How the scoring works
Both teams score after every hand of 13 tricks. The calculator follows the scoring on our Spades rules page, which matches pagat.com and most US home games.
Contracts. Add the two partners’ bids to get the team contract. If the team takes at least that many tricks, it scores 10 × tricks bid, plus 1 point for each extra trick. If it falls short (is set), it loses 10 × tricks bid.
Bags. Every extra trick is a bag, worth +1 now. Bags are kept as a running count, and every time a team reaches 10 it loses 100 and the count drops by 10, with any extra bags carried into the next count. The bag count is shown under each team’s score.
Nil. A made nil (the bidder wins no tricks) is +100, a failed nil is −100. A nil bidder’s tricks never count toward the partner’s bid, but they do count as bags for the team. Blind nil, a house rule where the bid is made before looking at the cards, is ±200 and can be turned on under Table rules.
Winning. The first team to 500 wins. If both pass 500 on the same hand, the higher score wins. Some groups also call it a loss when a team drops to −200 or lower; tick that option if you play it.
Worked examples
Example 1: bags bite
North-South bid 4 + 3 = 7 and take 9 tricks, arriving with 8 bags. Contract: 7 × 10 = 70. Two extra tricks: +2, so 72. Those 2 bags take the count from 8 to 10, which costs 100 and resets the count to 0. Hand score: 72 − 100 = −28.
Example 2: nil made, partner set
East-West: one player bids nil and takes no tricks, the partner bids 5 and takes only 4. Nil: +100. The partner’s contract of 5 fails: −50. Hand score: 100 − 50 = +50. Even though North-South took more than twice as many tricks, East-West gained 78 more points on this deal. Hand 1 of the sample game above is this same deal.
Bids first, tricks after
Write the bids into the calculator before the first card is led, then enter tricks when the hand ends. The calculator checks that all four players’ tricks add up to 13 before it will score the hand, which catches most miscounts. The preview under each team shows exactly how its hand score is built, so everyone can check the arithmetic. The game is saved in your browser, so a refresh won’t lose it. If you prefer paper, print the Spades printable rules to keep on the table.
Questions people ask
- How do you score Spades?
- If your team takes at least as many tricks as it bid, you score 10 points per trick bid plus 1 point for each extra trick (a bag). If you take fewer, you lose 10 points per trick bid. A made nil is worth 100 and a failed nil costs 100. First team to 500 wins.
- What happens when you get 10 bags in Spades?
- Your team loses 100 points and the bag count drops by 10. Bags carry over from hand to hand, so if you have 8 bags and take 3 more, you lose 100 and start the next count at 1.
- Do a nil bidder’s tricks count for their partner?
- No. Tricks won by a nil bidder never help the partner make their bid, but they do count as bags for the team. That is why the calculator asks for each player’s tricks separately.
- Is a missed bid minus points or zero?
- Most US home games and pagat.com subtract 10 points per trick bid when a team is set. Bicycle’s rules score a missed contract as 0. Switch on the Bicycle option if your table plays that way.
- Can you lose in Spades by going negative?
- Some groups end the game when a team falls to minus 200 or lower, and count that as a loss. It is not in every rule book, so the calculator has it as an option you can turn on.