −100 for every 10 bags, and ±100 for nil.
- Bid 7, took 8: +70
- 1 bag: +1
+71 points
Bags carried to the next hand: 1
Making the contract
A team’s contract is the sum of both partners’ bids. If the team takes at least that many tricks between them, it scores 10 points for every trick it bid. It doesn’t matter which partner took them.
Example: bids of 3 and 4 make a contract of 7. Taking 7 tricks scores 70.
Bags (overtricks)
Every trick beyond the contract is a bag, worth 1 point. Bags add up across hands, and when a team reaches 10 it loses 100 points and keeps any bags beyond 10. Bags are why experienced players don’t simply underbid: a team that bids 4 and keeps taking 7 will pay for it.
Example: a contract of 7 and 9 tricks taken scores 72. If the team had 8 bags already, it now has 10: 72 − 100 = −28, and the bag count drops to 0.
Getting set
A team that takes fewer tricks than its contract is set and loses 10 points for every trick it bid. A contract of 7 with 6 tricks taken scores −70. No bags are counted on a set.
Nil and blind nil
A player who bids nil scores 100 for the team if they take no tricks, and −100 if they take any. The partner’s bid is scored on its own. The nil bidder’s tricks never count toward the partner’s bid, but they do count as bags.
| Bids | Tricks | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Nil + 4 | 0 + 5 | 100 + 40 + 1 = 141 |
| Nil + 4 | 1 + 4 | −100 + 40 + 1 = −59 |
| Nil + 4 | 0 + 3 | 100 − 40 = 60 |
| Nil + 4 | 2 + 2 | −100 − 40 + 2 = −138 |
Blind nil, where it is allowed, doubles the stakes: +200 if made, −200 if not.
Winning
The first team to reach the target, usually 500, wins. If both teams cross it on the same hand, the higher score wins. Many tables also end the game when a team drops to −200.
Questions
How do you score Spades?
Add the partners' bids to get the team's contract. Take at least that many tricks and score 10 points per trick bid, plus 1 point for each extra trick. Take fewer and lose 10 points per trick bid.
How do bags work in Spades?
Each trick over the contract is a bag worth 1 point. Bags carry over from hand to hand, and every time a team reaches 10 bags it loses 100 points.
How is nil scored?
A successful nil is worth 100 points and a failed one costs 100, on top of the partner's score. Tricks a nil bidder takes don't help the partner make their bid, but they count as bags.
What happens if both teams reach 500?
The team with the higher score wins. If the scores are exactly tied, play another hand.